Hatchlings feeding behavior

gasteriaphile · #1 (**permalink**) 10-10-2009, 05:32 PM

I have a question about Hatchlings feeding behavior. My hatchlings are an arboreal species and as such they hang out far above the bottom of their cage. Whereas the feeder insects that I introduce (mainly very small crickets at this stage) immediately head for the floor! How does one get the two together?

I have been advised to place some food that crickets like up into the arboreal area where the babies are, but thus far I have not found any food that so attracts the crickets.

Surely someone has long ago figured out this problem and has a solution?

Thanks, G

beckdg · #2 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009, 09:32 AM

feeder tweezers might help.

froggsong · #3 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009, 09:41 AM

I got an email from you through the site. I sent a response. I can copy and paste it here later...

Nighsliv · #4 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009, 12:45 PM

Mount a small platform higher up and put some carrot sticks or something similar on there, then gently introduce the feeders onto the platform. Generally the crickets will stick around to feast especially if you add some kind of semi hide on there too but make sure they can't get to the food while hidden.

gasteriaphile · #5 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beckdg

feeder tweezers might help.

Sorry, I can't even pick up pinhead crickets without killing them. I have tried repeatedly. Besides my babies will not stay put when I put my hand into their cage. Very flighty. By the way these are not chameleons - they are Anolis coelestinus. I hope I am not transgressing too much but I haven't found much good advice from the anole keepers.

beckdg · #6 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009, 10:38 PM

transgressing, ball busting... what's the difference? i am no idiot just didn't have coffee yet and decided you deserved an answer. you stayed on the recent posts list and apparently got two better than i could give. you're welcomed breck.

froggsong · #7 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009, 11:26 PM

oh, behave beck, lol... you tease too much!

Since you are feeding pinheads, it's going to be more difficult (are we talking ACTUAL pinheads? Like newborn crickets? Look like tiny ants?). My advice is to put in a lot of them, the lizards will learn to hunt them down (they should be hunting them, trust me, you don't want a picky hand feeding lizard... I have one, and it is VERY difficult). If they can't learn to hunt and start to get sick, remove them to a smaller enclosure until they get the weight back up and learn that when they see that movement, they go for it.

How big are your lizards? Pinheads seem awfully small... I know they are hatchlings, I just don't know how big they are as hatchlings.

gasteriaphile · #8 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 12:10 AM

Hi haven't received a response at my email address.

gasteriaphile · #9 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 12:18 AM

Hi Frog not sure what Beck was about but thanks for suggesting what it was. I am certainly not into any kind of discourtesy. I am trying to get some answers and find I get more with honey than vinegar. No they are not true pinheads. More like just small crickets, ca. 10 mm. My older babies can handle them and even some of the youngers.

Here's what I have had happen age-wise: I discovered the 1st baby on 8-07-09, but I believe he was at least a few days old by then. At that time his mother (now deceased) was in the 29 gallon aquarium and had been since I got her back in May. I discovered the 2nd baby on 8-23-09 as I was taking apart the 29 gallon preparatory to re-planting it. This 2nd baby was very skinny at this point and could have been in the vivarium for longer than the first one judging by the difference in their weights when discovered.

At the same time that I discovered baby #2 I also found an unhatched egg. I took it out of the dismantled aquarium and put it in a make-shift incubator, not really believing I could bring it to hatch but had nothing to lose. On September 3rd I checked my incubator and was astonished to find a baby anole! So I know for sure how old my 3rd baby is. This baby was also unique in that it had a very bright green color whereas his siblings were both a grayish-green. At this point I was running out of separate glass containers to put all these babies in! Some of my anole gurus told me to keep very young anoles separate from each other, and some said the opposite.

Meanwhile, on September 9th my adult female coelestinus escaped from her vivarium and in the process of trying to re-capture her, she fell awkwardly and hit the edge of a plastic recycling box. This broke her lower back where it connects to the sacral area, and she was paralyzed in her hindlegs as a result. So I had to put her down. She had been not only a prolific mother but was a breeze to feed, readily taking dubia roaches from a feeding bowl daily.

On September 24th I discovered the fourth baby - again completely by accident. It was down on the concrete below the Exo-Terra which I had been working on and which had as a result been open; the female had been in it for just a few days and evidently made hay while the sun shined. How long it was in there I don't know. But it was in good shape.

beckdg · #10 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009, 09:11 AM

how big are they breck? tiny obviously!
have you considered other feeders? something less likely to bite back or hop away? wingless fruit flies or springtails maybe?

they should be hunting out their own food. they shouldn't be scared of it. there should be no issues of them not feeding unless they're scared of you or the feeders. they should come right down from their perches readily when they see food. it should be instinct.

i would get myself a couple cultures maybe from josh's frogs or something similar and test a couple different things to see what they like. if they like it and aren't frightened they should feed regularly without abandon.

EDIT: and please keep in mind an insult is an insult regardless how it's worded. i would appreciate the same respect we all deserve. thank you for your cooperation.