Quote:
Originally Posted by Offkillter1
What are your thoughts on feeder lizards i.e house geckos or anoles . I try to provide a vast array of feeder insects,but would love to have an option other than mice as an occasional treat.
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I lost a lizard eating snake once because W/C Anoles carry all sorts of parasites and infections, it's not worth the risk.
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Crayfish, small crabs, Night Crawlers are readily taken, Chicks and mice/rats.
The whole issue with obesity stems from
A. not kept hot enough. - If the heat from the cage does not belt you in the face when you open the door, it's too cold in there.
B. Not enough room. I can't stress this enough, there is no such thing as a monitor cage that is too big. These are active animals that need to move around.
In the wild they command territories many acres wide, so anything we can keep them in is a box in comparison. they need exercise!
C. people don't provide a deep enough substrate to promote burrowing. Most all monitor species dig tunnels and will use them and often sleep in them.
Without a big spacious cage that is kept toasty and humid the lizard will grow fat and lethargic (often called "tame", it's sad) and ultimately die of heath issues.
Making them run, jump and climb every single day and providing basking temps all the way up to 150 degrees they will metabolize and burn those calories as they should.
However when properly supported they are a bit more "high strung" but that's the way a healthy monitor should be.
And I'm sorry if I have given the impression that it's OK to shovel groceries at them all day, it's not.
My lizards eat about 4 small mice a day, a dozen night crawlers a week and lots of roaches, some minnows, some shrimp, some crayfish and occasional crickets.
