OK, it's been a couple of weeks since Elvis moved from his 10-gallon home to his big new 40-gallon viv. The humidity levels are good (high around 70%, low around 30%), temps are between about 64 and 74 (depending on elevation and time of day). There is a fluorescent grow-light for the plants, which is on a timer to be on from 7 am-5 pm.

Elvis sleeps up in a tippy-top corner of the tank these days (he has also slept under the moss at the bottom, and behind a leaf on a branch), right under the screen top (which is mostly covered by wax paper to help with humidity). He comes out at night and roams around, but he has not figured out how to eat crix from the pickle jar I have in there. I put 4 dusted crix in the jar with a little carrot to munch on. He just seems to ignore them, and hasn't eaten a single one.

I have put some worms in there (small silkies, hornworms, phoenix worms). I saw him eat one silky, but I don't know if he's eaten any of the others. The darn phoenix worms are able to wiggle out of the cup I put them in, and the little hornworms roam on the branches. (A side issue: Now all my hornworms have gotten HUGE and I can't put them in there -- they're even too big for the Leopard Geckos now! What will I do with them?) He does have a dish of CGD mixed with fruit, but he has never seemed to eat that for me. I just keep offering, sometimes adding honey and/or banana.

I have been weighing him, because he's so small that I am worried about him. His weight has been at 14 grams, and while he dropped to 12 grams on night, he was back up to 14 the next night. I do see some poop in the tank, though of course it's hard to tell how "regular" he's being due to all the plantings.

So... Do I just keep leaving the crix in the jar and hope he gets it soon? Do I let crix loose in the tank and live with the possibility that they might lay eggs and cause a problem? Or die and stink up the place? Should I order more silkies and keep giving those, since I saw him eat one?

Advice welcome -- I'm a worried mom here!

__________________
Amy

Dont leave crix in the tank. Have you tried putting him in seperate container to feed..how about mashed bananas?

__________________
MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

It sounds like he is eating more than you see him eat. As long as he is staying at 14 grams don't be too concerned. You could try a fecal as that would be a sure tell sign of problems, which I don't think you have. They really don't eat that much yet sometimes they'll eat more than they weigh. The crix will perish (probably through consumption) and the small ones hatching shouldn't be a problem, I don't think I've ever seen pinheads in my vivariums. The ones that die will quickly be broken down and won't smell unless your experience a lot of deaths, the phoenix worms that get out will probably live for a long time until they are consumed.

I dust the crix in a small dixie cup and then put the cup in the cage as I hate sprinking the powder into the cage, it coats the leaves. The rhacs usually wait for a crix to come to them (or in their eyesite) and ambush with a quick jump, its usually really fast and then they go back to waiting.

You could try rearing the horn worms.

Marsha, I have tried a separate container for feeding, and he didn't care for that. But I could try again. Maybe pare down his old 10-gal to just a fake vine and, his old log hide, and put him in there when I'm really worried. But he doesn't take well to me messing with him.

Cody, thanks for sharing your experience with crix loose in the tank. I may do that -- it seems like the easiest approach, and I guess if I get pinheads in there, I just won't have to buy him crix -- as long as there aren't too many. Good idea on the little cup. I can do that. And I'll keep weighing him -- I don't think he has a parasite of any kind.

Good idea of rearing the hornworms. That would be a fun thing to try. I was successful in getting one from the garden to pupate and hatch once, so I know how to do that - they like to burrow in the dirt. The problem will be feeding them. They eat massive amounts of tomato leaves! I can buy food from Mulberry Farms, but that may not be economical, lol. I guess it's worth a shot -- after all, they won't eat again until the next generation hatches. (the moths don't eat, do they? or do they drink nectar?)

__________________
Amy

He might just still be settling. If he doesn't take well to handling he might still be wary of his new surroundings.

I'm not sure on the hornworms, is that all they eat is tomato leaves? It's easy to grow tomato vines if your really ambitious, it's only getting the fruit that is a realy challenge.

i don't know much about this subject, but from what I have read some herp owners put their herps in a different, smaller enclosure for eating. you might want to try this. just a suggestion.

__________________
Chris Kerr.

2.0.0 Dogs-Taz and Sandy
0.2.0 Cats-Whiskers and Squirelly
0.0.1 Green Iguana-Spike

Thanks, everyone. I went ahead and added the crickets loose in the viv last night, and Elvis went leaping around after them. He really got excited. My only concern now is that at one point, he got a bite of leaf litter in his mouth (which I pulled out -- he climbed up in the corner and pouted for an hour afterwards). I am going to go out today and get more of the moss from the yard that I have used to "carpet" most of the viv, to cover the few places that are bare substrate, so he won't ingest that. And for now, I am going to remove most of the leaf litter, I guess, even though it looks nice and will provide nutrients to the soil. I just can't have him getting a bellyful of leaves.

Yes, the hornworms just eat tomato leaves (and tomato family -- like nightshade and tobacco, I imagine). I put them in a big container with soil, and one immediately burrowed down. The others are still on the surface, looking kinda listless. They may just be cold. I'm going to try putting them in a warmer spot. They have a little silkworm chow to eat, and some of them are munching on it, so maybe it will do in a pinch. We'll see what they do...

__________________
Amy

Glad he ate Amy. It's a lot of fun watching them eat in a natural setting, they are well developed for climbing, jumping, and ambushing.

Good luck on the hornworms, let us know how it goes.