jobi, I think that is part of what is so captivating about these little guys. Too many people discount the capra because they are boring and lack color. But when you have raised the babies and watched the antics you see that they are anything but boring and colorless! Also, the adults have so much personality as well, just not as much of the funny antics. Wait until you see a baby hanging upside down by one toe from a leaf! I have even seen them suction themselves to the glass trying to climb higher than the vines I have provided. They are comical!

My 6 month-old capra babies are now eating nightcrawlers. Whats amazing abut this is that there are 2 runts. These runts are a good 2" shorter than their siblings. In spite of their small size they attack the nightcrawlers with vigor and when they have swallowed their fill they just chew/grind through leaving the portion that is beyond their fill.

One note on the incredible appetite, I purchased a clutch of lepidogaster from a guy who wasn't familiar with MHDs. He was feeding them one feeding a day, sometimes every other day. He observed a lot of tail biting and just assumed that they were aggressive like Rankin's dragons. When they arrived I opened the tubs and saw these tiny little dragons with shriveled, black tails. Of course the first order of business was the amputation of the damaged tissue and then next was to get them on a regular feeding schedule where they had a constant source of feeders available.

I now have 6 very beautiful stump-tailed babies who eat with great vigor. Unlike the aggressive animals they their breeder described who would display and bite at him these are very sweet little ones who are fairly easy to handle.

Anyway, what you are seeing is very typical of these little eating machines. I often refer to them as tiny tails with great big mouths! They are definitely designed for eating! ; )

Its nice to hear that someone with as much experience with exotics as you is getting so much pleasure from these plain jane little lizards. I know that I am totally in love with all of the Acanthosaura species I have had opportunity to work with! They are just neat little animals!
-----
Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Hide Replies ]