Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I'm looking into getting a pair( trio? ) of baby ackies but have a couple questions regarding their feeding

#1 Is it ok to feed them roaches instead of crickets? Roaches are so much nicer to raise

#2 how much do you feed them ? till they don't eat anymore or is it more advisable to limit them to a certain amount

Thanks

monitors (and lizards in general) LOVE roaches, they will be well received by your Ackies

we feed Lobsters and Hissers to our monitors. Lobsters breed quickly and easily, so well that we have now started selling them on our site.

as for quantity, properly setup, you really can't overfeed growing monitors, especially on insect feeders. as a general rule, try feeding as much as they will eat in a single sitting.

if you put in 10, and they are gone in 3 minutes, offer more. if you put in 24 and 30 minutes later there are still a dozen, then next time go with less. you don't want too many running around the tank uneaten.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

hi..

I´ve read your ackes care sheet... and I´ll build a cage for my yellow ackes trio... rigth now they are about 7 inches long...

could they be proprerly kept in a 110 cm x 50 cm cage...?? or it is too small..???

thanks

Rick

that is on the very small side for a trio. we have used 4 ft cages (122cm) effectively for 2 or 3 adults, but not a smaller one.

i would say that 4 ft size would be the recommended minimum.
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robyn@proexotics.com

Pro Exotics Reptiles

thanks Robyn...

then I´ll make it bigger... just don´t have much room space... will post some pics when the cage is finished...

best wishes

Rick

I tried hissers for a bit and the results were comical. They (thr roach and my argus) took turns simply hissing at one another and I would be putting the roach back in the roach cage. I don't know if the monitor just got used to f/t mice and rats, but live hissers just resulted in a hissing contest. Eventually, I sold my colony to someone with a bird spider.

Now that I have a small sav as well as my argus I may try the lobsters, how hard is it to keep them contained?
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hbailey

0.1 argus monitor

I had a good laugh imagining that scenario you describe. An Argus and a hisser having a hissing contest.. hahaha.

It is kind of surprising that the Argus wasn't that interested in the hisser, but not that surprising. I have noticed that some individual monitors do not seem to like the 'taste' of hissers. Lobsters seem to be much more widely accepted. They can climb well, and can even climb glass. They can be contained with a slippery substance as a barrier. Many recommend Vaseline, Teflon or other substances I consider questionable for this purpose, since the roaches are intended as feeders for valued animals. I prefer to use a substance that is very safe if consumed. I use a thin sheen of lard, a few inches wide, near the top of the container. If using a plastic tub that is somewhat textured, you can make the barrier more slippery by applying a ring of glass tape first and then applying the lard to that. I never have any problems with roaches escaping from their homes.

I also raise Blaptica dubia, which are larger than lobsters and seem to be very acceptable to monitors. They are very poor climbers, so they can be easily contained.

Cheers

Cool and thanks.

I think the problem was a combo of not enough hides and I always fed f/t mice. This was a while back and I've learned a good deal since. Now getting the wife to allow me to farm raoches again . My sav would likely appreciate this.
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hbailey

0.1 argus monitor