Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so i had an egg hatch about a week ago.
i understand they usually dont eat until after their first shed.

i dont think her first shed has yet happened.
however i felt the urge to throw a pinhead in her little tank to see how she would react to it, and she happened to be scared of it.

what can i do for her to get over this fear?

thanks
aaron

I always put a cricket in with a baby so that I know when it starts to eat. That fear of crickets that you are talking about should turn to annoyance and then to snapping at the cricket to get rid of the annoyance. I think this is often how they get the idea that crickets are food. Just my thoughts on the process...

If they really are pinheads that is to small, mine start out on 3/8" crickets. Also, most of my leos are only fed mealworms their first month. I can leave them in overnight in a small dish, plus they are easy to catch. Once they are a month old or so I alternate crickets and mealworms. Then as adults it is all crickets. Some leos won't respond to mealworms and eat only crickets, probably the higher activity stimultes a better feeding response.

Also I have had leos wait as long as 2 weeks to eat their first meals. Just as long as they are still a good weight with a decent tail then I would not worry. Remember leos eat their shed skin and that can be a good meal for a lot of hatchlings.