Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all, I have read everything I can get my hands on and I do have the benti that I raised since babies in 2001 but would love to hear what you all are feeding/would feed a hatchling ornate. At the moment, since my baby was injured, he has mostly eaten leafy greens such as collards, mustard greens, escarole and chicory. I have witnessed one piece of pea go into him but fear he is ignoring the rest of the stuff on the plate. Have you had luck using a food processor? What about any sorts of pellets? Is a hatchling too small to be offered juvenile ig pellets (not soaked) and finch pellets? Too small for bird seed?

Prior to his injury (in the car on the way home from Daytona) he ate greens and even some bits of mazuri tortoise chow (dry) but wont touch the tort chow now. I am lucky he is eating anything I suppose.

Sorry to ask so much but I like to hear what people are having good luck with.

Thanks!
Carole
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www.reptilecare.com

When mine were little, I always used a food processor. I just chopped the veggies into smaller pieces though, not made them into mush. When I used the food processor, it made it more difficult for them to pick out the favorites and leave the rest, expecially if you added any peas. I felt bad about the ones I bought as they went from Daytona to my home in Florida where I had the large rubbermaid tubs set up, to a two day car drive up to Wisconsin into their regular enclosures. The beardie refused to eat for three days it was so traumatized, but is doing well now. The uros fared better, starting to eat right away. Good luck with your little one...what exactly happened to him on the way home?

Pam

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1.1 varanus acanthurus brachyurus (Dorado & Dora)
1.1 u. macfadyeni (Amani & Abeba)
1.2 u. ornata (Husani, Zari, & Bintu)
1.1 u. maliensis (Njuru & Neo) Doug Dix
0.0.1 u. aegypticus (Halima)
0.1 pogona vitticeps (Sunni)
1.1 hyla chrysoscelis (Pudge & Squirt)
Herps Are Awesome!

Hi Pam, thanks for the reply. I have used the food processor for my iguanas off and on over the years. My 14 year old green iguana goes back and forth between eating his greens like he should and requiring everything to be food processored.

Anyway, the injury occured after we got home. The ride home went perfectly well with him eating on my lap as a matter of fact.

When I got home I set him up in a temporary enclosure. I feel like an idiot. It was not secure. Long story short he got out, one of my cats got to him and he wound up with a puncture wound in his side. He has been to the vet, is on baytril and metacam. He weighs all of 8g. The dosage is mad small but I have been having a lot of luck getting it into him the last couple of days. I think he is going to be ok. He is eating but mostly just when a big piece of green is presented to him. he munches a lot of it at once, little bite at a time.

I will try the food processor tomorrow!

Thanks again,
Carole
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www.reptilecare.com

oh poor little guy! i know how you feel though. i had a new baby uro from a show in a cage that had like the bird wire on top. prior to that he was in a little plastic tubberware type thing and a brown paper bag, i felt bad for him. anyway i thought he was too big to get through but he wasn't so the little booger got out and was somewhere in the car. i should have known then xoco was going to be a pain in my rear
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vonnie
***The first law of dietetics seems to be: if it tastes good, it's bad for you. — Issac Asimov ***