Hello All, long time no be.
After taking three years to decide I would be a fit owner, I went ahead and got a baby Blackthroat. He has a room for himself when he gets big. But I never expected such an appetite. He arrived cold in the box. After hunching down in 85F with hot basking spots for one-half hour, he (it) suddenly began relentlessly hunting. I mean this baby knows how to dig crickets out from under water dishes, wet washcloth's, and he stalks them from the other end of the tank. He gets his eye fixed on one cricket, like a leopard, and quickly he's chomping and swallowing no matter how much the cricket bounces. I think he's eating more than twenty per day, maybe thirty. I guess he should be getting pinkies and fuzzies already. He's only 5" SVL, but I figure I can explain his appetite by the rotundity (mass) of his body.
At his age, is it plausible for him to put himself in danger of obesity? Do commecially raised crickets carry parasites that can colonize him? I guess it's time to buy a kit for my microscope.
Regards,
Roger
