A question on variety:
What sort of things (besides rodents) do you folks offer your animal? Right now my guys eatting 5-6 adult mice per day, with a small rat thrown in about twice a week. Crayfish have been mixed in with minimal success, but I tried offering wax worms to no avail (a nice note tho: 2 live feeder mice that were in the cage at that time decided they DID like the taste of waxworms... guess the nutriets got to him one way or the other huh? hehe)
Thus far Ive heard people say whole small fish (could a larger piece of fish be offered?), freshwater prawns/shrimp (are saltwater varieties no good?), lizards/snakes/froglets (though I tend to steer clear, just in the case of parasites), and crayfish(which im having some success with... poor bugger cant catch the quick lil things and so if I put em in alive, they just scury about). Ive been wondering if those small crabs they sell, if worked into a breeding colong, would be ok feeders. Snails are also something Ive heard used, and im trying to think of a way to get a small colony going.
What do Niles eat most in their natural environment? Ive heard lately that theyre finding Savs tend to eat more termites than anything else, so Im wondering if perhaps Im not adding enough bug-matter.
I dont have access to feeder roaches at present and really cant risk having them escape into my house (im renting and, tho my awesome landlord thinks monitors are "far out", pests like roaches and mice he just isnt cool with), so can anyone suggest other insect types and where I might gain access to them . When it warms up, grasshoppers should be around in abundance, and Im planning on offering them- good idea? Should you quarantine any feeder caught outdoors, to avoid possible pesticides and such? If so, for how long?
The more specific you could be, the better. If heard people say a number of different types of seafood and Im going to an open air fish market tomorrow and Im going to be in the city afterwards. Ive heard squid offered as well.
Ive heard people saying that mixing up the diet can be a bad idea tho, as it can "spoil" the animal, afterwards it will only want to eat that yummy, stinky whatever. Is this true?
My Niles really putting on some weight and his entire tail has shed twice already. Hes put on quite a bit of girth and i think an inch or so, has dug himself a nice big burrow and dosnt run off anymore when I enter the room- he even came out of his burrow and took a mouse from my fingers the other day. Awesome!
