Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,
I have two tiger sallies. When they were larva, they could easily capture minnows and guppies. However, after they morphed, they proved to be pretty blind little guys. Not to mention slow. Anyway, I've been hand-feeding them freeze-dried tubifex (after I soak them in water of course) and occasionaly crickets or guppies. Is there anything wrong with this method? Is there a way I could train them to catch their own food? I'd like to keep my herps as close to their natural state as possible, and I don't think God has time to individually hand-feed all the little guys on the planet. ; ) Any advice?

Usually, they'll go for things that are moving. You might try and get a shallow dish and toss in some: earthworms, whole or chopped nightcrawlers, mealworms or bee moths. Offer as much variety as possible. Sometimes it takes them awhile to rather "change gears" trying different foods once they've morphed. Vitamin/mineral supplements dusted are also a good idea from time to time.

I hand-feed mine because he's far too spoiled to be bothered with exerting himself to actually catch something.
But there's a practical reason, too. That way I know exactly how much and what he has eaten.
True, in the wild nobody hand-feeds them. But also, they are not captive in a fixed space where neither they nor any potential food can escape.
Someone (it may have been Ellen) posted something here a long time ago about being careful not to leave uneaten crickets in with the salamander because they might chew on the salamander.
Since we have already deprived them of the natural environment, I don't see that hand-feeding is that much worse, and it does offer a greater degree of control.

I used to hand feed mine, but now i just toss in crickets or whatever. I dust them every other feeding or so for some added nutrition.

I found they enjoy hunting the food. It's a real sad thing to watch though. it's like watching a slug trying to chase a rabbit... those sallys don't move so fast. but they can catch the food off guard. they also do a lot of night feeding so be patient. They always win in the end.

Hand-feeding in my opinion devoids the animal of well-needed excercise and "enrichment". If you want to get into the control abspect of it handfeed say one or two then drop the rest in for the animal to chase around. They may not be in the wild anymore but they still have that wild instinct and know how to hunnt for food.
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Jeremy Carroll
Center for Reptile and Amphibian Propagation and Conservation
http://www.onet.net/~eagle/Reptile/index.htm

I hand feed my tigers reguarly, I had a blotched tiger that was badly deformed and had a hard time hunting for himself..so I made sure I fed him every couple days.. Most tigers are very smart, and able to feed themselves.. my grey tiger was totally wild with his original owner..less than 6 months, and he begs whenever I pass his tank..

Try tossing in LARGE crickets, he should co after them.. Hand feeding can be a pain in the rump if they get too used to it.. You can try silkmoths if you can find them.. they are large and CAN NOT fly.. so will give your tiger something to think about..
I only hand feed mealworms, waxworms and a pinki mouse once in a while.. tubifex worms may not be too good..

just my thoughs..
Harpy

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Have You Hugged Your Herp Today?