I have a huge colony of lobsters going. They are an excellent food source. I have tried several feeding methods and am hoping that the latest method doesn't explode on me!
They do love them and although they have to chew so these do take longer for them to get down than crawlers they don't seem to have a problem with them. The adults are soft bodied so the do make a good food. They are large and not so slick as mealworms so powdered supplements adhere well to them.
I have used tweezers to catch and feed them one at a time to the adults. Very time consuming! I think I get tired before they get full!
I have set up a paper towel tube so that the roaches will crawl up the tube when I mist it with water and then I hold the dragons, one at a time, near the tube. The dragons then pick off and eat the roaches at their own rate. Again, very time consuming.
Since these guys can climb everything it isn't too feasible to put them in a feeder dish but I have found that a few pieces of dog kibble will keep them in the dish for a little bit and am hoping that it will also draw them back to the dish. So, the last few days I have been tossing them on the screen sides near the MHDs and letting them catch them. If I only do one or two at a time it works well but I know I have a few in the bedding and probably in the branches. I am hoping the MHDs pick them off and I don't wind up with them reproducing in the vivs. I guess that if they do I will have to empty the vivs this winter and freeze the contents by carrying all outside.
So, in summery, they are a great food source and are another item that will add variety to your dragons diet. I would say go for it. Be prepared for excess roaches though and try to find an outlet for the surplus.
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Marcia - FroggieB Dragons
www.froggieb.com/MHDHome.html
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Signature file edited. [phw 9/13/04]
