Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What's the average weight for a collared? Tobias is nearing 40 grams, and when he is the proper weight I am going to take him off of baby food...

How do you suggest I ween him back onto crickets? This morning we had some fun, he had a few bites of manderin oranges and apple. I took him out in the sun but it was kinda cloudy, so we only stayed for about 20 minutes. I took him over to Novia's little spot and he layed on the soil for a while visiting her.

When do you think it would be okay to take him off of paper towels and onto substrate again? What kind of substrate is PERFECT? I always seem to be getting the wrong kinds.

I'm kind of afraid to take him off of the baby food but it's been SIX WEEKS and he needs to learn about crix again!
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Amanda ^_^

"Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to." ~Alfred A. Montapert

playsand is good. i think the reason he told you to dump it is because it can hold parasites and whatnot. any time i have treated my babes, i have had to dump it too.
i meant to tell you the other day that tobias is almost as many grams as my lizards. kaiser is in the low 40s, ivan is 45 and walter segundo is 46. kaiser still needs to fatten up a little.
as for weaning him, i would say start with smaller crickets and after a week or so of no problems, i would move him back up to the regular sized ones.
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

Okay, sounds good... So he's almost a good weight, awesome...

I thought sand causes impaction?
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Amanda ^_^

"Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to." ~Alfred A. Montapert

calci sand and vita-sand can cause impactions easily. playsand is much smaller and less likely to cause impactions. i have a pooper scooper and whenever i get new sand i scoop through it and if the pieces are too big to go through the wires, then they get thrown out. the time ivan had a slight impaction, she was pregnant and i had not done a very good job at sifting the sand.
repti-sand is good stuff, very fine sand, but it is expensive. like $6 for 5 pounds or something like that.
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

I use playground sand too, and sift it first, like Vonnie. But, I see all 5 of my collareds lick the sand and eat a little bit daily. There have been no impactions, but I wonder about them eating the sand.
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Valerie

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

do they tongue flick it, like they are checking out the area or are they eating mouthful? when ivan had all that sand in her stomach my vet checked her for parasites. she said that pica can be a sign of parasites. are your babies bug free?
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

They flick their tongues on it like they are just checking things out, but eat what is on their tongue. They are all fat and active, so I have not thought they have parasites. On the other hand, none have ever been to a vet, and I have never had fecals done.
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Valerie

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

well, i have seen my lizards tongue flick too and i think that they accidently ingest it when that happens. i don't think that have the whole "eww grit" reaction that we do, ha ha. pica is them actually eating the sand
your lizards do look fat and happy. however, they do recommend having a fecal done once a year
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vonnie
***There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is in having lots to do and not doing it. Mary Wilson Little ***

Thanks. I was thinking I would like tho get them checked before brumating them. I have been calling around but have found no vet here that takes care of reptiles. One has offered to look at fecals and try to wing it, so I will probably go with her unless I find one who is comfortable treating reptiles.
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Valerie

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA

My adults are all in the 40-something range too. I think Vonnie is right about starteing to let him eat crickets. You have done such a great job with Tobias.
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Valerie

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now.
--Martin Luther King, Jr.--

God bless the USA