Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I wonder if a factor in HL ant selection is whether the HL expects to be able to tongue up an ant without getting a lot of sand or dirt in it's mouth. A large HL trying for a small ant would get dirt since the tip of the lizard's tongue is large enough to cover some of the soil in addition to a very small ant. Small HLs have smaller tongues and can snap up small ants with less risk of getting sand in their mouths. My DHLs seem to prefer soldier and reproductive ants, which are larger than workers, although they do eat the workers when all the larger ants have been consumed. My HLs also eat the dead ants off the cage floor once the live ants are gone.

I personally have not found this to be true in my observations.In fact, the HL's that I have purposely eat some sand/gravel now and then, so for them to get a little with an ant is not an issue.If the ant is clamped onto a stick or twig it can be a problem as even a blade of grass in there (hl's) mouth seems to upset them terribly.
I took one of my HL's to a vet once and she said to put them in an enclosure free of sand, so as not to ingest any while eating. I said that I had seen them "eat" sand on purpose, and that it did not bother them in the least.................scott