Thin or not, I've found that the next size or two (if not too large) above prove to be just as good as pinheads and will stretch your dollar a lot further, especially if ants are on the way. I have hatchling cornutum from 2 to 5 grams body weight and they can all handle a size or two above pinheads without issue, although I remove the crickets jumping legs sometimes for the smallest of them. These are still somewhat soft bodied and easy to digest.



One of the key points in HL care is to be sure you are prepared for the next few weeks of feeding whenever possible. This isn't always possible, but once they get down to an unsafe weight it's like trying to catch a greased pig. You'll be doing all kinds of gyrations and back flips trying to get them back to a healthy state. The best medicine is to always keep them healthy with a little fat reserves.



Another point to consider about HLs: Not all HLs are created equally. Some will make it through while others in the same cage will succumb to poor conditions or unfavorable situations. My observations on this seem to point to their stress tolerance level. Some are skittish from the get-go while others seem to take it all in stride. If you get an overly skittish animal you are going to have troubles in abundance. This is why captive born animals are the best. The wild ones have had to struggle with all kinds of threats throughout their lives, while captives have had it relatively easy and are just not strung as tight.



There are many factors that come into play with HLs and one really has to be observant and accommodate as much as possible the particular needs of the animal you have. They are not so much like gold fish that you can just admire as you walk by. Dedicated observation can go a long way in noticing problems early. One should spend enough time observing to be able to immediately identify when behavior changes. Changes do not always indicate a problem, but problems are usually evident in early behavior changes.



This advice is more in a general sense and applies loosely to this situation. I hope you don't feel I am picking on your DHLMaster. You may very well be doing everything right.



I hope you find this helpful. You haven't given any other particulars on your HLs, like lighting and cage size, or even species, although I'm guessing you have DHLs

Drop rkhorne a private msg and see what he has to say. He has more experience with DHLs than most for sure and also with feeding alternate diets. Also, you can at least make sure they are well hydrated, using bottled water. Tap water at this stage could also exacerbate the issues you are having.

How many lizards do you have?
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