REALLY need help re: neonate feeding !

[paigesc]

OK, guys.. I'm not having the best of luck screening "sellers". I recently purchased a nosy b female that I just assumed would be big enough to feed 1/8 inch crix. She was suppose to be a couple of months old. We currently have two chams that are doing well and thriving so we ASSUMED we could handle a younger one just fine. She arrived today and is no bigger that 1.5 inches head to toe. She looks no more than 2 weeks old. I can NOT find food small enough to feed her. She has been drinking some since arrival. We currently have her in the xmall screameleons cage/setup (from our previous buy.. not this neonate) but it looks too big for her. We hunted all afternoon for the smallest crx we could find but they are too big. She must eat tomorrow, I'm sure, before she begins to deteriorate rapidly. Please help me sustain this baby... (I can find no fruit flies or worms small enough for her) What can I do? Can I force feed her? are there any supplements I can use in lieu of food? This just sucks SO BAD. This baby should have NEVER, EVER been shipped out.

 

[camimom]

OK, guys.. I'm not having the best of luck screening "sellers". I recently purchased a nosy b female that I just assumed would be big enough to feed 1/8 inch crix. She was suppose to be a couple of months old. We currently have two chams that are doing well and thriving so we ASSUMED we could handle a younger one just fine. She arrived today and is no bigger that 1.5 inches head to toe. She looks no more than 2 weeks old. I can NOT find food small enough to feed her. She has been drinking some since arrival. We currently have her in the xmall screameleons cage/setup (from our previous buy.. not this neonate) but it looks too big for her. We hunted all afternoon for the smallest crx we could find but they are too big. She must eat tomorrow, I'm sure, before she begins to deteriorate rapidly. Please help me sustain this baby... (I can find no fruit flies or worms small enough for her) What can I do? Can I force feed her? are there any supplements I can use in lieu of food? This just sucks SO BAD. This baby should have NEVER, EVER been shipped out.

Do you have a petco or a petsmart> if so you can find a fruit fly culture there, i did.
Look fo rpinhead crickets, try calling smaller pet shops in your area,m or try fish stores, i have found they carry crickets sometimes.
if you cant find crickets small enough, you can always try bug juice, the lovely blending of bugs in a blender!

 

[millerman6401]

yea, id either try to get some fruit flies or bug juice.

 

[paigesc]

I know this sounds terribly stupid, but what do I do with fruit fly culture (if they have it). Can it be eaten right out the jar? That's where we found the small crix (Petsmart) but they aren't small enough.. She needs no bigger than fruit flies. We've spent the entire afternoon looking for feeder food for her. No such luck in Columbia SC.

I can do bug juice but how do I make her eat / drink it?

Any advice on her habitat? Basking temps to be the same? Misting? etc?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

[Seeco]

Do not force feed. You would be better combing the dumpster at your grocery store for FF -- Vinegar and rotting fruit and beer attracts them.

 

[robmd1]

Yea if you cant find some smaller crickets you need to find some fruit flies pet co petsmart in a pinch ive gotten em there,its more then a few weeks old at an inch an ahalf.. fruit flies are your best bet till you can get some smaller crickets.
also look in your phone book under baitshop see what crickets they have..

 

[paigesc]

We bought what used to be called Repti aid but now it's flukers repta boost. Can we incorporate this ? And I need the exact recipe for bug juice. I'm a real greenhorn at this guys, so bear with me

 

[suzi]

I agree with Seeco do not try and force feed, if you can't find or catch anything have pin heads shipped over night

 

[paigesc]

How do you get them to eat bug juice. Should I take her from her cage and put her in a small enclosure to try to get her to eat fruit flies (if I can find them?)

 

[suzi]

you can put a piece of fruit in her enclosure then put the fruit flys in there, they should stay near the fruit

 

[okiroo]

I know this sounds terribly stupid, but what do I do with fruit fly culture (if they have it). Can it be eaten right out the jar? That's where we found the small crix (Petsmart) but they aren't small enough.. She needs no bigger than fruit flies. We've spent the entire afternoon looking for feeder food for her. No such luck in Columbia SC.

I can do bug juice but how do I make her eat / drink it?

Any advice on her habitat? Basking temps to be the same? Misting? etc?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

well at least im not the onlyone. try andorson(petsmart and thats it). its super hard. they got pinheads down here but i dont think you wanna drive that far. glad you told me. i had been wanting to go up there and see if there was any cool rep stuff. im sorry about your situation. order online now and make bug juice untill it gets their. that should work.

 

[okiroo]

the problem is in SC EVERYTHING closes sat and sun. esp sunday. so it would be really hard for you to get anything done.

 

[paigesc]

What's the recipe for bugjuice? Is it liquid when prepared? and will they just eat it?

 

[ataraxia]

easiest thing to do for temporary is to place a few slice of bananas and orange in the cage. go to the super market and find the ones that are about to rot.

order from josh's frogs hidei or melanogasters fruit flies and if you want to save money by making your own cultures deli cups and fruit fly culture media. order about 6 cultures and how ever many deli cups and quatity of culture media. i suggest starting two cultures as one goes out. melanogasters will take off in a little less than 14 days while hidei will take a bit longer.

 

[ataraxia]

also they are flightless but i find that melano's escape through the screen while the hidei stay in.

 

[suzi]

also they are flightless but i find that melano's escape through the screen while the hidei stay in.

true true very true

 

[camimom]

If you find a fruit fly culture, which you will at petco ( i swaer i got mine there!) get a deli cup, (not clear) put a piece of fruit in it, and then shake the jar of flies over it so some flies come out and they will stay near the fruit. this way, your flies stay put, they cant fly and they cant climb out thru your cage. your cham will find them.

You dont have to do anything with the fly culture, just buy the jar and youre good.
As for pinheads, try small local shops, order online, dont fret.
as for bug juice, blend your yummy bugs and supplements, get an eye dropper, and try to put a drop on your chams mouth nose area. this may stimulate it to try to drink/eat it.

 

[SamanthaElle]

I just brought home a 2 week old panther cham and he has been feeding on pinhead crix and wingless fruit flies (the fruit flies are gutloaded Superfly).

The crix are a little faster than the flies....so you may have to experiment with what works best for your cham. Mine keeps up with them both so I alternate between the two.

Also, I have remained very diligent with checking all the environmental factors. I think it has helped.

Hope everything goes well with your little guy!

 

[Duke]

The chain pet stores will let you select the smallest crickets. Take your own tupperware bowl, have them dump some in it; and you can pick out the pinheads and put them in the purchase bag.

Oh, and I found that my local chain store does not carry fruit flies. The chain itself does, but not at every store. I stopped in Salt Lake City (3 hrs away) when I was there and bought some at the same chain since they have them. But as other have stated you can have them overnighted. There are sponsors on this website that sell them.

Good luck

 

[paigesc]

Petsmart, Walmart nor Target has fruit fly culture. Been out all afternoon looking for some way to feed her. We brought home the smallest mealworms and picked the smallest crx. Even pulled the legs off a bit. She won't eat. Walks right over her food. A few of those mealworms she could eat, as well as the crix but shes not interested.

Please help. I can order Joshs but even overnight delivery we are looking at Tues.

How do I get her to eat bugjuice and what is it, exactly? Just blender crix? Doesn't their food have to be moving?

Will they eat termites?

Can I separate her in a 10 gal w/ a dish of food so she might see it easier?