Insect Direct

great info. Is it true that not all proteins are processed by pets as efficiently as others? Like some dry foods say 40% but that may not even be in an available/digestible form?

Nice tidy tank perfect for feeding live foods You can and it does look a bit more natural, but i found it got stinky. Take out the solids and completely replace every month or so and should be ok, seems to be used alot for blue tongues. Bark or the wood chips. But not so good for feeding live foods and maybe a small risk of impaction.

Congrats on the eggs i purchased some eggs off tm a couple of years ago. Hatched sweet then never saw them again :-? very cool snails

What do the aussies know :lol: Ive been there done that, learnt the hard way. Yes it can be done but not worth the risk? Looks good until someone looses a tail . Even without you noticing it they will staunch each other out. Living under stress isnt much fun. Best thing i ever did was separate mine. They certainly dont miss each other 3 all from the same breeder? your almost as mad as me lol. If theyre all females you may be ok, but in saying that out of the first 5 i got as hatchlings (1male 4female) the biggest female was the one who did the most damage. And the male ended up with the shortest tail :-? Just be warned and keep a close eye on them. Alan's post below is some good advice.

Unreal, thanks for sharing. I wouldnt have the foggiest clue on what it is though

I wondered that, hmmm should be able to get it tight fitting but it still may reflect i suspect. I would paint but i like to change things around a lot so dont really want a permanent black background.

Black polythene not polystyrene just thin plastic stuff, can get it from almost any hardware shop in rolls, black or clear. Like pond liner etc. I saw it in my shed Think I will try it on my tree frog tank, should look ok I think.

Nice whiptail I was eyeing up some black polythene the other day for this purpose, would work well for blackgrounds :lol:

No, and i dont think the female decides. More so the males chase the ladies, plants his seed, then she fattens and will lay when the conditions are good and shes ready/or male lets her in his cave?. I use to have one male breed with 2 or 3 females, gave the females a nice break in between spawns. Male didnt get much rest though, got to give the males credit Pairs or 1 male to 2 females i found worked well. More than one male may fight? Prob best to provide a cave for each male, driftwood with hole drilled in worked well for me, the fish like the hole just wide enough so they can spread their fins. So you cant get them out :evil: :lol: Maybe the smaller is just not ready to become a father, wise man to lol

If your going to chuck it out Ill take it, but if not hold on to it . Not sure where i would put it tbh May have been Oblonga that I saw but i dunno about that (just been googling) At the time I would've almost sworn they looked like a red ear x with snake neck but i didnt even know there were other species back then :oops: was more a brown maybe green colour (for memory), definitely didnt look like good old longicollis.

Looking very good

Depends where you collect them, if no pesticides are used in the area then should be fine....dont blame me if they kill your skink :oops: but i never use to worry about it, but I also had a good place to collect them. Pays to be cautious and only a treat really. I dont think snails travel as far as some live foods, so if found in an area that is spray free then they should be all good. You still run the risk of desease and what not but thats up to you to decide if its worth the risk. Aquarium snails are possibly safer but who knows, i use to feed them to the turtles often. Dont see why skinks wouldnt lap them up.

Yep couldnt agree more , live is definitely best But given the expense its almost to much for some so if theyre not using insects at all now, Id rather see them use freeze tried than no insects. We are shockers in this country, our turtle diets in particular but even blue tongues. Fresh is best, & variety adds zest :lol:

True I didnt realise it was you Yep pinkies are a great treat. I use to breed them but I found it was too much work for what it was worth. and the smell especially of the male/s wasnt very nice.

True I had'nt thought of that, but then again.. sounds like Mel is already onto that

Meat on its own is not enough nor does it replace insects. If not wanting to supply live foods then freeze dried is the next best thing. Veges and creamed corn, egg etc all seem to go down the hatchet aswel

Tbh other than snails i never use to feed blue tongues much live food at all. Blue tongues are scavengers so i imagine in the wild eat dead carcasses etc. So need meat (someone correct me if im wrong) so cat food mixed up with vege and sometimes banana was a regular dish here. Still is but live is best i think and im lucky enough to have enough so do provide it atleast 2/3 time's a week. Live foods are best but alot of work to breed your own just for a couple of bluetongues. Beardies are a different story and need live foods daily, so no option but to breed your own or be prepared to pay for it.

classic beardie moment :lol:

Nope best to have a very fitting lid so you can release flies in the tank. Also frogs will find their way out, if any gaps/holes etc.

Just wondered if anyone knows how many (and even what) species of snake necks we have in NZ? Im sure ive seen more than one, were some in a petshop a few years ago but ive never seen anything like it since? Shame I didnt have the cash at the time. But yeah, something ive always wondered about ever since. So if anyone knows please let me know.

Thats interesting, if its not bulging round the legs then it should have a decent appetite. I wonder if a another snakeneck would get it going. Sometimes they seem to feed off a bit of competition. But even still one on its own should be all good anyway Otherwise if its only a couple of small patches after the shed i wouldnt worry too much, having the cover off the light may correct that. Bit more variety in the diet and should be well and truely on the right track. Its great to see someone who cares so much for their turtle. You should see a couple of mine that were purchased as adults, got really big bumpy backs :-? still seem happy enough and shell isnt soft like if use to be but they will never be perfect.

Mel unless your talking big fish i wouldnt bother chopping them up? Chopped up fish can be messy, goldfish are great food but best fed whole and live. Fresh water fish is best. Cut back on other foods and maybe even the hand feeding but i think just cutting back on the amount of prawn or whatever is prob best. If the fish are taking the turtles food then once the turtle realises this, it may just stimulate the turtle to start eating them . As soon as the turtle gets hungry and or recognises the movement as food, i suspect she will come alive. theres nothing wrong with feeding dead stuff really, but given it wont even eat a worm (possibly dead or alive) says to me its too well fed. Does she look fat, like bulging around her legs? Let me know an address and ill send you a dozen large crickets to try next week if you like. They swim for a bit but I suspect the turtle needs a bit of education that movement = food. Otherwise it just want eat them. Can hand feed them to, dead or alive.

Not something anyone should feel responsible for, even though we always feel like we are in such events. Life can be very harsh. Im very sorry to hear, my thoughts are with you

Ew thats interesting, I never knew that. I dont like the thought of eating a fish that has been eating toxic bait :-? people need start fishing with more natural products...like crickets