3 day old hatchlings wont eat crickets or salad! What to do?

[gryphonsmom]

Hi,

I just rescued two 3 day old hatchlings yesterday. I have tried 2x to feed them dusted pinhead crickets and i've misted them with water several times. I also leave a salad in there with minced mustard greens, mushed up mango and mushed up pumpkin. They drink plenty of water as i mist them 2x a day until they stop drinking, but they wont eat at all, and one of them even runs from the crickets. I don't know how to get them to eat anything and if they don't start eating soon...well, you know.. HELP!

 

[LLLReptile]

At 3 days old, it's not surprising that they don't have much appetite. They can take several days to fully digest and process the yolk, so I wouldn't worry too much yet. We just had two clutches hatch here at the store, and we don't even start trying to offer crickets until we start seeing poop in the cage - which can take a couple days. Once they digest their yolk fully and they're nice and warm, it doesn't take long before they start wolfing down everything in sight.

Try leaving them alone for a whole day, only misting them so they drink, and then offer about 5 or 6 crickets to them to see how they react.

Just to check, what's your set up for them like?

-Jen

 

[gryphonsmom]

I actually got them to eat three crickets each last night. They didn't eat live food today but they picked over their salads which consisted of minced mustard greens and kale mushed up mangos and pureed pumpkin. I have them sharing a 40gal breeder right now. There's a divider up in the middle as i noticed some aggressive behavior. Each side has a 100 watt basking light and a reptisun 10.0. Hot temps are at low 90's while basking spot hovers around 102ish. Cool side i haven't checked yet. Each side has a basking spot and a good sized hide. Babies are housed on 2 layers of unprinted paper towels and the top (third) layer is a viva paper towel. You know the really soft kind. Babies are misted in a separate tank twice daily to ensure hydration. Live food is also offered in a separate tank twice a day unless hatchling eats the first time food is offered. ""

 

[shygurl0189]

thats great that they finally are eating!! With my first batch it tool them 3-5 days before they ate. haha If i could recommend one thing tho; I would still feed them twice a day, it will help with the aggression that your already seeing. by only feeding them once a day your at a higher chance of having nips because they see feet and tails as food. oh and one more thing.....dont forget the pictures!! :mrgreen: nothing is cuter then baby dragons!!

- Tammy