My 4 1/2 month old (soon to be 5 months) was left in the care of my mother for the day as I was working late and had left early last night but when I came back his fat pads had sunken slightly and he is quite wrinkly, he is just out of shed and preparing his tail and snout again although very early on in the process. Turns out my mother had fed him 4-5 hornworms in a day throughout his 3 feedings- very overhydrated! His poops are solid but they are surrounded in a massive, excessive amount of water and his urates are liquidy and soft. Any advice on how to safely rehydrate him without overhydrating again? He is not showing signs of lethargy yet and he is full of energy.
Just keep up good husbandry, they can go their whole lives in the wild and never see standing water. They get their hydration through their food. But that doesn't mean we should never offer water. I try to offer it with an eyedropper 1 to 2 times per week. If he eats his greens rinsing them first is a good way also. Over hydration isn't going to hurt them, they just excrete the excess with their poop.
Just keep up good husbandry, they can go their whole lives in the wild and never see standing water. They get their hydration through their food. But that doesn't mean we should never offer water. I try to offer it with an eyedropper 1 to 2 times per week. If he eats his greens rinsing them first is a good way also. Over hydration isn't going to hurt them, they just excrete the excess with their poop.
I suppose not, although it has been giving way to dehydration. He's lost his skin elasticity, he is wrinkly and his fat pads are slightly sunken. Should I just rehydrate him as normal but cut back on hornworms?
Alright, just ran out actually so I’ll run and pick up some more. How frequently should I feed him one? And in what amount? I usually feed him one every two days, is that a solid plan?
As long as your feeding other insects thats fine. I would give him 2 or 3 at a time (they grow extremely fast). On a side note if you want to keep them smaller store them arounf 70 degrees.