Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

Freerein

Hi guys - my little rankins have just found one of the crickets I put in(must be 2 weeks ago) it has obviously been hiding somewhere in the viv and has grown HUGE - its now about a head and a half size and they had had it!

I'm just wondering if there could be any problems with this as I know they should only be fed small crickets.

They are about 10 weeks old(Jas?)

Cheers
Chris

cass · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject:

Hi mate crix are evil things and hide anywhere they fit try banging any cork wood u have against a wall outside and see how many appear , as for 1 eating 1 this can be bad if its not digested properly , but as it only ate the 1 im sure it willl be fine ,, if u notice ur rankins back legs going funny or any other strange activity get ur rankin down to the vet as large prey items can put pressure on the spine ,, but as i said it was only 1 so it should be ok ,, hope this helps Very Happy

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Jas · Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:23 pm Post subject:

Hello Chris, couldnt make out from your post if he actually ate it or not, if he did eat it i wouldnt worry, if he thought it was too big he would of just shook his head and threw it up, he probably just fancied a challenge.
The size of the head rule is more of a guide to what size feeder you use as a staple, it wouldnt be a good idea to constantly feed large prey, but the odd one wont hurt.
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Freerein · Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2007 12:41 pm Post subject:

She actually got 2 - they have been chasing them around a lot and not getting anywhere fast, then Gili managed to get one of the HUGE ones - I noticed that there were a lot of them at the back of the viv hiding where the heat mat goes under the substrate(newspaper) and there were a good 4-5 and maybe more that I can't see hiding under there.

So anyway, Lani seems not interested by the big crickets but Gili went mad chasing them(looked like she was having a lot of fun) but she got one HUGE one that was about the size of her whole head, then seconds later another stupid but even bigger cricket popped up to see where it's mate had gone and landed in Gili's mouth!

So she's had 2 and I am guessing there are more hiding - crickets are little buggers!

Thanks for your help guys! Appreciate that - hopefully 2 won't do her too bad but I will keep a close eye on her

dhill · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:06 pm Post subject:

Although I dont claim to be an expert, far from in it fact, i would be more concerned by the use of a heat mat in a rankins viv.
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DazandJulie · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 2:39 pm Post subject:

I agree dhill! Everything Ive read about Rankins states DO NOT use heat mats, as Rankins can only sense heat from above. But as with you, Im no expert and only learning myself.

dhill · Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:39 pm Post subject:

Everything I have read about keeping Rankins states not to use heatmats with them.

They can only detect heat from above, and you hear stories of lizards getting burnt from heatmats. My advice would be to pull the heatmat out and replace with a ceramic heat bulb in a cage, or something similar.
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2x Rankins Dragons & 1x Yemen Chameleon

"The most common mistake made by people designing something completly foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools". -- Douglas Adams.

Freerein · Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 12:39 pm Post subject:

They seem happy enough with the heat mat in there

Maybe I'll take it out in the future.

As for it, I spent a long time reseaching and asking people on this forum if they could help me with ideas on how to put it in and everyone was really helpful with helping me get the right way to install it so that the rankins weren't going to get hurt

The heat mat is underneath a layer of 3mm cork which is currently under a couple of bits of newspaper.

They seem happy enough

dhill · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 1:17 pm Post subject:

Rankins can only sense heat from above, which is why I worried about your current setup.

I found the following website very, very useful. Lots of great info and help!

http://www.hognose.co.uk/9.html

Any more concerns or questions please dont hesitate to ask Smile

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2x Rankins Dragons & 1x Yemen Chameleon

"The most common mistake made by people designing something completly foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools". -- Douglas Adams.