Enclosure size for young Brevicaudatus?

[Woodinville]

Hey gang.... Any input from those who have raised neonate brevs would be greatly appreciated. I'm getting 1.2 very young ones from Mike at FLChams. My terrarium is 18x18x24 exo terra. I have it pretty well planted, and am training the creeping fig to climb some of the faux vines. I'll add some more branches, and maybe leaf litter, but otherwise I think it's a go. I'm just wondering if it's too big for such tiny little guys at first. I want to make sure they get enough food, etc, but maybe I'll just release a large number of crickets?

 

[Vinny]

Yea that is a nice setup for them I would add slot of lead litter

 

[AJA]

Fruit flies would be good too.

 

[hallenhe]

How young is "very young"? - The thing I'd worry about with releasing a bunch of crickets is that the uneaten ones can grow and can harm baby brevs (crix will climb onto sleeping animals and munch on them). The enclosure looks great for adult or subadult brevs.

 

[eisentrauti]

How young is "very young"? - The thing I'd worry about with releasing a bunch of crickets is that the uneaten ones can grow and can harm baby brevs (crix will climb onto sleeping animals and munch on them). The enclosure looks great for adult or subadult brevs.

Very good and important point !
If you want to feed crickets it's quite a good idea, but you must cup feed them. They grow just too fast when they can hide in your enclosure.
Fruit flies alone aren't good for them. Crickets are are better feeder. If you just want to give them fruit flies they had to be gutloaded very carefully.

 

[Woodinville]

I hadn't thought about crickets growing and hiding, and possibly ambushing young brevs. Thanks for that input. I think these little guys are just over a month old. I'm guessing pinhead crickets are in store... If I put them in a little bowl with an inward facing lip, will that be good enough to keep most pinheads from escaping the bowl?

 

[warpdrive]

about crickets...
why not add in a piece of carrot and instead of munching on the chams, they go after the food left in the cage.

just a thought.

Harry

 

[eisentrauti]

Or just place a branch so over the cup that they can shoot in it and the crickets couldn't escape

 

[blackbetty]

Yea, how young is young? Mine are almost 2 weeks and I lose them in a 10 gallon hex, so they stay in a 5 gallon hex right now. Granted there are only 2 left, but even with the 6 I had..they blend so well, I freak out thinking something happened. I only feed them fruit flies right now. I did feed them pinheads but I put them in with the pinheads rather than the pinheads with them. I have a larger setup with adults and havent ever seen any crickets climb near the pygs. I did clean it out a few days ago and only found one cricket that had grown, so it was removed.

 

[Woodinville]

I need to read about the amount to feed babies, but I think it's every other day? I'll try the carrot suggestion, and will also get a cup for them. I've never had to feed pinheads, so I'm not familiar with how old they are when they actually start to spring around and jump.

 

[eisentrauti]

Juvenils two times per day but only small numbers of feeders, so that they can eat all very fast

 

[slowfoot]

Another issue with cricket escapees, is that the crickets will soon grow to a size that is dangerous to eat. I had a young brev choke to death on a cricket that was way too big for him to swallow. Chams really aren't good at avoiding food that is slightly too big. Just something to think about.