Wondering How Much To Feed Him

[UserName336]

he's a 5 month old faly. he came home wednesday and hand fed instantly, so i can keep track of exactly how much he's eating. i heard you're supposed to let them eat until they decide its enough. well, the first day i did that, and he ate about 18-20 crickets then didnt eat again until saturday night, and he was pooping 3 times a day. i have two different size crickets since i bought more before he ate them all (wasn't expecting the loss of eating). some are about the size of a penny (about 1.2 cm), others exceed 2 cm and he eats them all without a problem.

today he ate 5 in the morning and 8 (after i cut him off) about a half hour ago. is this more normal for a guy my age? i'm trying to feed off the larger ones first

 

[carol5208]

I think everything sounds ok. Never seen one poop three times a day though!! I wouldn't worry too much. You just got him and it can take time for them to get settled and on a regular schedule. He should be eating about 15 feeders a day, crickets, worms, moths, roaches etc. Try to have some variety. I always recommend silkworms as they are a lowfat worm and high in calcium. You can feed him more than 15 I was just giving an average.

 

[UserName336]

i tried feeding him some hornworms today, and seems like he doesnt like them. he ate one instantly, the second he sort of stared at until he finally took it but ran away from the third. when he returned and saw i was still holding it, he walked away again. i came back with crickets and he instantly devoured 5.

should i stop with hornworms altogether?

 

[carol5208]

you can keep trying the hornworms. Just make sure they are not too big. Try some silkworms instead.

 

[UserName336]

the hornworms i used were tiny. i honestly didn't know they came that small. they were less than .5cm in diameter and MAYBE 2 cm long.

i will try silkworms next time around. he usually fires within 45 seconds of me holding a feeder out (almost instant on the first feeder). i dont know, maybe he's just not used to anything other than crickets?

also, thank you so much for actually answering my questions and continuing to do so
you and sandra have been very helpful to me over the last few weeks before and since i got him