New Blacknecks (w/ PICS this time)

[d_virginiana]

Thanks. I wasn't expecting any of those four to make it in the long run though (never ate well, then pretty much just stopped), so the fact that even one is eating well is better than expected, and I'm still hopeful about the last poor eater.

[joeysgreen]

Have you tried feeding live tadpoles, frogs, earthworms, bugs etc.? Any risk of parasites is less than not eating at all. They can be dewormed, and switched to captive bred prey when they are larger.

Ian

[d_virginiana]

Everything that can be tried has been tried with these. I only have one left that isn't eating well though. The other three are taking food fine despite being quirky about it.

[joeysgreen]

I figured I was stating the obvious, good luck with them

[EKS56]

I had feeding problems with mine. Very shy to no eaters. Tried all the tricks I could think of.

That makes me feel better.

[EKS56]

When I got the parents to these the male went for 4 months without eating.

[EKS56]

I think this is why you don't see very many of them for sale.
I think Big Momma is gravid. I'll try some different angles this next time around.
I'm lucky I stumbled onto a pair.
Their natural habitat is in central Texas.

[d_virginiana]

I'm keeping the tiniest one.. I think he has something weird going on neurologically.. but you're taking the other one back once I get it eating well. It's taking some food, and I think I'm close to getting it to tong feed.

[chris-uk]

Sorry to hear about the scrubs.

My blacknecks are western, as opposed to your eastern blacknecks Lora. My two have two different stories at the moment, the female is eating very, very well and has been for about a month. The male hasn't eaten since Autumn, I've tried all the tricks that have been mentioned on the forum, he's just inactive and not interested in food. I occasionally see him moving around, and he's obviously drinking else he'd be dead by now.
Blacknecks do seem to be a species that doesn't like eating.

[d_virginiana]

Thanks. I honestly didn't expect any of the ones I picked up to make it, so the two noneaters (and their gigantic sister who is closing in on the size of my two year old eastern male ) that are doing good now are already better than I'd hoped. The one that seems to have neurological weirdness doesn't seem too bothered by it and it doesn't seem to be worsening, so I think he'll be okay.

I wonder if their finicky food habits might come from their natural habitat (at least the eastern ones). They seem to be found in hotter areas that are more prone to drought and quick climate changes... It makes me wonder if they're more sensitive to changes in heat/humidity because that would be a clue that they need to immediately start shutting down or risk death?

It might explain why I've had pretty good luck with the ones I picked up; they're set up near my tropical frogs, so their heat/humidity stays more stable than it would in a room set up just for temperate reptiles (they don't have the tropical temps, but the equipment keeps the ambient temp steadier).