# ackie feeding



## fabregasreptiles (Aug 30, 2010)

hey,

i have a pair of 8 month old ackies. i currently feed them 7 medium crickets a day and a pinkie mouse once a week. is this a good feeding reigime??

thanks


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## blakehose (Aug 30, 2010)

Probably best feeding them crickets until they stop eating, rather than a pre-set amount each feeding session. Whilst they are still growing they use all of the nutrients they can get! Maybe try mixing it up with some Woodies aswell.

Blake.


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## Tristis (Aug 30, 2010)

feed them as many crickets as they will eat every day. its almost impossable to over feed young monitors if your heat is right.


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## fabregasreptiles (Aug 31, 2010)

they just keep eating though. they could eat 2 boxes of medium crickets if they wanted to??? should i just let them eat this every day???


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## Snakester (Aug 31, 2010)

Feeding insects all the time can get very expensive.

Have you considered including some cat food into their diet? We find our growing monitors enjoy lean cat food mixed with some calcium and vitamin powders.


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## jbowers (Aug 31, 2010)

One thing to bear in mind, and take this with a grain of salt as this is my only experience, is that my ackie gets pretty lazy when he is super well fed. I've been feeding him enough to keep his belly fat at ALL times, and as a result he has been just hiding and sleeping most of the time. I've decided to not feed him yesterday and today, and he has already become much more active - he has been out and about since about 10:30 today, much earlier than I'd seen previously.

Just my experience!


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## LadyJ (Aug 31, 2010)

Snakester said:


> Feeding insects all the time can get very expensive.
> 
> Have you considered including some cat food into their diet? We find our growing monitors enjoy lean cat food mixed with some calcium and vitamin powders.



I have to agree... they'll set you out of house and home to be buying them all the time (especially if you're purchasing Pieces pet shop crickets - half of them are already dead in my experience!). You could consider breeding them? Pretty basic stuff except they need to be kept warm.

As for cat food, I've found it great (although I use high quality dog food), I hear beef or lamb is best? Can anyone clarify this?


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## fabregasreptiles (Aug 31, 2010)

same as my experience. i bought crickets the other day and more than half the crickets were dead. i just recently bought a kricket keeper... can i breed crickets in here, it holds 150 medium crickets. could anyone tell me what i need to know to breed the crickets and how to start it up. what substrate do they need (is kitty litter good???).

also, could you give me some brand names of dog or cat food that i can feed to my ackies and that i can buy from coles (is supercoat dog food in pellets good coz ths is what i feed my dog). other names of dog or cat foods will be great as i will buy them and try feed them to the ackies. is mince meat ok????

also, can i feed any of this cat or dog food to my beardies. they are yearlings???

thanks


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## Tristis (Aug 31, 2010)

cat and dog food is made for cats and dogs, it will make the monitors crap runny and stink also turns it a grey colour.
crickets and mice(pinkies) wont do this. healthy diet = healthy looking dropping. 
ive had pygmy monitors for close to 10 years now and stoped feeding cat and dog food long ago.
stick to bugs and mice and you cant go wrong. 
like i said before its amost impossable ot over feed young monitors if your heat is right.
the ackie in the pic is about 8 months old.
cheers
Tristan


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## jbowers (Aug 31, 2010)

What basking temp do you give them Tristis?


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## Tristis (Aug 31, 2010)

basking site is about 70-75c


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## jbowers (Aug 31, 2010)

Those are some very healthy looking 8 month olds, so I'll up mine a few degrees to 70. 

How long are they at that age?


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## fabregasreptiles (Aug 31, 2010)

the basking temp for my ackies is about 60-65c. also, tristis, what size mice can your ackies eat??? can i feed them mince meat aswell??? and also, my ackies are living in red sand which i got from reptiles inc. The spotes on their back is always very feint as they are always shedding. but when i bath them, the spotes becom much more clear. is it normal for these ackies (8 months) to always be shedding and will they ever look 'clean' (ie. not in shed)????

and should i try remove its shed on its tail when i bath them or should i leave it alone. also, can i use white play sand as their substrate co i ffd thi red and to be messy on the ackieesan mke them look dull.

lasty, could anyone give me advice on breeding crickets. if you look at my last post, the questions i need were on there

thanks


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## Tristis (Aug 31, 2010)

i think they were about 30-35 cm at about 8 months.
monitors are always shedding its just how they are.
there is no need to bath them, they come from arid areas where there is little water.
giving them a substrate they can burrow in will keep all there toes and tail tips in tack.


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## fabregasreptiles (Aug 31, 2010)

ok. is it normal for them to lose bits off the tip of the tail because of these shedding processes???? also tips off the toes where their claws are meant to be????

also, any ideas on breeding crikets


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## LadyJ (Aug 31, 2010)

fabregasreptiles said:


> ok. is it normal for them to lose bits off the tip of the tail because of these shedding processes???? also tips off the toes where their claws are meant to be????
> 
> also, any ideas on breeding crikets


 
I don't think that's normal... unless the previous shed wasn't fully removed and the pressure caused the tip to fall off - constricting and amputing. :|


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## Tristis (Aug 31, 2010)

you need to fix your set up if there toes are falling off.
post pics of your set up.


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## jbowers (Aug 31, 2010)

Tristis, how often do you feed yours?

I have a 5 month old that was hiding all the time due, i think, to me feeding him often with tweezers, and then just coming out to eat and then going back in the stack and sleeping/hiding. I didn't feed him yesterday or very much the day before, and he came out yesterday for about 3 hours, and then only fed him one woodie today and he came out for about 3-4 hours. The increase in activity is good, but I don't want to stunt his growth or anything. Just wondering why he is so lethargic in general when he is well fed, and even now he is still really sleepy compared to what i hear from other ackie owners.

Sorry to threadjack, thought since it kind of relates it wasnt worth making a seperate response.


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## fabregasreptiles (Aug 31, 2010)

the toes aren't falling off. only the nails, the entire toe is there, only the nail of one or 2 of their toes have gone. i have no pics of the enclosure but will try get one asap. their substrate is red sand, the enclosure is 90cm x 60 x 60. there is a box with many hides and on top of that ia a hot spot which are 2 bircks together which they also hide in the holes. then there is a water bowl and a hide.

are all their claws and nails and tips of the tails supposed to be intact>???


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## Tristis (Aug 31, 2010)

fabregasreptiles
tail tips and nails dont grow back once there gone thats it. if your ackie lost its claws from stuck shed or substrate clumped on its toes something is wrong with your set up and it will start losing toes. your set up sounds ok, but a pic will help use help you.

jbowers
from the sound of it, its doing well. monitors arn't out all day running around, well the hungry ones are....
if hes eating and growing there is nothing wrong. dont take this the wrong way but you wanting the monitor to come out and run around is about you and not the monitor. let him do his thing he knows how to be a monitor. if your lights are 12 hour on 12 hour off coming out and running around for 3-4 hours is the norm. small monitors also hide alot, they fear been eaten by everything bigger than them.


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## jbowers (Aug 31, 2010)

Ok sure. I've heard that. It's just that I've heard from other people that his siblings, and one that I seperated from him and removed in to their care are quite active generally so I was wondering what I'm doing differently/wrong.

I'm not really fussed if he wants to hide - just makes when he comes out more interesting and exciting. Does it change as they get older? Like will he become more confident to just chill out and about in the enclosure?


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## Tristis (Sep 1, 2010)

does he run and hide when you catch him out and about? as it gets older it will come out more.
my adult male will come over to me when i open his cage, just to see whats going on he will also walk on my hand and up my arm if i let him.
dont give him a reason to fear you, monitors recognise there keeper. if your handling him this will stress him out big time and he wont want to come out or have anything to do with you. 
by the sound of it hes doing well if your really worried post some pics of him and the set up.
cheers


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## jbowers (Sep 1, 2010)

He used to run and hide sometimes when he saw me. Now it's just sometimes when other people enter the room, he seems wary but accepting of me. 

I had to pull him out of his stack about a week and a half ago to separate him from another one so I think that didn't help. I don't handle him at all, but have held my hand in front of him a couple of times and he checks me out with his tongue and seems ok. 

I will go back to feeding him heaps today, but only when he is out of his hide or willing to come out for it, rather than feeding him in the stack.


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## jbowers (Sep 1, 2010)

Ugh sorry, one more thing re: humidity. Do you ever wet or mist the sand?


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## Tristis (Sep 1, 2010)

yes you need to wet the sand every few weeks or so to keep the humidity right.
just throw some crickets or woodies in there and let him hunt them or leave a pinky at one end of the cage for him, he will come out and get it.


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## jbowers (Sep 1, 2010)

He is generally peeking out of his stack between 9am-6pm. I just throw a woodie in one at a time and he hunts them down. He just chowed down on about 6-7 medium-large ones then 

I'm not too keen on just leaving them there as my stack has a diagonal kind of thing going on where the roaches can hide and he can't get to really.

Right. Do you just mist the surface of the sand or actually pour a good amount from a bottle on?


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## Tristis (Sep 1, 2010)

each of my set ups is diffrent, some i pour a fair bit of water on them others not so much. 
some i can get away with only misting, i aslo mist them all every now and then.


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## jbowers (Sep 1, 2010)

Ok, right. That still leaves me pretty unsure. I have a hygrometer - what humidity do you aim for?

I am waiting on 'keeping and breeding australian lizards' to arrive, so that should clear this stuff up anyway hopefully. I'm just worried as mind is currently shedding at the moment so I want To all go smoothly. He has had some skin hanging off his back and neck for about 3-4 days now. Seems to be slowly getting better.


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## Tristis (Sep 1, 2010)

i dont bother measuring the humidity. as long as you have deep substrate that he can burrow in its fine.
if he cant burrow because its to dry you need to add water.
how you mantain the humidity will depend on your set up.


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## bigi (Sep 1, 2010)

great advice to everyone Tristis, they are certainly keeping you busy.

Fab - forget breeding crickets, get a colony of roach's and maintain them, large outlay say $100 but this will save you hundreds of $

JB - get rid of that stack you have mate and build another, if you look at my home page i have pics of an adjustable stack, keep it off the enclosure wall, this will stop the woodies from hiding in cracks and allow the ackie to climb up and down on all sides

and although ackies like it hot, they do live and breed fine with a hotspot of 45 degrees.


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

hi tristis. my comp is not letting me post pics on here. if you want, give me your email and ill email you the pics of the cage of my accies


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

ok. here are the pics of one of the duller coloured ackies and its enclosure. 
first: i am not sure why it has such a dull colour and why it is ALWAYS shedding. will it ever have a nice pattern (spot) on its back or be nicer colour as its parents looked very nice and one an award at castle hill.
second: 2 of its nails have fallen off on its front foot. i am not sure why??

can anyone tell me what i should do to make their habitat better or help them???

thanks

pics are coming after this msg


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

*ackie cage and ackie*


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

looks quite small in pic but is actually much fatter. i feed them 7-10 medium crickets a day and one pinkie mouse every week.

any ideas???


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## bigi (Sep 1, 2010)

just a few quick ones
the dull colour is probably from your substrate, or a retained shed
you have got a shedding problem definately, could be a cause from many things, too much or not enough humidity too low heat, substrate.
get rid of those bricks before they fall off or you knock them off onto your ackie
get a retes stack, 
more pics showing lights, heat and other areas will tell a thousand story's
i will need to look back for heat temps etc if u have state this earlier
he doesnt look under wieght but he certainly isnt fat


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## PhilK (Sep 1, 2010)

Feed them until they're full.

He's dull because he is covered in red dust I would say (from your substrate). Get rid of it and replace it with white sand, it'll make him cleaner.

He's lost his toes because of the sand in his enclosure making the humidity too low, so the skin constricts around his toes as it doesn't shed off.


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

i mist his cage twice a week and give them a bath once a week. as i said before, they will keep eating and will easily finish 2 boxes of medium crickets a day. hot spot is 60 c and cooler side is about 30. dont worry, the bricks are very stable. i am switching that part for a retes stack which i am hoping to make asap. any ideas o nthe shedding problem???? maybe i will change to white sand???

any ideas


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## PhilK (Sep 1, 2010)

Yes change to white sand. Buy a colony of roaches and then you can feed them as much as you like.


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

so is the reason why they have this weird colour/shed because of their substrate????? if i change the substrate, will they become normal coloured again????

thanks


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

can anyone give me an idea of what enclosure the ackies cage should look like??/ anyone know where i could buy a cage suitable for ackies which they could setup for an ackie??


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## bigi (Sep 1, 2010)

yes, have a look at the pic of him, you can barely see the colour of his pattern, its the red substrate you are using it stains the skin

heres a caresheet link
http://www.herpcenter.com/ackie-monitors/
http://www.reptileuv.com/reptile-caresheets/ackie.php

try also placing a tub of moist sand in there for it to dig in also


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

so i will replace to white sand (can anyone give me some brand names for good ackie sand??) and i will make a rete stack. is this all i have to do.???

it still doesn't answer the question for their shedding problems??? (nails)

thanks


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## Tsubakai (Sep 1, 2010)

Washed playground sand from Bunnings works well. I've heard that pool filter sand is good also but have not tried it myself.


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

kk. anyone have ideas on the other shedding issues


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 1, 2010)

anyone


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## Tristis (Sep 2, 2010)

Fb monitors are always sheding its just how they are. its not a problem unless its geting stuck on his toes, if its not than you shouldnt have a problem. 
do as bigi said and get rid of those bricks before you end up with dead ackies.
make a stack and ad a box with deep sand to burrow in.


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## herptrader (Sep 2, 2010)

Not normal!

Often it is caused by dampness - eg damp sand. Baby accies need to be kept very dry. They love to dig in damp sand but it will cause fungal issues that result in toes dropping off.



LadyJ said:


> I don't think that's normal... unless the previous shed wasn't fully removed and the pressure caused the tip to fall off - constricting and amputing. :|


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 2, 2010)

at the beginning people told me they should be kept humid but now i am being told to keep them dry....????


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## sesa-sayin (Sep 2, 2010)

for what it is worth, i keep mine in inner Sydney, where there is very little humidity, on newspaper only substrate, small drinking bowl, absolutely no additional moistureadded. i have 3 and i have no other animals, which have done better in the latest 4 years.......i know about humidity, because i cant grow very well exotic orchids, because of the lack of humidity. that is why 5 years ago, i came into herps....hope this pic, comes up showing a rare imported legally orchid, which recently flowered for me.


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## Tristis (Sep 2, 2010)

monitors need humidity beleave it or not.
time and time again i see pic on here of monitors with very few toes. 
monitors are suppost to keep all there toes and nails as they grow.
if they were housed right they would not lose them.


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 2, 2010)

ok. so can anyone help my shedding issues with the ackies???


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## Tristis (Sep 2, 2010)

fb your ackie dont look like he has a problem, if its toes start fall off your doing somthing wrong.
why do you think he has a problem?


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 2, 2010)

1st: his colour is very dull which could possibly be due to retained shed(i will change the sand to white and see if this red sand is the reason why)
2nd: the tail still has shed on it which has been there for a while
3rd: the nails on 2 of his front toes have fallen off

???


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 2, 2010)

and when i see your ackies, their tails and their bodies are completely shedded and they look very clean with all their nails.

they have no retained shed


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## PhilK (Sep 2, 2010)

Mate ackies don't shed like snakes.. it doesn't all come off at once. They shed in patches and some patches take longer to come off than others. My ackies have bits of shed on them all the time.

The colour is not something you can change.. some animals are duller than others mate.

The only problem your ackie has is that it is being kept in such a manner that makes its toes fall off.


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## Tristis (Sep 2, 2010)

i agree 100% with philk.
in the pic ,my ackies are stained red as can be. just look at the black and white patch that has shed on his arm, thats how they shed.


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## sweetangel (Sep 2, 2010)

first of all ackies are almost always continually shedding. u might get a time when they are mostly all shed but they are not like a snake.
all different types of ackies look different it could be the locality that is a not very contrasty pattern, and they do have a bit of a different colour to when they are adults.
also the bathing thing is a good idea. just keep doing it. and to be honest its very hard to keep an ackie with all of its toes as there are very tiny bits of skin which if they dont shed properly u can have then constirct and fall off. 

just keep doing what u are doing, feed alot more food cos it looks a little skinny. i would bulk buy roaches and feed them up a bit. dont feed much dog food as it makes them to fat. u can try some egg aswell. cooked or raw, and lean mince 

the cage it fine but u might want to make a stack out of wood. i use some rocks but lots of ppl dont like using rocks. u will need a bit longer cage say aroun 4-5ft. alot put some more branches in for climbing etc...

i think thats it. any q's just pm me 

and just buy sydney beach sand from ANL


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 2, 2010)

yeah. ill use the beach sand from now on. ill also make a stack. and hopefully everything will be good


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## PhilK (Sep 2, 2010)

I disagree that it's very hard to keep an ackie with all its toes.


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## Tristis (Sep 2, 2010)

once again 100% agree with you philk.
look at the pics of my monitors, all of them have their toes.
if your set up provides their basic needs they will grow up with toes.
being able to shed by themselves is a basic need.


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## fabregasreptiles (Sep 3, 2010)

so what is a perfect ackie setup with all their needs look like. this would be really helpful so i can do my setup.


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## tjm83 (May 18, 2011)

mine will happily chow down pinkie rats loves the occasional egg too. woodies are heaps easier


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## harley0402 (May 18, 2011)

i feed my boy, crickets, woodies, meal worms and pink rats, i give him as many insects as he will eat


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