Meat

[M_surinamensis]

Are you swallowing them whole or biting and chewing? It makes a difference. It also makes me wonder if I still have those old graphics of rectangular rodents for easymath, used when discussing snake digestion. Kind of applies here too, though I'd need to edit the picture and make rectangular insects. Off with the whiskers, add some antennae.

 

[Russ S]

I guess if you used pinkies you could easily swallow them whole....... fried up till golden ... call em popcorn rodents.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I like my New Orleans style. Boiled in beer and cajun spices, piled high on a platter. You bite the heads off and such the 'brain butter' out, then peel & eat the rest. Crawmice.

 

[PaladinGirl]

lol. why do you have to write a "book" every time you answer a post??? all these big long explanations and "big words" make you look smart??? or are you a college professor??? lol, just wondering why you cant just get to the point and not go into some rediculous drug out chapter???

After making a huge fool of myself in front of the whole forum with a response I posted in response to Seamus' response to a response I posted in someone's thread (okay, I had to read that a few times but I think it makes sense, hehe), I have learned the important lesson of reading his posts (all the way through), even though they are novels. He just takes some getting used to. You just have to go with it. And sometimes he will agree and sometimes he will scoff, but regardless, it is always eye-opening information that you wouldn't have had otherwise. It's better to just read what he says. All of it.

Anyways, this answered a lot of questions I've always had about feeder insects. You know, I've actually tried to find out exactly what leos eat in the wild--and I mean by name and maybe even what they look like. Admittedly, I didn't spend a ton of time Googling it, but the Googling I did do didn't really fulfill my quest for knowledge. It'd be interesting to me to know the insects native to where leos live in the wild.

There's another thing in regards to feeder insects that I was wondering just earlier today....Why on earth to crickets stink so incredibly bad??:main_huh:

 

[TokayKeeper]

Why on earth to crickets stink so incredibly bad??:main_huh:

Oatmeal and weekly cleanings! Only time mine stink is if I don't stay to that. My mealie colonies can stink just as bad, but they take longer to reach that point.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

sometimes he will agree and sometimes he will scoff, but regardless, it is always eye-opening information that you wouldn't have had otherwise. It's better to just read what he says. All of it.

Actually, Seamus has really mellowed over the years! Heaven forbid you got on the wrong end of his stick back in the 'olden days'. But the truth is, that you will not find an more knowledgeable, intelligent, logical, and articulate person on ANY forum. He is a plethora of information... the majority of which I agree with. (I've disagreed with him before and paid the price, lol!) Why would anyone dismiss the opportunity to become a more educated and well-rounded herpetoculturist for FREE when we have Seamus here???

I think the newest wave of young herpers are simply too lazy to research answers to their questions, and this is why we get so many redundant questions/threads here on GF. Seems like few are willing to take the time to look up and READ, and it's faster and easier to ask a question hoping it will get answered with an answer they like! There is nothing more frustrating for experienced and well-seasoned herpers than to answer someone's question and be argued with because it wasn't the answer we hoped for. All of you should feel privileged to have so many EXCEPTIONAL reptile experts here on this forum!

Why on earth to crickets stink so incredibly bad??

They are soft-bodied insects that are bacteria-laden. It's not so much their poop that stinks, it's when they die and rot so quickly them so disgusting. I had a bunch of crickets analyzed at a lab one a long time ago. The results were enough to make me stop using them.

 

[M_surinamensis]

Actually, Seamus has really mellowed over the years!

I'm almost cuddly now.

I think the newest wave of young herpers are simply too lazy to research answers to their questions, and this is why we get so many redundant questions/threads here on GF. Seems like few are willing to take the time to look up and READ, and it's faster and easier to ask a question hoping it will get answered with an answer they like!

There's a line of thinking I have seen mentioned a few times in various news stories and essays in the last couple years which suggests that the way we (as a group) approach information has been shifting for the last decade (or two).

Some of the sources are ready to blame it all on the increased access and ever increasing scope of information technology. I suspect it probably goes a bit further than that, with roots in the way education has been approached for awhile now.

The idea is that people in general are less frequently faced with situations where they need to think critically, using reason and knowledge in order to work through to a solution. The ability to simply look up the exact answer to a specific question and receive near instantaneous responses has replaced the habits people used to have, where they would assemble and tailor a conclusion. It has certainly tended to replace memorization, which in itself was not a complete and effective way of thinking. We have more information at our fingertips than ever before but many of us are losing the ability to process it in a meaningful way. All the answers, but none of the understanding of what those answers mean.

When I was a student (I am still, in many important ways, a student. I hope to remain one forever) enrolled in formalized education the source of information which functioned as a "Beats me, I'll look it up." were books, those I owned, those I had access to through libraries and the collections of others. On some level, these also represented a way for me to simply go and find an answer, but because of the medium being used it was surrounded by context. If I wanted to know, as an example, what a lizard ate I'd find a book that included information about the species. It would tell me the short answer, but it would be between a page detailing the habitat and a paragraph discussing how their teeth are shaped or how their digestive system is unique or how they hunted. The "What?" was present, but it was always presented alongside something that also explained how or why. Some animals, there may not have been an easy answer; I'd be forced to piece together information from multiple sources. One book would describe how the teeth and jaw shape of animals evolves to meet their diet, another would have information about the habitat and other animals present, a third would describe D3 synthesis and the need for UV exposure in reptiles and I'd piece together everything from all the sources, using those building blocks and the way I had learned to approach information, to arrive at an answer.

I'm not so sure it's as easy as blaming it on cell phones that are capable of web browsing and the ease of doing google searches... but I do think that it's a rising problem. Not just among young people either, though they may have it a bit tougher since they were never in a situation where they had to find answers using critical thought as a tool. It may get a little worse before it gets better, but I'm hoping there's some backlash against this decay of reason. That, if the educational process itself no longer teaches people how to think, it is reintroduced as its own subject.

 

[12many]

i feed mine red meat. You know how it has strands? i take strands of the meat and give it to him. It makes him fatter faster than my mealworms.

 

[goliathgecko]

i feed mine red meat. You know how it has strands? i take strands of the meat and give it to him. It makes him fatter faster than my mealworms.

it wouldnt make him fatter faster. just deader quicker.

:main_robin:

 

[fl_orchidslave]

i feed mine red meat. You know how it has strands? i take strands of the meat and give it to him. It makes him fatter faster than my mealworms.

:wall:

 

[T-ReXx]

Leopard geckos are INSECTivores. Feed them INSECTS. What is do hard to understand about that?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Leopard geckos are INSECTivores. Feed them INSECTS. What is do hard to understand about that?

Ted, I absolutely agree 100%. If someone wants to feed from a variety of food groups, get a bearded dragon.

 

[im faster]

other than insects and veggies what do yo feed your dragons?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Right now my dragons are in rehab so I have to be very careful with introducing new food items. No proteins except insects for the time being, and even that has not come without a struggle. One does like fruits, so far cantaloupe and strawberries, but only a couple bites each time so she doesn't regurge. I'll post an update on them in the bearded dragon section within a few days.

 

[T-ReXx]

Beardies can have the occasional mouse pinkie as a treat, and they can be given certain fruits as well as veggies and insects. Some people give them small, cb lizards(culls) as well, which they are very fond of, you just have to be careful about parasites.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

other than insects and veggies what do yo feed your dragons?

Dennis, check over in the bearded dragon section, I just posted a link for a complete nutrition guide.

 

[lillith]

I just wanted to say, thanks for the laughs around page 4...I didn't know I needed to laugh until I did... :main_laugh:

However, why did no one mention tempura rat filet or pinkies tempura? it would go awesome with plum sauce and Sriracha, I think...

 

[Thorgecko707]

I just wanted to say, thanks for the laughs around page 4...I didn't know I needed to laugh until I did... :main_laugh:

However, why did no one mention tempura rat filet or pinkies tempura? it would go awesome with plum sauce and Sriracha, I think...

i hate that sauce lol

 

[rickmoss95]

ya know, i was WAY OUT OF LINE!!! ..saying what i said was stupid and not thought out! i usually never say things like that, i was having a bad day and should not have jumped into a rude remark on someone who obviously did not deserve this. Seamus, i am sorry for my rude remark, it was uncalled for and not like me at all! i was going to pm you, but i thought a public apollogy was more appropriet. i hope you can forgive me as well as the rest of the users on this forum! i am truely sorry sir! and i have read quite a few of your posts and i know that you are very intelligent and well thought out. i am a very sincere and honest person and not usually like that...i guess i desearve a good bite from one of my bigger herps for that one...sorry man, and i am sorry to all of the rest of the members as well. (and im not sure i spelled "sincere" correct, it doesnt look right to me) anyway ill send you one of my best babies when i produce them, on me....you pick! i will be getting some leos from craig at the urban gecko next week...

 

[M_surinamensis]

Don't stress it Rick. I am actually kind of laid back on this forum, arguments and warning points aside... this is me trying to follow the rules out of respect for Kelli and her mods. I don't always manage it perfectly. I'm a contentious, abrasive person. Have been for a long time, so I'm not too likely to get offended by much of anything anyone has to say. My sense of personal outrage is nothing but scar tissue as a result of picking fights with anything that moves for the last few decades.

The apology is a nice gesture, but I'm always a little confused when people offer one. Or when they come to my defense for that matter. It's nice to see it I guess, but on some mean, angry level, I had the thought "What are these people doing? This isn't a tag team match, I'll win my own damn fights in my own damn time."

It's all good though Rick. We'll probably argue again sometime. I always do and it's rarely personal.