- Messages
- 56
- Location
- Ontario
Good morning/Good evening.
I have had two deaths seemingly related to bowel impaction in juvenile H. maculatas. I'm looking for some answers as to why.
Let me first say that all my arboreal juveniles are kept in AMAC 7.75" x 4" x 4" enclosures with cross ventilation (one row of 1/8th" holes drilled near the substrate and two rows of 1/8th" holes drilled near the top of the lid, on opposing sides to mark the "front" and "back" of the enclosure)
Every arboreal I own is provided a cork bark flat, moss, and my substrate blend (40% coco fibre, 30% reptisoil and 30% clay, soil, sand loam for stability with a bit of ground up moss for moisture retention)
For diet, my juveniles are provided 3-4 crickets (1/2"-3/4") per week, and the occasional superworm, or first-second instar hornworm (approximately 1'-1.5" in length)
They are provided a water dish by means of whatever object I can fit into their enclosure (usually a plastic bottle cap)
The temperatures are approximately 79f-82f (they are kept approximately 2 feet above my bearded dragon heat lamps and I measure temps with an heat gun)
I'm trying to rule out errors in husbandry, although it is possible that an error on my part could have resulted in the deaths. I also keep pokey species, P. gigas, and P. cambridgi without incident, the only other deaths I've experienced with arboreals was during the sling stage where several P. cambridgi veils developed mold carried by leaf litter. I have not experienced this problem except with the H. macs.
An autopsy was performed, and while inconclusive, due to decomposition, it appears a solid white-yellow mass approximately 6-8mm around was located in the abdomen near the excretion area.
Are H. macs more prone to fecal impactions, or is there another explanation?
I have had two deaths seemingly related to bowel impaction in juvenile H. maculatas. I'm looking for some answers as to why.
Let me first say that all my arboreal juveniles are kept in AMAC 7.75" x 4" x 4" enclosures with cross ventilation (one row of 1/8th" holes drilled near the substrate and two rows of 1/8th" holes drilled near the top of the lid, on opposing sides to mark the "front" and "back" of the enclosure)
Every arboreal I own is provided a cork bark flat, moss, and my substrate blend (40% coco fibre, 30% reptisoil and 30% clay, soil, sand loam for stability with a bit of ground up moss for moisture retention)
For diet, my juveniles are provided 3-4 crickets (1/2"-3/4") per week, and the occasional superworm, or first-second instar hornworm (approximately 1'-1.5" in length)
They are provided a water dish by means of whatever object I can fit into their enclosure (usually a plastic bottle cap)
The temperatures are approximately 79f-82f (they are kept approximately 2 feet above my bearded dragon heat lamps and I measure temps with an heat gun)
I'm trying to rule out errors in husbandry, although it is possible that an error on my part could have resulted in the deaths. I also keep pokey species, P. gigas, and P. cambridgi without incident, the only other deaths I've experienced with arboreals was during the sling stage where several P. cambridgi veils developed mold carried by leaf litter. I have not experienced this problem except with the H. macs.
An autopsy was performed, and while inconclusive, due to decomposition, it appears a solid white-yellow mass approximately 6-8mm around was located in the abdomen near the excretion area.
Are H. macs more prone to fecal impactions, or is there another explanation?
