shingleback care

[bk201]

will ive decided im going to buy some baby shinglebacks when there available next season and ive got a few questions
1-can they be kept together?
2-would desert sand be a good substrate?
3-what do they eat and how much of what should i feed them
4-can they be sexed ? how? and at what age?
5-if they can be kept together how big of a tank would i need for 2- adults
any replys will be appreciated

[mick w]

they can be kept together mine eat chopped carrot broccoli zuchini cauli flower etc mine get some cat food also as for sexing i go by tail size as for caging i keep all mine in outdoor pits so cant help you much there

[bk201]

thanks, i wish i could keep mine in pits but i seem to have cats everywhere even though i dont own a cat, with the sexing whats the difference between tail size? and what is what?

[mick w]

shorter fat tails are the females and the males tend to be longer and thiner as with cats i get a few around here aswell but dont cause any problems not yet anyway.

[cracksinthepitch]

I hope you are prepared for the mess. I got 2 Easterns and my god they make a mess. I think newspaper is the best for them as its so easy to keep clean and see where they have urinated, which you will not always see on sand. Black garden crickets , brown crickets ,mealworms (chop off their heads first) plus veges as listed by others. Some people recommend Puppy food but only once a week. I think a varied diet would be best.Fedd them say 3 crickets and a mealy one day next day leave chopped veges in a small lid(jam lid) then maybe Juvenile beardy pellets in water the next day.
They like to have a bit of a roam around once warm have plenty of hides,Pvc pipe ,icecream containers with openings cut in them, WATER BOWL,
For babies say 800mm x 400 x 400 to 600 high, remember you need to install a Uv light.
Regards Cracks

[richardsc]

i keep 7 adults together in a 7 foot by 70 cm wide by 60 cm high open topped enclosure,i wouldnt keep them out doors in sydney,there likely to succumb to respitory infections as they dont like humidity and cold dampness,sexing wise as has been said,look at tail thickness but thats not reliable alone,also look at head build,males develop noticably bulkyer heads,i dont use uv on mine,and dont supplement there diet much but it cant hurt to,and offers some benifit,more so supplementation,uv lights wont replace what proper diet would,mind u i mostly feed mine pedigree pal dog food,before everyone jumps on me mine have been kept this way for 13 years,and my pair ive had for 13 years have had babys 4 years in a row,never had mbd issues at all,babys have grown into young adults and look perfect

[Renagade]

i used to keep shinglebacks on a diet of fruit, veges, and the odd raw egg cracked open for them, they were in a pit also, so i think they scored insects and slugs quite a bit.