Thorny Devils..

[ether]

Just noticed some of these for sale and they are really expensive. Where do you get Black Ants from to feed them? Can u breed ants?

Regards Alex

 

[Already_Gone]

u will need an ant trail cause they eat about 10000 a day. ppl who have tried to ween them onto crickets have failed (mostly?) 10000 ants a day is a lot to breed

 

[Already_Gone]

where did you see them advertised??

 

[Ricko]

herptrader

 

[Guest]

Thorny Devils

Dont know how you would maintain them in a caged enviro?Guess they must do it,they can soak up water and glucose etc by laying in it or being misted and it gos to the corners of there mouths by cappillary action.One person in SA maintained and bred these lizards by fencing off there backyard.Be hopeless where i live,probably die a cold waterlogged death and if they survived all that theyd be catfood.

 

[beknluke]

RE: Thorny Devils

We can't keep them in Vic...

 

[sxereturn]

RE: Thorny Devils

10,000 a day? Who told you that?

 

[Hickson]

RE: Thorny Devils

I doubt NSW NPWS would approve them being kept except by scientific institutions, Ether. Jeff could answer that better.

Taronga has received Molochs before, handed in by people who've returned from a holiday to the Territory and 'found' one in their luggage. They are always repatriated to the NT. One stayed a week here, but they couldn't get it to feed so it went home too.

I'm actually surprised that people outside the NT actually have them. Would be an expensive mistake if you couldn't get them enough ants per day, of the variety they like.



Hix

 

[sxereturn]

RE: Thorny Devils

I know people who keep them in captivity outside of NT. They feed on local ants...around the 500-700 a week mark.

 

[Tommo]

Re: RE: Thorny Devils

I doubt NSW NPWS would approve them being kept except by scientific institutions, Ether. Jeff could answer that better.

Taronga has received Molochs before, handed in by people who've returned from a holiday to the Territory and 'found' one in their luggage. They are always repatriated to the NT. One stayed a week here, but they couldn't get it to feed so it went home too.

I'm actually surprised that people outside the NT actually have them. Would be an expensive mistake if you couldn't get them enough ants per day, of the variety they like.



Hix

yeah, when snakesnt was up it had afew of these because people had handed them up after picking them up from the side of the road after driving from down south. my dad even found one afew years ago in the garden.

 

[insectovor]

RE: Re: RE: Thorny Devils

Thorny devils only eat a few hundred ants a day, believe me I know..........

 

[ether]

RE: Re: RE: Thorny Devils

This is a quote from the book "A complete guide to reptiles of Australian" by Steve Wilson and Gerry Swan,

"Feeds exclusively on small black ants, up to 5000 per meal".

I dunno what to take from that. Do you think sometimes they are just really hungry. 5000 does seem an awful lot.

 

[womas4me]

RE: Re: RE: Thorny Devils

How do you keep that supply of ants up to them? Do they eat just any ants? You would need one big ant farm eh!

 

[insectovor]

RE: Re: RE: Thorny Devils

To establish the amount of ants eaten they analyzed droppings of THorny devils. They found on average 5000 ant skeletons. However the thorny devil only poos once every 3-5 days. So the count is fairly inaccurate

 

[Guest]

Already Gone, forget the crickets matey.just get the pitanjary black mulga ant and scent it on to the tail of a varanus eremius works everytime i think! Wheres that headbanger Hix!

 

[sxereturn]

Does anybody else have absolutely no idea what this guy is talking about?

 

[Retic]

$2000 EACH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sxereturn]

I think it's very reasonable.

 

[Retic]

You didn't put a smiley after that, you are serious ??

 

[Guest]

:lol: The price is ridiculous!How would you keep the ants up to them,stand them on an ant trail?High,high maintainence animals these by the sound of it .