Hand-feeding a wild lizard

[ianinoz]

VERY VERY PLEASED

SUCCESS - I hand fed Lizzy some mealworms today for the first time.

She came straight up to me only stopping momentarily to look me in the eyes and then crawled onto my outstretched fingers up to where the worm was took it, crawling off my fingers and a few inches away to eat it.

She took them, offered one at a time from onto of my slightly cupped fingers.:lol::lol:

Saw me me get them out of the keeper bottle and became very interested in - alert posture assumed - when I took the lid off and started taking worms out of it and putting them in a clear plastic bottle on the coffee table. She remembers the bottle.

Was so keen to take the first wrigglely worm that she accidentally bit the finger underneith it too.

Took 6 live very wrigglely medium meal worms off my hand one at a time.I was quietly talking to her while she was doing this. She had to crawl onto to my fingers to get to worms - tickled.

I know she's still hungry because she's now hunting about the lounge room looking for bugs in all the usual spots. She just checked under that bit of paper again too.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Congratulations you must be happy. Great job getting her used to you and willing to accept hand feeding.

 

[Elapidae1]

this story keeps getting better.
I wouldn't feed to many mealworms though.

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

thats so awesome ianinoz.

 

[ianinoz]

Off to buy some crickets for her this avo. I'll freeze most of them as standby treats, thawing them out one at a time and keep some alive for live treats for her.

 

[ajandj]

Off to buy some crickets for her this avo. I'll freeze most of them as standby treats, thawing them out one at a time and keep some alive for live treats for her.

freezing crickets??? does it put them to sleep only to be woke up when thawed? I'm sure that's how l read your post. " Very Interested" in this as it is sometimes very had to get small crickets here. They sell like hotcakes.

 

[mummabear]

Just an idea for feeding her live woodies. I use a small container with a bit of fluon around the top.

 

[Foxthor]

what type of lizard is lizzy?

 

[MathewB]

what type of lizard is lizzy?

I'm pretty sure she is an Eastern Water Skink

 

[-Katana-]

OH that is wonderful news!

Is she still looking "fat"?

 

[RickLeekong]

i once had a bluetongue lizard '' lizzy'' was her name, i had her from when she was able to curl up in my hand, she ate almost anything we gave her, mainly fruits n vegetables, sometimes a bit of meat and the occasional snail. She was so tame that if you called her she WOULD come to you, especially in the mornings when it was brekkie time. she loved her bugs and would come under the patio searching for them, sadly that was her undoing, one day my mum sprayed outside under the verander to get rid of the spiders, which fell to the floor, enough said. she was my favorite pet, she was a puppydog animal, would sit and watch tv with you, have a cup of tea with ya, anything. so now days we dont use any poisons or toxic chemicals, it took us that loss to understand how bad these pesticides are, obviously we did all we can to prevent such a thing, but you can never really obtain full control, sometimes you miss things, small things that can spell disaster. Our backyard is full of life, geckos, honeyeaters, insects, lizards and frogs, and thats a beautiful thing.

 

[Chris1]

sad story Rickyleekong,...makes me glad i fought tooth and nail against my bf spraying for spiders last summer, i was worried about backyard Bluey, we fought forl weeks,..lol,..!!
....backyard bluey wouldnt come running, but would let me wriggle up to him on my belly, arm outstretched with either banana or snail,...and accept my offerings,...i was so flattered he got more snails last year than my shingles (who were the actual owners of the snails,...)

im assuming mines a boy since theres no breeding scars, looking forward to hiim making an appearance again,...!!

theres something much more satisfying being accepted by a 'wild' lizard than one who has no choice!!

freezing crickets??? does it put them to sleep only to be woke up when thawed? I'm sure that's how l read your post. " Very Interested" in this as it is sometimes very had to get small crickets here. They sell like hotcakes.

lol, no they dont come back to life, i read it as some will be frozen for when he runs out of live ones.....

 

[ianinoz]

freezing crickets??? does it put them to sleep only to be woke up when thawed? I'm sure that's how l read your post. " Very Interested" in this as it is sometimes very had to get small crickets here. They sell like hotcakes.

Things got in the way today so didn't get to the pet shop to buy the crickets. so .... Tomorrow.

My plan is to offer Lizzy one or two a couple times a week depending on how big they are when there are no cockroaches coming into the house to keep her around (like now).


Planning on putting the rest of the crickets in the deep freeze and to take only a few out to thaw out as needed, cheaper to them in larger lots (yet to check the pricing). Wasn't aware they come back to life when they thaw out, was hoping the deep freezing would humanly kill them.


I'm sure Lizzy will enjoy chasing a couple of lively crickets around inside big clear plastic chocolates container, I'd just have to Dremel a whole in the side for Lizzy to climb into it. Really don't want crickets running about the house if any get away from Lizzy - (DOUBTFUL - she's pretty good a hunting down bugs and catching them, never seen a bug get away from her). Incan always alternate between live mealworms and a live cricket as finger food for Lizzy.


I think the dead mealworms have been sucked dry by their mates. I saw two mealworms attack another last night while I was watching Spartacus. They seem very much more active at night time.

 

[PeppersGirl]

Yes mealworms can do horrible things to one another when not given sufficient moisture.

On the other hand, Congrats!! That's gonna be one fat lizard from now on

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Just wondering on a similar but slightly different topic inspired by mummabear's photo. Has anyone ever used small dishes with food like this to lure in wild lizards e.g. for photos? Or even to catch the lizard? Interested more from a photography perspective with animals like the pictured Carlia which never seem to walk into the right place for a good photograph normally.

 

[ianinoz]

Have lizards, don't need insect spray, my backyard and underhouse lizards control the spiders extremely well.

Not a fluke,
Hand fed Lizzy another mealworm this morning, she had absolutely no hesitation climbing off her spot and coming straight to and in climbing onto my hand to accept the worm, this time she stayed on my hand while she ate her breakfast and I had to show her I didn't have any more hidden between by fingers (she tried to force my fingers apart with her nose) only when I spread and my fingers and showed her "no more" did she climb off my hand and go back the nice warm transformer.
LOL . the lizard thought I was holding out on her....
Only planned on giving her one worm by hand this morning....but she came over and looked appealingly up at me and was obviously begging me for more...I'm such a softy that I weakened and give her another one.

Tried to beg another worm out off me just then, but this time I remained strong so she's gone hunting now.

Just wondering on a similar but slightly different topic inspired by mummabear's photo. Has anyone ever used small dishes with food like this to lure in wild lizards e.g. for photos? Or even to catch the lizard? Interested more from a photography perspective with animals like the pictured Carlia which never seem to walk into the right place for a good photograph normally.

Took me a few weeks to get Lizzy to accept food offered on a little take away lid while I was watching. Worth a try though, but I think the birds will beat the lizards to the food.