Well they do need to start being handled but it is difficult at that age. One option is to do half the viv - leaving them in the other half, then scooting them over and doing the other half. Other than that I tend to put a cricket tub in the viv, shoo one into it, put lid on then and repeat with the other. You then have them both captive in tubs. It is a good oportunity to weigh them and give them a good look over for things such as retained shed etc. If it is going to take a while to clean the viv then you could cover the tubs with a tea towel or something to make them feel more secure and keep them warm.

 

its worth a try. i keep putting my hand in every day to get them used to it. they seem to be warming to it and not just legging it, they sorta creep up real slow and smell and then walk over it, but if i just flinch they bolt lol. i dont have to do it for a few more days so hopefully will a bit of goading they will warm to my hand a little more.
one is 9 weeks 1 day old and the other is 8 weeks 2 days old.

whats a good weight for them at this age?

 

They vary very much in weight but I would say round about the 20g mark. I have 2 clutch mates who hatched the same day. They are now 8 weeks and one weighs 26g and the other 16g and yet they are the same age, same parents and same husbandry. Neither are too fat or too thin - just one bigger (length) than the other.
You are doing well with taming them - at that age they often go mental at humans.

 

woop. i noticed when i first put my hand in their throats were fluctuating alot (like a frog does) but now they have calmed it down, they still do it but not to the extent they did, i am gonna try and weigh them at the weekend.

will pick some crickets up tommorow and try them on them, so far they have just been eating mealies. i know i should get small crickets, but how small?

 

They should be no bigger than the space between the leos eyes. Try not to leave uneaten crix in the viv as they can bite your babies. As you have two babies in the same viv it is a VERY good idea to weigh them regularly to make sure they both get enough to eat.

 

i know about the space between thier eyes, but is that width or length? am gonna try and weigh them tommorow. but is there a way to fatten 1 up if its a little underweigh without the other 1 eating the food?

 

Width - but crix are quite hard shelled so err on the side of smaller than larger. Tbh if they are fed in the viv together there is not much you can do to stop one being greedier than the other. What I would do is see if they will eat the crix in a separate feeding tub - one Leo at a time. This would then mean there are no crix left in the viv to bite your Leos or escape. You can also keep an eye on how much each one is eating. Then leave a bowl of mealies in the viv at all times. Make sure the food is well gut loaded and don't forget the calcium / vits.

A word of caution about keeping them together (hope I don't sound patronising - just trying to be helpful). They are too young to sex accuratey yet. Just be aware that if they turn out to be two males they will fight. If they are male and female they will breed at far too young an age. The chances are you will have to split them before too long - in fact I would split them now til you know what you have got.

 

not patronising at all. i welcome the input. i was thinking of separating them. they have been incubated for female but better be safe than sorry, they seem to cuddle up alot, but thats probably nothing, ive seen no signs of fighting.

as i only have 1 viv would getting a rubinside the viv, for one of them, that is too high for them to climb out and keeping one bit warm be an idea?

i weighed them but i think my scales are abit out. i put the container on the scales before i turned it on so it read 0. i know the tub weighs 30 g. then when i put it back on with the leo inside it read 5g :S

ill post up picks when i can find my cable for my phone later on. they look healthy but this weight seems to be rather low, and im a little worried now

 

Hi, using a rub inside the viv would be better as you could more closely monitor their eating, pooing etc. Even better would be to have the rub completely separate with its own heatmat / stat but that might not be possible for you? I think that they could do with weighing again as 5g would be VERY small at 9 weeks - I would expect mine to be that weight at 1 to 2 weeks. Although they have been incubated for female (sorry but SOME breeders will tell you this anyway) there is still a risk that they might not be, so until you are sure it is better to keep them apart imo.
Once they are older, obviously female and better established it should be possible to re-introduce them which would be lovely.

 

i agree. i will weigh them again when i get back in on sunday, as ive got work all weekend. my mum has kindly offered to look after them for the next couple of days

when they walk on my hand the definately dont feel 5 g! i will post pics up tommorow as the cable is still be elusive, but i think i know where it is.would having 2 rubs be an idea? 1 for each, i know it sounds daft but i dont want one to be having and 1 not to be having, if that makes any sense at all.

what would you say would be a good weigh, i am guessing around then 20g mark? and if they are abit underweight. would a couple of wax worms a week help boost them up, as i went to speak to a guy today and he said that they can be dangerous for babies as they can release a certian chemical and as they are so small this could hurt them, but he wasnt sure and i definately wasnt so i gave them a miss for now till i know if they are fine. also ordered some small crix today just to see if they take a shining to them.

i know what you mean about breeding and incubating for sex, its not an exact science. so i will take your advice, at least till i know for sure the sex

 

Hi there, yes two rubs would be good - all mine are kept in rubs until they are either sold or old enough to be grouped together (dependant on sex, size, character) or some do need keeping single. For my adults I do like proper vivariums - just me but seems nicer for them. As I said they can vary in weight at any age but around 20g (give or take about 5g) would be about right. Wax worms - my opinion is DON'T. They are not necessary. It would be like feeding a small child chocolate to increase their weight - very fatty with no nutritional value. They are not harmful but can become addictive. Just make sure all the food you give your Leos is well gut loaded. I like to feed mine a variety - babies get locust, Dubia roaches and mainly mealworms. Crix are fine - I don't feed them because I hate them and they always escape. Once your little ones are separated I am sure they will both (after a few days settling in to new quarters) start to feed well and have no need for waxies. I know this must all seem like a bit of a fuss but I also can tell that you really care and want the best for them. As they mature it should get easier. I look forward to seeing some pics, Julie

 

when my lads babys where skittish he took the hides etc out and put a loo roll in then waited till they went into the rolls and put the roll and leo into a spare tub to clean them out. they very quickly tamed down with him but not with any one they didnt know!!

 

cool i will do that then, i reckon 7-8 inch deep will be big enough for them not to climb out. would you say thats about right.

i was gonna post pics up, was showing them all round the pub yesterday but left my phone at work... typical aye? found the cable though :lol2:

im not sure how much they was fed before i got them but they always have a supply of food i.e mealies. but i wanna give em a bit more variety than mealies. it would be like eating peanut butter your whole life with vitamin powder in, and that would suck even though i love peanut butter!

also what else can i gut load feederwith, so far they have gone through a cycle of carrot apple but cant think of what else? thinking potato but what else could i use?

 

finally found the cable and my phone :lol2:

this is both of them together:

this is 1 of them:

this is the other:

this is the viv they live in atm: changes have been made:

this is what happened to my finger when making the viv lol, top part got chopped off with a stanely blade...whoops:

sorry about grainy pics, my phone camera isnt that great and dont own a digi cam.
i came back today and they have gotten bigger noticeably, and demolished nearly all the food i left for them.

am gonna take you advice and separate them as soon as i can find big enough rubs. also gonna start feeding them seperatly. i weighed them again today and they are 7-8g now. i think maybe they was a little under nourished but things seem to be on the up. got small crix on order and they should be available mid week so that is when they will be seperated