Homes Hingeback UV Light, Dry Shell, Pellet Food Questions

[lianne]

Hi
I've been having a read through old posts and just wanted to ask a few questions:-

1. some posts have said not to use a uv light, I have always used the exo terra 10.0 strip light and its on about 8 to 10 hours a day, is this wrong? I also sprinkle nutrobal on his food but only a couple of times a week.

2. Also read that a few people use the pellet food which i thought was a big no no as his first owner fed him this and I stopped. Seen the Zoo Med Forest food, should I be feeding him this so many times a week?

3. His shell is quite dry and am not sure if it's due to me keep misting him but I spray the bark at least once a day but it seems to dry out quite quick. I've reduced the temp to about 76 and I use a ceramic heater with no reflector. I am looking to try coconut bark as this apparently holds the moisture longer. How deep should the substrate be as mine is probably only an inch. He's in a 4ft by 2ft by 18" wooden vivarium with glass sliding doors and air vents at the back.

Thanks for your help
Lianne

 

[Jacqui]

For the most part my Homes do not get a UVB light (especially not a high strength one like for instance my leopards get), but they do get the high strength kitchen tube light or plant tube lights. For some, just the natural lighting within a home seems to be enough. Yours is appearantly not hiding out from the light correct? So what your using most be okay by him.

For me, I mainly feed fresh real food, not the pellets. The pellets are an every so often thing and then I only use the Mazuri. For the most part, most of my hingbeacks are not big fans of the pelleted type foods, but Mazuri does come out ahead of the other types in their taste tests. To me, the Mazuri is like any other food item, something to use a part of a widely varied diet, not the main part of it.

Does he have a large deep water dish to soak in? I like the coir and sand the most myself for substrate. I usually don't mist, most of the time it seems I need more a water pour then a simple surface mist. I keep the substrates deep usually more like 6-8". I also like using leaf piles. The long strand spagnum moss works well, too.

So you have a single male Homes or more then the one?

 

[lianne]

Hi Jacqui
Thanks for replying. He does spend most of his time hiding but does come out for food and a drink / soak when the strip light is on and off. He sometimes comes out at night when it's pitch black and no room light is even on as I can hear him bump into things! I could probably try reducing the hours that it is on to just maybe 3 or 4 at mid-day when brightest.

His first owner used to feed him the brightly coloured pellets which he did use to like and took a white to get him to eat other foods but now his faves are papaya, mushrooms and worms. I am trying to add more variety but he comes out of his house to see what there is and if he doesn't like it he just goes back to hiding.

Yes his water bowl is quite deep about an inch full of water, he does like soaking in it.

So do you think the dry shell is due to the substrate not being deep enough? He's in a vivarium so can't really have 6 to 8" as when I open the doors it will fall out and he will be closer to the ceramic heater then as that is quite low.

I've read about people using leaf litter, can you just use leaves from your garden? Yes I only have one male.

Thanks
Lianne

For the most part my Homes do not get a UVB light (especially not a high strength one like for instance my leopards get), but they do get the high strength kitchen tube light or plant tube lights. For some, just the natural lighting within a home seems to be enough. Yours is appearantly not hiding out from the light correct? So what your using most be okay by him.

For me, I mainly feed fresh real food, not the pellets. The pellets are an every so often thing and then I only use the Mazuri. For the most part, most of my hingbeacks are not big fans of the pelleted type foods, but Mazuri does come out ahead of the other types in their taste tests. To me, the Mazuri is like any other food item, something to use a part of a widely varied diet, not the main part of it.

Does he have a large deep water dish to soak in? I like the coir and sand the most myself for substrate. I usually don't mist, most of the time it seems I need more a water pour then a simple surface mist. I keep the substrates deep usually more like 6-8". I also like using leaf piles. The long strand spagnum moss works well, too.

So you have a single male Homes or more then the one?

 

[Jacqui]

In the fall I just sack up the leaves that come from our trees, so mostly it is made up of mulberry leaves and no doubt a nice bit of grape leaves. I would just try to stay away from questionable leaves like oak trees if possible. I doubt a few in the mix would hurt.

Sounds like he favors three of the most common items. What I like to do it to take and either blend up my own fresh fruit (like papaya) or take the baby food and use that to coat the cut up greens or even just blend it all together. I have also found better luck with like the baby greens/spring mix ather then greens like turnip and collard are eaten better.

The shell can be due to many things... temps, lights, diet, activity, health. too much or too little of any of them. I also bet your home may be rather dry this time of year? Helps to even just raise the house humidity by boiling a pot of water or making yourself some homemade soup that cooks for hours.

Not as common in the UK to have a Homes as here in the US. Seems you have more Bells available. Are you enjoying him?