Feeders vs Vacations

[reptilesalonica]

All you that you breed your own feeders, what do you do when it's time for vacations? I breed crickets, mealworms, silkworms, mice and soon i will breed rats too.
I believe it's a major problem.
~Greg~

[marisa]

It is a problem for us.

We have great roomates who take care of our herps but adding on the feeders water and feeding is a little too much. We don't go on vacation often at all though and we have small colonies going (under 100 adults) so normally when the rare vacation comes up we kill them all off beforehand and start new.

This wouldn't be feasable for people with huge colonies though. Probably hire someone. I dunno.

Marisa

[Linds]

Vacation... what's that? :p

[reptilesalonica]

Vacation... what's that?
fiouou!...I thought i would be the only one who don't go on vacations :D
~Greg~

[Stockwell]

Yeah it's a problem alright. The feeders are usually much more trouble than the herps that are eating them,, because they are high maintenance.
Eventually you will either give up breeding feeders or give up vacations and learn to have as many playtoys as possible at home.
Some try vacations, but find that it amounts to spending hundreds to leave all the things you enjoy. Then on top of that you're stressed out simply worrying about them all. You know, who's eating who, are all the cages closed, will there be a power failure, will the water and food last,
will the auto water fail and drown your colony,what if those eggs hatch, what if that female drops...etc. etc.
Unless you have a very trusted custodian to mind the store while you're away the only other options is temporarily getting rid of the feeders,or
taking only day trips

[asphyxia]

I came back half way through my vacation in order to attend to the Herps and breeders, then went back up. I have as much automation as possible, but things still needed to be done.
It sucked.

Brian

[marisa]

That does suck. I love having my roomates here. They watch me take care of everyone like a million times by now and I trust them more than I trust myself sometimes when it comes to making sure cages are shut, locked, etc. LOL. And they know all about each specific animal and its little quirks or its husbandry needs so they even keep an eye on temps and water while I am gone. I am a lucky one!

Marisa

[reptilesalonica]

Yeah! seems to be you're too lucky :)
As for me, i cannot leave more then 3 days (not even 4th day morning!)
On 4th day i must be home feeding and watering the feeders.
Last time i left the mice alone 3 days with much food, they urinate inside the new bowl with the food and they through it all over the cage. I had to clean 25 cages again (i had clean them before i leave)...
I cannot feed all my feeders and just leave...since i sell to petstores too...so like Linds said...
Vacation?...what is that?! :D
~Greg~