My A. tigrinum is a PIG!

[nwmnnaturalist]

Despite feeding her several worms a week, my A. tigrinum Skaddi will NOT stop demanding food. She will literally spend a couple hours a day just pacing in front of the glass, expecting me to come over and give her a worm. I figure this has to do with preparation for breeding season, but goodness she's relentless! She's also much more aggressive in feeding, leaving me to have to drop worms in front of her so she doesn't try to swallow my finger. She's about ready to shed, getting a bit wrinkly. She's got plenty of stuff to help her slough off the skin, but it's another thing that might make her a little more hungry. I don't want to over feed her, but she's being extremely persistent. Any tips?

 

[nwmnnaturalist]

Just took this photo of her in my hand. She's a little scrunched up since she's trying to hide, but this shows what kind of shape she's in. Her cloacal region isn't more swollen or anything, and she's got a good layer of fat in her tail. Quite a difference from when I rescued her off the highway.

 

[Linus]

Looking good!

 

[Niels D]

Looking good indeed. I like my women round too.

 

[nwmnnaturalist]

Skaddi is still as needy and aggressive as ever. Despite an increase in her diet (within reasonable amounts), she still continues to solicit food from me at all times of the day. She spends a great deal of time pacing the habitat and pawing at the glass, which she does mainly to get food.

I have to be careful now when I feed her, since she will make an attempt to go after my finger (which she may see as a bigger, better meal!) and will not let go for minutes on end. I have to hold her and wait for her to let go, since I don't want to hurt her.

Any advice? Perhaps I need to speed up my plans on getting a bigger tank for her, since maybe she's feeling a bit bored/restricted? Perhaps more active now that spring is approaching?

Heeelp! I'm afraid she's going to eat me one of these nights!

 

[Jan]

Tigers, especially young tigers, typically have an aggressive feeding response. That's just what they do. The caution is in over feeding....they can get really fat. Yours looks to be at a good weight. Think of a beagle or lab dog - they tend to be big beggers. They may have just eaten a meal - but they beg. Tigers have been referred to as 'slimy puppies'....and for good reason. As long as the husbandry is appropriate, don't worry about the 'begging'/pacing.

Don't know what your set-up is, but the equivalent surface area of a 10 gallon aquarium provides adequate space for a single tiger.

 

[nwmnnaturalist]

I've decided to try and calm her down by reducing the amount of light and movement she sees during the day by putting some burlap around her cage. I think she's mostly reacting to the change in light here and preparing for breeding season. She'll probably throw a bit of a tantrum the first couple days, but I think it may keep her calm. I caught her about 30 miles south of here (found her injured on a highway), and we don't normally see them until late April/early may. I don't plan on breeding her, so I'd rather her stay more calm and enjoy her single life. ^^

 

[nwmnnaturalist]

Here's her current setup, before I wrapped the glass in burlap.