dissapointingly sluggish mealies

[voretaq7]

More dissapointing to my leo than me. My new batch of mealies are pretty active in the gutload bin -- they gnawed their way through half an apple the first day I got them -- but once they go into the feeding dish they lie there like they know moving will get them eaten

I'm doing the usual things, Food (bran flakes & carrot) in the dish, dish over the heating pad (bowl temparature is ~82 degrees), but I was hoping you guys would have other ideas to wake these guys up a little & make them more attractive as a meal.

 

[GeckoGathering]

wake up little mealie, wake up.

More dissapointing to my leo than me. My new batch of mealies are pretty active in the gutload bin -- they gnawed their way through half an apple the first day I got them -- but once they go into the feeding dish they lie there like they know moving will get them eaten

I'm doing the usual things, Food (bran flakes & carrot) in the dish, dish over the heating pad (bowl temparature is ~82 degrees), but I was hoping you guys would have other ideas to wake these guys up a little & make them more attractive as a meal.

Loose the bran in the feeder bowl....slice of carrot
only.......or better yet shoot some citrus to them.....Orange peel
in the bowl...........Verify that temp. of 82 by putting a probe under the dish with the dish on it...could be too warm making worms sluggish
...take care. HJ....

 

[voretaq7]

No joy on making them more active by taking away their food - They just sit their cowering and trying not to look like dinner :-/

The dish temperature is from a laser thermometer, and I'm reasonably sure of its accuracy so I don't think I'm cooking or freezing the little buggers.

She's picking them out a few every night, so I'm not too worried - she may just be "full" off 2-3 worms.

 

[HepCatMoe]

if you want her to eat more, try only feeding her twice a week. i bet itll work.

 

[nats]

if you want her to eat more, try only feeding her twice a week. i bet itll work.

LOL! yep, that would do it :main_rolleyes:

 

[voretaq7]

if you want her to eat more, try only feeding her twice a week. i bet itll work.

heh, I think she's a little young for that - I'd rather be emptying out extra mealies than come home to a starving juvie

She seems to be getting her appetite back - She polished off 5 worms last night, so we'll see what happens to the 10 I put in a few minutes ago

 

[Scoots85]

Ooh, I totally forgot to add carrot or apple peels for the mealworms. I keep them stored in a little dish with what looks like cereal/oat bedding. I guess I should probably add some carrot or apple peels in with the bedding?

When I feed them I simply dust and drop them in one by one in front of the gecko. Seems to work fine.

 

[kathleen]

If you have a baby you might try adding a baby carrott to your mealie dish in the enclosure the maalies will wiggle and be gut loading all along just change the carrott
or apple often. You may also consider putting the mealie dish in a cooler area.

 

[voretaq7]

Well, she has her appetite back She polished off 7 of the 10 mealies from last night...
And then when I said hi this morning she mistook my finger for a very large mealworm.

I'm NOT food!

 

[voretaq7]

Ooh, I totally forgot to add carrot or apple peels for the mealworms. I keep them stored in a little dish with what looks like cereal/oat bedding. I guess I should probably add some carrot or apple peels in with the bedding?

When I feed them I simply dust and drop them in one by one in front of the gecko. Seems to work fine.

I usually leave a carrot in the bin with the worms I'm feeding for the week - partly for moisture and partly for nutritional value. Since I feed from a dish I break off small pieces to leave in the feeding dish so the worms don't dry out and die overnight.


I wish mine would eat when I drop mealies in front of her - she watches them walk around then loses interest (or she steps on them and then runs away when they squirm - wuss). Closest I've come is if I pin a mealie with my finger she'll usually go for it.