Do they eat less in colder weather?

[jerrymb]

Starting about 2 weeks ago when it started cooling down my gecko went from eating 15 mealworms every other day to about 4-5 every other day. At the height of the summer when it was in the 90's he ate like he was starving. Now that it's considerably cooler both inside and outside the house he doesn't attack the mealworms anymore.

 

[Thorgecko707]

heat = better digestion = eat more

 

[jerrymb]

For an adult gecko what is the minimum amount of mealworms they can eat and still survive without losing weight?

 

[reps4life]

Starting about 2 weeks ago when it started cooling down my gecko went from eating 15 mealworms every other day to about 4-5 every other day. At the height of the summer when it was in the 90's he ate like he was starving. Now that it's considerably cooler both inside and outside the house he doesn't attack the mealworms anymore.

Mine eat like a pig all year long. If you allow the temps in the enclosure to drop then decrease in appetite will occur.

 

[reps4life]

For an adult gecko what is the minimum amount of mealworms they can eat and still survive without losing weight?

Their is no specific amount. It's different in every gecko. I would always offer various food items. You can weigh him weekly and keep track to see if he is losing too much weight.

 

[sunshinegeckos]

if the temps drop in the cage they will go into a sort of hybernation and may not eat as much. You can keep it that way (as long as it is not a huge drop in temps) and feed them every other day or every third day and just keep water in there for a few months or you can up the temps and they should go back to normal. Just monitor their weight and make sure they are not losing too much weight.

 

[jerrymb]

I have his uth under the tank and a heat lamp. But I keep the heat lamp off at night. Do I need more heat in the tank at night. I turn the temerature down in the house really low in the winter.Other than a uth or heat lamp are there any other sources of heat?

 

[reps4life]

I have his uth under the tank and a heat lamp. But I keep the heat lamp off at night. Do I need more heat in the tank at night. I turn the temerature down in the house really low in the winter.Other than a uth or heat lamp are there any other sources of heat?

If his cage goes under 70 at night I would use a red or moonlight bulb for extra heat in one side.

Personally I keep a gradient of 75 to 95 at all times. It's not a requirement. I just like him to provide the option and he spends most of his time even at night at the hot end.

 

[jerrymb]

My gecko has been acting very wierd for weeks now. He is always in his moist hide even at night when the temps are starting to drop very low now that Fall is here. I'm sure that it's even colder inside the moist hide. He just seems very sluggish lately. I literally have to take the top off of the moist hide to make sure he's still alive. But he was doing this even when it was still hot outside so it can't be the cool weather we've been having lately.

 

[reps4life]

My gecko has been acting very wierd for weeks now. He is always in his moist hide even at night when the temps are starting to drop very low now that Fall is here. I'm sure that it's even colder inside the moist hide. He just seems very sluggish lately. I literally have to take the top off of the moist hide to make sure he's still alive. But he was doing this even when it was still hot outside so it can't be the cool weather we've been having lately.

Well to be on the safe side if you are that concerned maybe a vet visit with fecal exam will be a good idea.

 

[gmaier19]

personally, i wouldnt worry. there seems to be a lot of misconception about the eating habits of leopard geckos during the winter. i used to freak out when my geckos slowed down during the winter. now im used to it.

read this: http://www.geckotime.com/the-yearly-cycle-with-geckos/

the author of the article is breeding leos, but even the ones that arent breeding slow done quite a bit when it gets cooler. i have my geckos on a thermostat that keeps their warm spot constant, but the geckos know what time of the year it is anyway. they must know either because the ambient air temperature (the temperature in my house) cools a bit or they notice the length of day getting shorter. either way they slow down during the winter.

its totally possible your gecko is sick and that you should take it to the vet in order to get the right medicine. but most likely, its just slowing down because winter is imminent.

 

[gmaier19]

on the geckos etc website in the hibernation section of the gecko care page Steve Sykes writes:

"At least several times during the fall and winter I get emails from concerned leopard gecko keepers who have noticed their geckos are eating less. This is normal, and is the result of the temperature fluctuations in your house from summer to winter. I would not worry as long as the gecko is maintaining a fairly constant weight, normal feeding should resume in the spring."

hopefully this helps.