Dusty's Birthday!

[DustyTheGecko]

Howdy! It is Dusty's Birthday month, and I made her a cake! It's just komodo jelly pots (don't worry, she didn't even take a bite of these, she just wanted banana, even banana I limited though) and banana slices.
Also, I have noticed that almost every single thing I post on this website is about how picky she is, ever since I began here. I'm trying to get her watermelon flavor, that's her favorite.

 

[acpart]

Happy birthday to Dusty.

Aliza

 

[DustyTheGecko]

Happy birthday to Dusty.

Aliza

I think I have somewhat of a theory why she wont eat (right now its partly because the house is colder), I think its because the only times I feed her is during day, or only 30 minutes at most after I turn the lights off, so shes probably tired and its not her instinct to eat during day. Could that be part of it?

 

[acpart]

It could be. Most of my geckos are eating very little at this time of the year and I tend to feed them in the late evening.

Aliza

 

[DustyTheGecko]

It could be. Most of my geckos are eating very little at this time of the year and I tend to feed them in the late evening.

Aliza

I'll try it, its not like she won't eat anything at all, she'll just have a bite or two.

 

[DustyTheGecko]

It could be. Most of my geckos are eating very little at this time of the year and I tend to feed them in the late evening.

Aliza

Could you tell me how I could feed her more? I'm getting worried about her... I don't want to have to put food on her nose for the rest of winter, she really doesn't like that.

 

[acpart]

I think you have 3 choices:
keep putting food on her nose
keep offering food and let her do what she's going to do
make a vet appointment

As I've mentioned before, I have enough geckos so I'm not worrying about how much they're eating. Some are fatter and some are skinnier but they all seem fine to me. It's hard to distinguish sometimes whether she's actually having a problem or if your concern about her is leading to you micromanaging her (and I know we're all really concerned about our pets' health so I don't mean to disparage your concerns). If you, upon reflection, are really concerned that there's something wrong, she probably needs a vet visit. If you, upon reflection, feel that possibly you're getting more worried than the situation warrants, you should consider going with option 1 or 2. How does that sound to you?

Aliza

 

[DustyTheGecko]

I think you have 3 choices:
keep putting food on her nose
keep offering food and let her do what she's going to do
make a vet appointment

As I've mentioned before, I have enough geckos so I'm not worrying about how much they're eating. Some are fatter and some are skinnier but they all seem fine to me. It's hard to distinguish sometimes whether she's actually having a problem or if your concern about her is leading to you micromanaging her (and I know we're all really concerned about our pets' health so I don't mean to disparage your concerns). If you, upon reflection, are really concerned that there's something wrong, she probably needs a vet visit. If you, upon reflection, feel that possibly you're getting more worried than the situation warrants, you should consider going with option 1 or 2. How does that sound to you?

Aliza

I was thinking the same thing... I think I was worrying too much. She has tons of energy at night (she'll will keep hunting my finger and what not) so I doubt shes sick, and her poo is very healthy. Shes not terribly skinny, she looks pretty normal for a young gecko. If you look back at my posts 90% are me talking about how picky she is, and I think that's just her. I'll still try to get her favorite flavor (watermelon) soon, because shes been eating the blueberry for a while and she probably doesnt enjoy that. Have you ever had a gecko die from starvation? I imagine that's pretty rare. Also, no offence taken, your advice is really helpful.

 

[acpart]

The only geckos I've had die looking like they were starved were geckos who had cryptosporidiosis. It leads to anorexia, diarrhea and death. My entire population has crypto since 2017. It's been over a year since anyone had a flareup and the youngest is 9 years old. I just have to stay healthy for the next 10 years because I can't give them away!

Aliza

 

[DustyTheGecko]

The only geckos I've had die looking like they were starved were geckos who had cryptosporidiosis. It leads to anorexia, diarrhea and death. My entire population has crypto since 2017. It's been over a year since anyone had a flareup and the youngest is 9 years old. I just have to stay healthy for the next 10 years because I can't give them away!

Aliza

I'm pretty certain she doesn't have that, because she isn't showing any other signs, but what happened when they got crypto? I know a little bit about it, like the symptoms, but not exactly what it is

 

[acpart]

Crypto is an abdominal protozoa that breeds in the gecko's gut. The gecko sheds eggs from them in its poop which makes it really contagious. My geckos got it from a gecko that I bought and quarantined. I should have had every new gecko I got tested for crypto but there's nothing I can do now. I have lost a number of geckos to it in the last 9 years, but things have been stable recently.

Aliza

 

[DustyTheGecko]

z

Crypto is an abdominal protozoa that breeds in the gecko's gut. The gecko sheds eggs from them in its poop which makes it really contagious. My geckos got it from a gecko that I bought and quarantined. I should have had every new gecko I got tested for crypto but there's nothing I can do now. I have lost a number of geckos to it in the last 9 years, but things have been stable recently.

Aliza

I'm really sorry for that, sounds like a nasty parasite... Can you see the eggs in the poo? Checking Dusty's poo is easy.

 

[acpart]

No, I think they're too small. It's really a drag but it got me out of breeding which was actually a blessing in disguise even though I didn't know it at the time.

Aliza

 

[DustyTheGecko]

No, I think they're too small. It's really a drag but it got me out of breeding which was actually a blessing in disguise even though I didn't know it at the time.

Aliza

How constant was the diarrhea? Cause dusty only had it the once and I'm 95% certain it was because I fed her to watery food.

 

[DustyTheGecko]

No, I think they're too small. It's really a drag but it got me out of breeding which was actually a blessing in disguise even though I didn't know it at the time.

Aliza

Is Flukers Fresh Feeder Vac Pac of crickets good for crested geckos? I would get live crickets, but I'm scared of parasites, and these are parasite free. Also, dusty loves to hunt my finger at night, so I'm thinking shes on a hunger strike for insects of sorts. These aren't alive insects, but they are safer

 

[acpart]

It's worth a try!

Aliza