Feeding during the temp drop

[That_DL_Kid]

I was wondering what people are doing as far as reducing food intake during the temperature drop in the winter. Does anyone not reduce intake?

I read one place to not feed anything 2 weeks before the temp drop so the geckos digestive system is clear then feed less. Do ya'll do this?

Does anyone not feed at all during the temp drop?

I would appreciate any and all opinions.

 

[acpart]

There's a difference between having the ambient temperature drop a bit in the winter and brumating the animals.
In the former case, I have found that some leos continue to eat and others get sluggish, sleepy and either eat very little or not at all. My living room is probably in the low 60's during the coldest days and in the high 60's to low 70's at night when I'm home. Of course the UTH is always on and the gecko can be warm in the hide any time it wants.

In the case of deliberate brumation, the temperatures are gradually lowered to a particular target (and I really don't know what that is for leos, but probably lower than my average ambient temp is) where the geckos won't feed (but should have water available)and will be pretty inactive (but not totally asleep all the time as in hibernation) for the whole period, until the temps are gradually raised at the end of the period. This is the situation where reptiles have to go through a period of not feeding so they can empty their stomachs.

In my opinion, the best thing to do is to keep offering food every 3 days or so and not to get too upset if some/all don't choose to eat (Oskar, my super snow, generally eats nothing from about Jan. to May) as long as there is no sudden weight loss.

Aliza

 

[EnchantmentGecko]

Since geckos breed pretty well on their own, most people simply let the natural temp drop trigger breeding and don't brumate leos. But I would always offer food and water. If they need it then they have it and if they don't then you have no worries.

 

[justindh1]

I wound't even worry about brumating leopard geckos. Most people have the temps in the house stay constant no matter what time of the year it is. If any, temps may only fluctuate a couple degrees throughout the year. My reptile rooms stays pretty consistent in temps no matter what time of the year it is. Some of my geckos will eat less but still eat during the winter months. I would just feed as usual and adjust the amount as needed.

 

[Russellm0704]

I would feed normally. Basically some of your geckos will probably eat like usually, some will slow down, and some will go on a strike for a few weeks or more.