Feeding Tongs

[Crewdog00]

Hey guys. So here's my question/topic...

Does anyone use tongs to feed their leopard gecko? For years I used tongs to feed my snakes to simulate live food.

I have been using tongs to handle crickets and mealworms so I don't get my scent on the food I feed along with I feel it's easier to put feeders in the tank with my tongs.

Wondering if there is any negative side or cons to using tongs. I will even use them to wiggle a cricket that's missing legs or looks like its about to die and my gecko will attack.

Short story: I wish I had video taped this. Annie attacked this cricket and got a hold of its back leg which fell off. On attempt 2 she got the other leg. Now the cricket had no back legs. She went for attempt 3 and missed. Attempt 4 she got a hold of it and then dropped it because she killed it and it stopped moving. She was bored and moved on to the next live cricket.

 

[EnchantmentGecko]

I don't know of any problems feeding with or without tongs. It can help tame a leo and you can make certain you know just how much they are or are not eating. In the same aspect there's nothing wrong with feeding them from your hand either. You most likely won't run into the same problems you would with snakes though you might risk a bite or two from an overexcited leo.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Before you worry about tongs you should make sure you have permission to use Matts images (which I have confirmed you don't).

I wouldn't use tongs. You don't want a gecko dependent on you feeding them in order to eat.

 

[mudskipper]

I have been using the Zoo Med 10" tongs which also use to feed my ants and mudskippers. They are very easy to use.

Stay away from the Exo Terra tongs with rubber tips. Good concept, but poor execution. The Exo Terra tongs are too hard too squeeze which makes it difficult to hold on to things and you won't be nimble enough to catch runaway crickets.

Even if you're not going to feed with tongs, it is useful to have a pair in case you need to grab a mealworm that has fallen in a crack or to catch a runaway cricket without having to move the decors. I also use my tongs to crush the crickets so they don't run away too fast.... I would never do that with my fingers. LOL

 

[Crewdog00]

Agree 100%^*^

I have been using the same exact tongs for a few years. I would like to add I clean my tongs once a week to make sure it's super clean. Alcohol works great and dries fast and then I rinse heavily.

 

[Crewdog00]

Before you worry about tongs you should make sure you have permission to use Matts images (which I have confirmed you don't).

I wouldn't use tongs. You don't want a gecko dependent on you feeding them in order to eat.

Didn't know I needed his permission to use the pic as my avatar. Is it trade marked or something? Honestly didn't know. Thanks for the update.

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

I don't know the legalities of his image uses...however any image taken from someone else site, fb, posts needs to be stated or cited as such. Especially using someones main image (logo) as your own is not a very good thing to do. Can you do it...as I said I don't know what he has copy written or not. For me personally I HATE when people use my images without my approval because I have had people use my images on THEIR available page, posted as their breeders/babies on a different forum, I even had someone try to sell me a gecko using MY pictures. It has taken me years to get the animals I have today and I certainly don't mind letting people use them...as long as they ask and either give me credit or use a watermarked image. I know you didn't mean any harm by using it and I was just giving you a heads up, but it is at minimum appropriate to ask if you can use someones image as YOUR avatar and give them credit.

About your tongs situation. Way back when I use to hand feed my geckos and loved all the interaction with them during feeding. The only/main negative aspect of tong feeding (besides possibly injury) is they become dependent on you to present the food to them. You are the food provider...not a worm dish. This can (happened to me) become a situation in which if you don't feed them they wont eat. Life happens and there are never guarantees you will always have the time to tong feed. Maybe an extreme scenario...but it happened to me.

 

[BadKelpie]

All photographs are copyrighted automatically to the photographer from the time the photo is taken. You can't just use any photo you find on the web, this is copyright infringement.

This explains it pretty well:

http://www.chicagonow.com/the-photo-ninja-blog/2011/02/copyright-infringement-using-images-on-blogs-without-permission/

I understand people do it, but that doesn't make it right.

 

[Taesolieroy]

I do a bit of a mix, but with the tweezers that I use to put the powder stuff in the dusting tube from which I'll drop the crickets into their feeding bin one at a time. Every now and then I'll reach with my tweezers to chase a cricket into the gecko's view, or in the case of them starting to miss more than nail, pin the cricket down by a leg to let the gecko catch it (sometimes this removes a leg or two in the process).

 

[Crewdog00]

All photographs are copyrighted automatically to the photographer from the time the photo is taken. You can't just use any photo you find on the web, this is copyright infringement.

This explains it pretty well:

http://www.chicagonow.com/the-photo...ent-using-images-on-blogs-without-permission/

I understand people do it, but that doesn't make it right.

As you can see once it was brought to my attention I changed.

 

[BadKelpie]

I didn't know if you had or not, figured you probably had. I just posted the info because a few people seemed confused about what exactly the laws were. Didn't mean to offend, just inform .

 

[greenzebra]

I use tongs to put the worms only in Leopold's feeding dish. I don't like to touch the worms or any other insects.

 

[Crewdog00]

Tongs are great just used then to place 9 crickets in the tank. Annie ate 8 of them.

She knows how to hunt and she also knows her food dish is for mealworms and supers.