Gecko hunting "skills"

[Stitch]

This has to do with my female AFT, but I wanted this to be seen because it might apply to leo's as well.

I have noticed twice now that if her prey happens to ooze some guts or juice out when she catches them she will continue to attack the area that gets wet. I don't know if she is just smelling it and is attacking the smell alone or if "she's has some Italian in her and just likes to clean her plate" :main_laugh: . The only issue that it raises is I have all of my geckos on paper towels and I'm afraid that she might rip off the paper towel and accidently ingest it. Last night she attempted to eat the paper towel, she got about 1 1/2" down before she wound up regurgitating it. The spot she was trying to eat was the same spot I saw her trying to eat after a crix juiced on the paper towel. I pulled the towel out and she went on hunting down crix at the other end of the tank. So apparently she went back to that spot for some reason. There could have been another crix there or she attacked because she could smell the juice. I know that leos hunt on sight and I figured AFT did as well, has any one else ever experienced anything like this?

 

[cheeseball705]

i have never had a prob wiht my two leos on papertowels and i have had them for over a yr and a half. i use a ceramic bowl that i put calcuim powder in as well as the mealies and crickets for dusting (well crickets get dusted into a bag and dumped into a bowl) maybe that would help ya out.

 

[Stitch]

Thanks for the reply, although I am afraid that she "might" rip off a piece of paper towel bowel feeding won't work with her. She is an animal when it comes to feeding and she runs around like a lunatic to catch her food. The post was meant more or less as a "has any one ever experienced this before" kind of post.

 

[NicoleO]

If you're worried about her ripping off a piece of paper towel then you could always do what I do and use the thick nonstick shelf liner. I like it better than paper towels because I can take it out and wash it so I don't waste as much on paper towel but I do change it out after a few washings.

I've never had any of my leo's eat paper towels but I did have a baby beardie get a piece of paper towel while catching a cricket. The beardie passed it just fine but I changed them right after that so it didn't happen again.