How to encourage hatchlings to eat? Plus possible deformity

[Barbel]

Hey there,
This is my first time to breed and I am having some issues. My first baby hatched at the end of May and is doing awesome; growing fast and eating great. I have had a few clutches not make it to full term. My next one hatched a 5 or 6 weeks ago. I could not get her to eat anything. I tried mealworms, mini mealworms and crickets and I did not witness her eating anything. She died at about 3 weeks. Now I have two hatchlings (the first time both eggs have hatched!) that are about two weeks old. I have been putting mealworms in their tank daily (since they shed) and I have yet to see them eat. I was wondering what I could do to get them to eat, I really want these two to do well.
As for the possible deformity, one of them is shaped really strange. The normal shaped one is like a finger, straigt and narrow bodied and the other one is shaped more like a thumb, narrower toward its head and very plump and round looking toward its tail. Has anyone seen this before and is it something I should worry about?
Thanks for any advice!!!

 

[acpart]

Getting them to eat: you could try holding one gently and pushing a mealworm against its mouth. Usually babies try to bite anything annoying them and often they'll bite the mealworm and then eat it. This has a downside, though. Some babies decide that the finger is the source of food. I have 2 babies right now who have been gaining weight very slowly because they think the only way to eat is for me to feed them (half the time when I hold out a mealworm they bite my finger). I have gotten them to the point where if I drop a mealworm in front of them they'll eventually figure out how to eat it. Each of these babies has a clutchmate who caught on quickly and is more than twice the weight of these guys, so, of course they're not housed together. If you're seeing poops, they're eating. If not, try dropping mealworms in front of them and/or hand feeding, but introduce them to the bowl as soon as you can.

Deformity: a picture would be helpful.
Aliza

 

[fallen_angel]

Also, what temps are your babies being housed in? If the temps are not correct (90-92 on the warm side and anywhere between 70-80 degrees on the cool side), they will not eat.

 

[Barbel]

I am not sure of the exact temps, but they are in the exact same set up as the first hatchling, who ate perfectly. The first hatchling was of course moved out well before these guy hatched. I placed a bowl in there today with some mealworms in them and then put the geckos into the bowl. I left them alone, there are fewer worms but I don't if they ate them or if the worms crawled out. I have also tried holding the worms up to their faces and they just back away. Anything else I can do? Should I try to "force food" and if so, how can I do that without hurting them?

 

[OceanLyons]

Tagging along...

I have the same question. Four out of five of my almost 2 week old hatchlings are eating. One isn't interested in eating at all, and I too am quite concerned.