I wonder...

[Lala]

hey guys

basically, i have had my little girl for over just 2 weeks and she really really hasnt ate much at all! im feeding her mealworms and little crickets, but recently we also got her some waxworms aswell yet she hasnt touched anything really. I think from the day we got her she has ate maybe 4/5 crickets, but this isnt much for a baby right?

i know alot of you guys say this is nothing to worry about, as they can go off food after moving about, but she is soooo tiny i cant help but worry! i just dont want her to suffer in any way!!

We have the temps just right, so that shouldnt be a problem and she is pooping (seen her doing so for the first time last night and near freaked out, didnt know what was happening lol)

the worms are sittin in the warm patch so hopefully they may catch her attention if they have more movement, and i put in extra crickets as well just incase she couldnt find them :main_rolleyes:

maybe would it be advisable for me to get a light for night time to help her find food easier? and also, i have heard puttin yoghurt on her nose should help encourage her to eat? should i try this? and then try dip a worm in it if she licks it off straigh away?

maybe i am freaking out, but damn i dont know how she isnt starving!!!

any help would be great!!

Lauren

 

[acpart]

Night vision and smell are pretty good, so it's not an issue with not being able to find the food. If she doesn't freak out when your hand is near her, you can try to interest her in the food by holding down a mealworm by one end in front of her or holding a cricket by a leg in front of her so it can't get away (this will not work with a small cricket but will with a larger one and you'd be surprised at what they can eat). Otherwise, you can hold her gently in one hand and press a mealworm or cricket against her mouth. She will probably open her mouth to bite it and then may eat it. If you got it from a breeder or a small pet store that buys from specific breeders, you can contact the breeder to see how she was doing before it was sold. If you got her from a big, anonymous pet store then you won't be able to get any information and there is always a chance that the gecko isn't well do to (the pet store's) poor husbandry. I have had hatchlings who never caught on to eating from a dish and still need me to hold a feeder near them.

Aliza

 

[sunshinegeckofarm]

maybe try bigger prey items, like superworms and larger crickets and give her time to adjust without much handling and such. I haven't had much luck with many of my hatchlings eating really small crickets i dont know why i guess they didnt see them but if i put a lil bigger not adult by no means but like 1/2 in crix and they chowed down on them like they were never fed in their lifetime so maybe the prey is just too small and she is not used to that. i know my geckos dont like mealworms but they eat supers without a problem. give that a try. also i have got a few geckos back on food by giving them crested gecko diet with reptiaid you find a pet co/pets mart and giving them that for a week or so. i had one gecko i hatched out with one small eye and a underbite that didnt eat well and looked like it was going to die well i did the cgd n reptiaid for one week and now its fine and actually looking good and i had another i bought from a breeder she didnt want to eat after she got here and started dropping weight and i did the same and shes now near breeding weight and then she was like 20g or less. that was in oct-nov 09 lol ... let us know how she does.

 

[MichaelJ]

Here's a few tips to get you started:
It may take a little while for your new leopard gecko to get settled into her home. Try not to worry - she'll come around.

The feeder dish should be shallow enough for the gecko to see the worms (but deep enough so the worms don’t crawl out). We recommend using a 3” clay saucer, sold for less than a dollar at your local craft store such as Michaels.

The worms in the feeder dish should be fresh; not obstructed by their shed skin or any dead mealworms.

Make sure that you have enough mealworms in the dish to create a visual movement that will attract the leopard gecko. (15-20 mealworms).

Feed in the evening, so the worms are moving at the time the gecko is ready to hunt. (The worms tend to settle after a few hours and stop moving as much). Keep the feeder dish in the enclosure at all times.

Try dropping a few mealworms right in front of her, one at a time on the substrate. You should be using plain white paper towels or paper as a substrate. This should stimulate her vision.. and she should be able to easily see the worm wiggle around against the plain white back drop of paper towels. This is usually most successful if the gecko is inside their warm hide: You can drop a few mealworms at the entrance and the hide helps their tunnel vision focus on the mealworm you've just placed there. If this method works, proceed each day and slowly drop the mealworms closer and closer to the feeder dish to lure the gecko toward the dish. This will help condition the gecko to this area for feeding.

You can try using tongs to feed the mealworms by hand.

Make sure she gets a full night cycle. Their enclosure should be placed in a room where the lights go out around 10pm, as they start feeding around that time. Remember that leopard geckos are nocturnal, so if the lights stay on late, you can cover their enclosure with a light blanket to provide them with the darkness they need to hunt.

These methods have worked for us... hope it helps!!!