Interesting tid bit of info

[bitterbeauty]

I recently discovered that if you rub the side of a leopard geckos mouth they will open it.

I figured this out while wiping off excess slurry from one of my sickly geckos mouth with a tissue. While rubbing on the side she opened her mouth wide for a second or two then closed it. I thought this was interesting so I rubbed again with my finger tip and she did it again.

I then experimented on my other 3 healthy geckos and although they did not do it quite as wide or as willingly they also open their mouth after it iwas rubbed.


This is a great finding especially for sick geckos. Rub the side of their mouth and when they open quickly drop in the medicine / slurry. This way you know they are getting it. Do not force feed them however. Also, it would be a good way to check for mouth sores.

However just a warning if you continue to rub their mouth they get irritated and bite you. But it doesn't hurt.

Sorry if this was common knowledge...I just thought I would share and see what you guys thought. :main_yes:

 

[nats]

I recently discovered that if you rub the side of a leopard geckos mouth they will open it.

I figured this out while wiping off excess slurry from one of my sickly geckos mouth with a tissue. While rubbing on the side she opened her mouth wide for a second or two then closed it. I thought this was interesting so I rubbed again with my finger tip and she did it again.

I then experimented on my other 3 healthy geckos and although they did not do it quite as wide or as willingly they also open their mouth after it iwas rubbed.


This is a great finding especially for sick geckos. Rub the side of their mouth and when they open quickly drop in the medicine / slurry. This way you know they are getting it. Do not force feed them however. Also, it would be a good way to check for mouth sores.

However just a warning if you continue to rub their mouth they get irritated and bite you. But it doesn't hurt.

Sorry if this was common knowledge...I just thought I would share and see what you guys thought. :main_yes:

Thats interesting. Thanks for sharring

So far (knock on wood) I havent had to nurse a sick leo, except one time I had one that would not poop! I put him in a warm damp face cloth for several minutes, gently rubbed his belly, and that worked. I think it was caused by stress because I had just introduced him to a new female. But thats only my guess, I'm no expert.

 

[RepBex]

That is Interesting thanks

 

[paulnj]

YUP..... they get annoyed and want to bite you

 

[Gecko Ranch]

This is not common knowledge. I discovered this for myself years back when I was acclimating some stubborn Uroplatus WC. You can also take a cricket and rub the anntenae on their lips on the sides of their mouth and they often will take a swipe at it. A vet tech I was working with at the time started rubbing gecko mouth corners with anything and told me this technique was far preferable than prying their mouths open as that risks damage.

Great tip, thanks for sharing. :main_thumbsup:

 

[Gazz]

This is true :main_thumbsup: .But gently rubbing there nose with your finger is safer than rubbing the side of there jaw.As they some times catch you out and clamp onto your finger .As they find it esayer to swing there head to the side than they do to lunge forward.

 

[Baoh]

Amusing, as I found this out just last night and took the opportunity to toss in a few extra superworms in a female RAPTOR that has been recovering from laying at a slower rate than I am comfortable with. I then decided to do the same with my MS het RAPTOR, as he won't eat when he has females nearby. I think I'm going to use this technique with an oral syringe for a slurry, too.

 

[thegeckoguy]

i found this out a while ago when i had to force feed a gecko. Touch the side of their mouth and pop the worm in

 

[gothra]

Amusing, as I found this out just last night and took the opportunity to toss in a few extra superworms in a female RAPTOR that has been recovering from laying at a slower rate than I am comfortable with. I then decided to do the same with my MS het RAPTOR, as he won't eat when he has females nearby. I think I'm going to use this technique with an oral syringe for a slurry, too.

I would be very careful if you want to squirt in some slurry while it has its mouth open; I'm worried about choking problem if you do that too quick. I prefer have them lap up the slurry drop by drop, its just safer.

 

[Gecko]

It's a good way to try and teach geckos who don't normally eat crickets and mealworms that they are food.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Yes, this is a natural bite response... and a great way to hand-feed a non-feeding gecko!

 

[fallen_angel]

I didn't realize that it was the side of their mouth, and could never get them to do this.. I will have to try it out now just to see how it works, I was trying to rub their chins before and that never worked

Thanks for sharing

 

[Baoh]

I would be very careful if you want to squirt in some slurry while it has its mouth open; I'm worried about choking problem if you do that too quick. I prefer have them lap up the slurry drop by drop, its just safer.

I'd have it exude, rather than squirt, for that very reason. More than a droplet, but not a stream, either.

 

[dim&shell]

Thanks for this - very useful

 

[Stitchex]

Dang- I wished I knew this when I had to get my Dwarf Sungazer calcium from a syringe(i bought her like that without knowing:thumbsdown Thanks! I don't think it's common knowledge.