Leaving feeder insects in vivarium?

Jackdarlow1996

New Member
Messages
8
Hello, I've got a baby gargoyle gecko around 3 months. I've had her for a week. She refused to eat anything up until a 3 days ago and she licked a bit of CGD of a twig. I tried feeding her mealworms/crickets and she didn't seem interested and I couldn't get a hang of the tongs because I didn't want to squash them and accidently let a few mealworms drop in her vivarium. I've caught her a few days after eating a mealworm, I guess she'd prefer to hunt rather than hand feed which is ideal but I'm just wondering if it's safe for her if I leave mealworms or crickets in her viv?

Thank you

Jack
 

acpart

Geck-cessories
Staff member
Messages
15,118
Location
Somerville, MA
A lot of care sheets say not to leave feeders in the viv because they'll chew on the gecko. Unless you have a weak gecko, or a huge number of feeders it's most likely not a problem. I've had problems with this in 17 years of gecko keeping only twice: I had a leopard gecko where for some reason I don't understand, the mealworms used to fasten themselves to his tail (no other leopard gecko, just him) so I couldn't leave mealworms in the cage. Crickets were no problem. Also, I was breeding super worms in my gargoyle enclosure until I saw the beetles biting one's tail, so now the beetles are elsewhere.
If you have a substrate it seems difficult to keep the mealworms from burying themselves. I have crickets in all my crestie and gargoyle's enclosure and it's not a problem. Some gargoyles need to be taught that crickets taste good by holding them and poking a cricket in the mouth.

Aliza
 

Samcman

New Member
Messages
22
My crestie will not eat any bugs if I try to feed them to him so I leave meal worm pupates in his food dish so he can eat them and not run the risk of getting bit by them.
 

Jackdarlow1996

New Member
Messages
8
Thank you both, as shes new I don't want to scare her by trying to pick her up. I think if I did succeed then eating would be the last thing on her mind.

I've noticed she did eat some GCD that I spilt on her log so I might make a trail to her food bowl and see if she can find it
 

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