Missed feeder

[jb_quijano]

Hello,

I'm pretty much new in this hobby. I have a 2 month old gecko and everytime I feed her with roaches, her first attempt to strike always miss and her mouth ends up hitting the floor of the enclosure.

Is this normal for a young gecko and will this have an adverse effect in her mouth?

Thanks!

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

Do you think maybe the roaches are too fast? Maybe you should try hand feeding her.

 

[jb_quijano]

I always make it a point to disable the feeders. Could it be an eye problem? or She's just excited to eat? I'm also worried about her appetite, she can only consume 2 lateralis a night. I don't use heat mats since im in the philippines, pretty warm country.

 

[hockeysprinkles]

Sometimes an animal or reptile is just not a good hunter in nature they would die its called natural selection/only the strongest and fittest survive. But seeing as she is only 2 months old I wouldn't be too concerned I have had Leos who are were really poor hunters at first then got better as they aged and I have had some who never fully learned. If you find as she gets older she still isn't catching food then try using you fingers to give it to her or use tweezers. They make feeding tongs but there expensive and since you won't be feeding huge insects you don't need them. I don't know about where you live but here in the states you can buy tweezers for a dollar. As for heating even though your climate is warm you need to provide a temperature gradient so your Leo can thermo regulate (control its body temperature) since it is warm where you live I would invest in a ceramic light dome and a heat/basking bulb and a nocturnal red heat bulb to put on one side the cage. Put a thermometer on the side with a light and the side without it to monitor the temperature inside as a general rule you basking area should be 88-95 Fahrenheit and the unheated side in the low to mid 80s. At night your hottest spot should drop to the mid 70's Fahrenheit.

 

[jb_quijano]

I guess she has an enigma syndrome. I forgot to mention that before. After reading some forums and watching video clips of specimens suffering from this disorder, I guess it's safe to say that it's the reason why. I probably won't breed her and just keep her as a regular pet.

 

[mudskipper]

My albino girl has a terrible eye sight during the day or when lights are on. She seems to be able to see better when I give her dubias (with rubber tipped tongs) at the mouth of her cave, but not when she's outside. She has no problem eating the mealworms in the dish at night though.

If you flip the dubia upside down, it won't be able to run. You can also crush it a little. It's a pain trying to cut off the legs with scissors. I'm also too creeped out to pull the legs off with my fingers.

If you're going to be feeding dubias with tongs, tap the tank with the tongs every time right before you feed her the dubias. Eventually, she'll make the connection and know to look for a dubia when she hears the tapping or seeing the tongs.