More questions.. regarding mealworms & my gecko not eating.

[KYUI]

Okay so I wrote a thread before about how my gecko was not eating after she came to my house. This gecko is an adult and she was fed on mealworms.

She used to eat them but on small amounts, like 2-3 worms a day.

Now she wont touch them.

There are few changes that I've made to the house:
I took out the sand and put paper towels.
I put a moist hide in there.

I was wondering if those changes were affecting her? She shed when she was here (YES!). Does that have anything to do with it?

Someone suggested me to contact the person I got her from. Hes not replying back to me and it's been weeks so I'm guessing he won't be. I did see worms lying around in the sand when I first got her.. should I just get back to sand and leave the mealworms there? I don't think she ate out of a dish. Could I teach her to?

Also, I came home today and found my mealworms dead. I think it's the moisture issue. I'm confused on how to take care of mealworms. I'm not putting them in the freezer because I want them gutloaded and I only buy 50 a pack so it should go out pretty quickly if she eats the amount that she's supposed to.

I had them in fluker's cricket food thing. It looks grainy? Is it possible that they suffocated? Should I use a different one?
And do I give them moisture? Like what kind? I heard apples so I'll go get them today.

Thanks guys. I'm really sad for my gecko
I dont want to do something thats bothering her. and she must be HUNGRY!

 

[acpart]

Eating: I don't know how long you've had her but geckos often don't eat for awhile after a move to a new place. The last new gecko I bought didn't eat or poop for 2 weeks after he arrived. You've also changed her tank around, and it seems as if the changes are for the better; she just may need some time to get used to them.

You could keep a dish of mealworms in the cage and eventually she may eat them. If you can, you could try crickets or superworms. One gecko I bought came from a breeder who feeds only crickets and he's the only adult who won't touch crickets. So she may be ready for a change.

I'm not clear where you're keeping your mealworms. Do you mean that you put them in a jar of Flukers cricket food? If you did that and then put the lid on, they may have suffocated. The best thing to do is to get one of those small faunariums or cricket keepers. These are the plastic containers that are about 6" long and 3" wide with the brightly colored plastic tops and the little clear plastic window on top that you can open. They are less than $7 (maybe even less than $5) at the petstore. Put about 1/2" of cricket food in there, add the mealworms and a slice of carrot or apple. That should work really well.

Aliza

 

[GeckoGathering]

To Eat Or Not To Eat

Okay so I wrote a thread before about how my gecko was not eating after she came to my house. This gecko is an adult and she was fed on meal worms.

No on Return to Sand...If Shedding, may not eat...
Need belly heat to make an appetite...
Never put worms in the Freezer if you want them to wiggle...
Open top worm raising container best(but deep enough)
a couple inches of grain(bran,oats,Layer Hen Crumbles,etc.)
.. add carrot, orange peel, potato, apple, etc. for moisture...........
whatever you choose put the skin side down and
lay it on top of the grain.
(pineapple, apple, banana cause Fruit Flies)
(Skin down drys better, best to try to avoid mold
and starting of grain mites)..........take care.HJ

 

[nats]

No on Return to Sand...If Shedding, may not eat...
Need belly heat to make an appetite...
Never put worms in the Freezer if you want them to wiggle...
Open top worm raising container best(but deep enough)
a couple inches of grain(bran,oats,Layer Hen Crumbles,etc.)
.. add carrot, orange peel, potato, apple, etc. for moisture...........
whatever you choose put the skin side down and
lay it on top of the grain.
(pineapple, apple, banana cause Fruit Flies)
(Skin down drys better, best to try to avoid mold
and starting of grain mites)..........take care.HJ

I use potato slices and cant always put the skin side down. Except for the first slice!
I hate the way the grain under it gets all funky!!

Do you think I could put little pieces of wax paper under the slices?
Or would the mealies just eat through the paper?

 

[moosassah]

They'll probably eat the paper. Slice the potatoes thinner & they'll eat them before they can do too much damage.

I keep my mealies in butter tubs or foil pans with no lid. When I peel carrot I throw the skins in. They're always gone by the next morning.

My guess is your new leo is simply stressed out by all the changes. You've made wise choices, so don't go backwards. She does have an under the tank heater right? I'd try buying just a few crickets, dust them with calcium powder & see if she'll go for them. Other than that you need to be patient & keep an eye on her weight & poop. If the weight drops too much or if her poop isn't solid get her to a herp vet to make sure she's OK internally.

 

[LeapinLizards]

I'm willing to bet they would eat the wax paper, as I KNOW they will eat newspaper!

 

[rcobourn]

I'm willing to bet they would eat the wax paper, as I KNOW they will eat newspaper!

They will definitely eat holes in wax paper.

I use those little ceramic saucers, intended for tiny flower pots. I use one for any moist food item, and one with water gell, in each mealie drawer. They run like 39 cents a piece at Walmart (note: in garden center, which may be non-existent until after the holidays), a bit more at Michaels.

One downside is that sometimes the dish will sink into the substrate as mealworms or beetles excavate underneath it. A bit of moisture does seep through them I think because larvae will tend to congregate underneath. Superworms absolutely love to hide under these things.

The same dishes are great for feeding pinhead to juvie crickets. They have plenty of texture so the pinheads have no trouble getting in and out of the dish.

 

[KYUI]

Yeah I have undertank heater but she's usually on the colder side.

She also hasn't pooped since she got to my place. All the worms (the small amount of the ones she ate) hasnt come out as poo yet. So I worried about that too. They say it's because she's not eating much and doesn't have anything to digest.

Im going to buy more mealies and set up the tank.
i have the cricket keeper so I keep them in there. I bought it for crickets originally but she won't eat them so i switched it to using it for mealies.

Thanks guys.

 

[GeckoGathering]

Skinning A Potatoe 101

I use potato slices and cant always put the skin side down. Except for the first slice!
I hate the way the grain under it gets all funky!!

Do you think I could put little pieces of wax paper under the slices?
Or would the mealies just eat through the paper?

Small new or red potatoes can be used cut in half.
Skin side down on top of Grain.........
Check my post on Grain Mites in Your Meal Worms and see
the importance of not getting small grains wet.
Meal worms seem to eat paper, wax paper, carpet, and about every thing
I have tested except coffee and almonds.. ....
And maybe they just didn't like my brand......
....Test showed favorites and least problems with:
(problems being mold or fruit flies or in some cases not eating)
......(1) Orange Peels (2) Carrots (3) Corn Husks

Take Care..........HJ

 

[nats]

Small new or red potatoes can be used cut in half.
Skin side down on top of Grain.........
Check my post on Grain Mites in Your Meal Worms and see
the importance of not getting small grains wet.
Meal worms seem to eat paper, wax paper, carpet, and about every thing
I have tested except coffee and almonds.. ....
And maybe they just didn't like my brand......
....Test showed favorites and least problems with:
(problems being mold or fruit flies or in some cases not eating)
......(1) Orange Peels (2) Carrots (3) Corn Husks

Take Care..........HJ

Yep, thats what I hate, when the grain gets wet and starts to mold.
I do take the lids off for air circulation, but I have to cover at night due
to mice that get in the house this time of year.

So I guess when I go shopping, I will pick up some small spuds!!

 

[RepGurl]

I use carrots and I havent had any problems with them at all. The mealies LOVE them and I have never seen any mold at all.

 

[voretaq7]

I use carrots and I havent had any problems with them at all. The mealies LOVE them and I have never seen any mold at all.

Ditto on the carrots - they're my main source of moisture for the mealies.
When I get a new batch I slice an apple in half and bury it in some grain (skin-down), then dump the new mealies into the bin. Usually 24 hours later the apple is gone and the mealies go into the refrigerator.

They come out every week to eat (they get carrots then), and I keep a small container of mealies that I feed from which also has carrots, potato, etc - whatever I have around that they'll eat - I've been doing that for years for my fish and no problems so far with mold.