Question (how long can they go without eating?)
- Thread starter KatieG
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When I kept AFT's they did sometimes go on hunger strikes. I had a leopard gecko who sometimes went without eating for 6 months! Usually November to May. He would lose 20 grams and then regain it in the summer. I had him for 12 years. Currently I have a very chunky female leopard gecko who often goes 3 months without eating.
Aliza
Aliza
Herpin Man
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In the winter, adult fat tails commonly stop eating. Young ones generally continue to eat well. However, occasionally they will stop eating at other times of the year. A common reason is not being kept warm enough. What is the temperature inside the hide box?
Another common reason is that they are simply full. Meaning, if your gecko is normally fed heavily, maybe approaching obesity, it may just be taking a break.
Another common reason is that they are simply full. Meaning, if your gecko is normally fed heavily, maybe approaching obesity, it may just be taking a break.
Hmmm... He does eat pretty well when he eats. Normally its every 3 to 4 days depending on his mood. Id say hes roughly 9 months old but im not 100% on that. Hes a healthy guy. His hot hide is over the heat mat. While the floor temp is between 90 and 93 degrees f his hot hide stays between 83 and 87 degrees f. His cool hide is 70° f. He goes back and forth between those 2 hides even though hes got a few to choose from.
6 months??? Wow!!
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It was very frustrating. I'd get to the point where I'd rub super worm guts on his mouth to get him going.
Aliza
Aliza
I have. Ive tried mealworms superworms horn worms and dubia roaches. He turns his nose up to everything. I just cleaned his tank and hes still got urates and the urates i expected because i know hes drinking water every day but the shocked me a bit considering he hasnt been eating. He looks healthy and happy.
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Did that get him eating again?
I've only had one aft but one thing I do remember was his favorite food item...crickets. I did not experience him going off food, however it may be due to the difference in housing, lighting or what was fed. They are more likely to go off food if the conditions aren't favorable to health. Of course I don't know his history or housing conditions and so just speaking in general.
Drinking water daily always raises a red flag(hydration). I do know based on rehab experience is hydration plays a huge part in appetite. What is the humidity in the enclosure? Humidity hide or burrow humidity if substrate is used? Is the humidity and temperature gauge accurate? I can fill the page with exhausting questions. A picture of the enclosure is worth a thousand words. I'm glad to see he is nicely plump and so cute.
I think im going to go get him some crickets. He was eating them regularly but i phased them out a few months ago which Larry seemed completely fine with but im going to get him some just to see if thats what he wants. His humidity stays at about 53% I thought it was a good thing he was at least still interested in water. He dont drink a bunch but he definitely drinks some every day. He was loving dubia but now hes not interested so I'll try crickets. His tank is 20 long. Hes got tarra sahara substrate from the bio dude. His hot side is 93° and cool side is 71° as im typing this. Hes got a hot/ humid hide a hide on the hot side and a hide thats in between the hot and cool side hes got 2 hides on the cool side. He likes to dig but dont really burrow. He typically stays in the hide thats in the middle of hot and cool sides. Hes got 2 live plants but they are in small bowles out of the substrate.
Hopefully he will eat crickets. If he continues to refuse and you don't want to wait longer....
I would aim for 60% humidity in part of the enclosure towards the warm end. Allow a few hours of dry time(substrate I mean). Don't want fungal problems. The substrate should be at least 4 inches deep. You can create the burrow(higher humidity 85%+)yourself by digging out some substrate and putting a fake hide or slate. Whatever you prefer. Check it using a hydrometer with a probe.
I would aim for 60% humidity in part of the enclosure towards the warm end. Allow a few hours of dry time(substrate I mean). Don't want fungal problems. The substrate should be at least 4 inches deep. You can create the burrow(higher humidity 85%+)yourself by digging out some substrate and putting a fake hide or slate. Whatever you prefer. Check it using a hydrometer with a probe.
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I cant really think of anything thats changed since i brought him home in February.
Last night i got him to eat a super worm pupa. I dusted it in his multivitamin and he licked a bit of calcium off my finger. Im hoping it kick starts his appetite. I also went ahead and ordered crickets as well. I live in rural WV so i order my feeders that im not breeding myself. Somethings gotta give. Dude's gotta be hungry by now.
Was this the last thing fed?
Did you feed him roaches continuously(several feedings in a row)?
Do you use UVB?
What supplement do you dust with and frequency?
Do you use overhead heating or just a heat mat?
I wouldn't force anything while he has plenty of fat in the tail. I know it's frustrating but best to just find the cause by eliminating or adding one thing at a time if he starts losing a noticeable amoung of weight. These are just ideas of what to look over just in case.
I didnt really force it i just held it in front of him. He licked the guts and actually took it. That was it though. I use the repashy multivitamin with d3 and i use herpivite calcium without d3. I just switch them up. I had a shade dweller uvb but he stays hidden through the day so i took it out. Hes got under the tank heat with a thermostat. His tail still looks nice and plump. He seems perfect to me. Just not interested in food much. I havent made drastic changes to his tank and the heat and humidity are the same as when i first brough him home in February. This food strike is just strange. Oh and the dubia... Hes been eating them for a few months. He normally loves them. I switch between those horn super and meal worms too.
Yes your right. Rep cal. I use that and repashy with d3
A week only? It takes more than a week for most to acclimate to any changes. Just because he didn't use it within a week, doesn't mean he never will. I would put his "sun" back. Life can be quite depressing without it.
I've known of situations in which adding UVB bulb drastically increased appetite and activity. Of course it's your choice if you want to rely on D3 supplement instead, just remember how much is safe or necessary is unknown(at your won risk). Are you mixing both multivitamins? I'm just trying to figure out why you use 2.
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