Still not eating (7 days)

[Kat&Rin]

yah, I think in my first post I suggested trying a bunch of different feeder insects (including waxworms) I gave Rin a waxworm or two a while back but honestly she never seemed interested enough for me to warrant buying them again as a "treat", are they gecko crack? Possibly, but different strokes for different folks and in Rin's case she isn't into them or mealworms unfortunately so back to crickets I go *sigh*. So basically, as has been mentioned before somewhere, you should try with a variety of foods to see if its an illness/disease or just food boredom.
Good luck!!!

 

[Dog Shrink]

So your saying that Steve Sykes doesn't know what he's talking about? I gotta disagree. As long as you have a chunk of carrot or apple in the tank and keep it fresh, your leos shouldn't have any problems with the crickets. Leaving the crickets in the tank is for when your leos are healthy, but haven't eaten in a couple of weeks. I've done it a couple of times and have NEVER had an issue with crickets nibbling on them. as I stated before...try many different food items until they decide they're ready to eat, but don't lose sleep over them not eating.

Like Laney said it generally isn't a good idea and I did also mention in my post " If you DO opt to leave feeders loose in the viv with your herp be sure you leave a nice chunk of food in there for the insects so they don't harass and nibble your leo" if the person DID decide to leave huge live crickets with their leo. BTW if you do gutload with apples make sure to remove the core and seeds. They are poisonous (aresnic comes from apple seeds). I don't care who steven sykes is, and if I feel ANY person is giving wrong advice I will speak up. I've seen "reputable & knowledgeable" breeders in ALL animal fields do/say unethical and unwise things with their animals so taking the word of a "professional" is also just a matter of opinion and no greter than anyone else who has been into herps for a long time with just as much practical experience. Being a breeder doesn't make you GOD know it all of all things leo that should blindly be followed with out completely researching things for one's self...

For the op obviously the choice is yours to do what you will but you have gotten some very good advice from members that have been working with and rehabbing herps for a long time. Hopefully your leo starts eating again soon and you don't have to go to any extreme measures to get him eating again. Knowing a bit more about your set up, temps substrait lighting etc would be extremely helpful to finding out why he isn't eating. If you've been leaving crickets in with your leo on a regular basis he very well could have been harassed by the crickets and now he's just straight put off by feeders but hopefully that isn't the case. Good luck!

 

[rchase54]

I think I may try silkworms if she continues like this. I managed to persuade her to eat a couple of mealies by getting her to lick their guts for a bit. And then the next day, she had a couple on her own. She's pooped normally since then, but after that short feeding period, she stopped again. Anyone know a good place to order silkworms from?

 

[Wild West Reptile]

I don't care who steven sykes is, and if I feel ANY person is giving wrong advice I will speak up.
Being a breeder doesn't make you GOD know it all of all things leo

Wow. Tell us how you really feel. I don't get why people on this site feel the need to push out there chest and beat on it ("your wrong, I'm right!") when others are just trying to help the op. Nobody likes a bully.
Just because YOU feel it's "wrong advice", doesn't make you GOD either. Who are you to say it's wrong? Can you say hypocrite? Maybe you should practice what you preach, as there is more than one way to skin a cat. In extreme cases, it works. Just make sure your not putting those crazy Jamaican crickets that have hugs jaws. Make sure your using domestic crickets. I also suggested silkworms as they are an excellent source of nutrition and they seem to stimulate geckos into eating. I was trying to offer options for rchase to try and get his gecko eating, and I offered things that actually WORKED for me. I am well aware of the "OMG don't leave crickets in the tank" thing. I don't normally do it, but if it's what a highly knowledgable breeder advises me to do, I will try it. Sorry if it upset you so. I would like to think that the users on this fine site don't take every piece of advice to heart, but rather read, digest and then do what they think is best for their geckos.

Oh and btw..... "Steven" Sykes just happens to be the owner of a fairly well respected reptile establishment. You may have heard of it...Geckos etc. His advertisement is right up top there. I'll be sure to let him know how you feel about his methods. LOL!

whatever. peace.

 

[LeoMerlin]

Okay alrighty then people, let's calm down a bit. The entire point of this forum is to offer advice to those who need it. Not to harass one another! I mean seriously, you offer YOUR advice, as will the next person. Don't think you're ABSOLUTELY right because you think you know it all, because you DON'T know it all. Life is a learning experience as I've mentioned before in another thread. You learn as you go, that's what my grandmother's always telling me. It's the truth about everything. You can't always be right, and you're not always going to be wrong.

To the person with the problems of feeding the gecko, if you have your calcium dish, water, and offer food, that's the best that you can do. The gecko will eat when it wants to eat. If you have a new gecko, it takes time for them to settle in. Also if you're giving your gecko crickets, try leaving some small pieces of carrot, that seems to work with my case. I leave some carrot pieces in the mealworm dish as well which will stimulate the worms, and therefore stimulate the gecko. I don't ALWAYS leave carrot pieces in the dish, but occasionally I do. This is something you COULD try, but the choice is yours. Just keep an eye on the gecko, if it completely stops eating after an extended period of time, then I'd start to really worry. But if it's new, just give it some time to settle in. I've read that some geckos will go a week or so without eating, sometimes longer and they do alright. As long as they have their calcium dish. I've heard that is the MAIN thing to make sure they have at ALL times, that and their water, and UTH pad. I am not saying I know everything, this is just something I've noticed, and have tried, and seems to work for ME, so maybe it will work for you.

 

[Wild West Reptile]

I totally agree. It's frustrating when you offer advice and someone tells you that your WRONG and they are RIGHT! Especially on a subject that has so many opinions like how and what to feed. I mean, if your offering several options for someone to try and they have actually worked in the past, you really don't need to be embarrassed by someone pointing out parts of your post just because THEY think it's not right. If people would just relax a bit and realize that we are only trying to help, maybe this wouldn't occur so often. Instead of dissecting someones reply, they should just offer their opinion/option for the op to digest and make a decision on what they think is the best option.

 

[LeoMerlin]

Precisely, another thing that bothers me sometimes when trying to offer advice, is when I get the feeling that people don't read the entire response. That's why I try to make sure to read the entire post or thread before making any comments or offering advice.

 

[rchase54]

No offense, but you guys argue like a bunch of 8 year olds on this forum. I'm just trying to get information to get my frickin gecko to eat again, and you all go off on each other. Thanks

 

[LeoMerlin]

Well if you'll notice, we did help you by offering you plenty of advice. Go back and read what was mentioned to help you.

 

[Yoh4n]

I'm pretty sure they will forgive each other everyone always does.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I never said anyone was wrong or right, I said that I don't care who Sykes is, and unethical advice is given out by "professionals" all the time and I certainly NEVER said my way was right or the best way to go, please don't mis-quote me if you would like to address something that I have stated... THAT is what makes arguements...

For the OP... glad to hear that you were able to pursuade her to eat a few bugs... most of the places you find on line for insect shopping are pretty good, it's just a matter of finding a fair price as they do tend to be quite variable in that and take shipping cost into consideration as well, in some cases that could almost double your price. Obviously one that is closer to you would ease some of the burdon of shipping I would hope. There are a couple bug suppliers mentioned in the sponsors blocks at the top of the forum worth checking out, there is also a review section in the forum that might be worth looking into for more info on reputable bug distributers and people's experiences with them. I've even seen at time psople selling feeder insects on craigs list and ebay even tho they're not suppose to sell live animals on ebay. Also bait shops for fishermen are a good place to look for the unusual types of feeder insects. I've found butter worms and silk worms at our local bait stores on occasion. Phoenix worms are also a good consideration when looking for alternative feeders... from what I've read about them they are very high in calcium almost to the point of not needing additional calcium supplimentation if they're the main feeder insect you use, but that would require a bit more research on your part before doing something that drastic as limiting calcium intake.

Good luck... I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

[rchase54]

Ugh, STILL not eating. She's looking really skinny. I'm waiting for a shipment of silkworms, which hopefully she'll eat.

 

[LeoMerlin]

I hope it works out for you, I am wondering why my little one isn't eating much. The new one I got ate A SMALL cricket yesterday since it's so tiny, but today won't touch a thing. I also have a few small mealworms available, I'm hoping that Artemis will start to eat soon. Hope things get better for your little one as well!