Teach the blind to eat?

[RampantReptiles]

As some may already know...
I hatched out a leo about 3 weeks ago that was born with very small eyes in which one does not have an eyelid.
I suspect she is blind since she does not react to prey item movement.
Also I dont see any pupils, just looks like dark black circles.

She is not eating on her own. Ive been feeding her slurry every 3-4 days with much success.
What Im wondering is how do you teach a blind gecko how to eat?

Ive tried holding the mealworm infront of her face so she can see it move and get no reaction. Tried poking her in the mouth/face area with it and still nothing. I dont want to force feed her since she is so small and force feeding isnt good anyways...
She looks healthy, seems to be growing and has a thick little tail for a baby.
Im just at a loss... I guess I could try ripping a mealworm in half and see if she responds to smell?

Any ideas would be great.
Thanks!

 

[ruthie_bee]

Sounds wierd but I had some success with this with one of mine.

Try holding the gek in one hand and stroking under the chin to encourage them to open it, then pop a worm in. They should clamp down and eat as normal.

This is easier with two people, one to handle the gek and one to handle the food.

Hope it goes okay for you

 

[M&I Gecko]

Squeeze out some mealie guts and let her lick it. If that doesnt work you could put her in small container with crickets.

 

[Khrysty]

Sounds wierd but I had some success with this with one of mine.

Try holding the gek in one hand and stroking under the chin to encourage them to open it, then pop a worm in. They should clamp down and eat as normal.

This is easier with two people, one to handle the gek and one to handle the food.

Hope it goes okay for you

That's how I've had to feed some stubborn females this year. I don't consider it force feeding, just hand-feeding with encouragement

As long as you give them a chance to chew and swallow, the worst that happens is your gecko gets a little stressed...which...I figure is an okay consequence when they're getting the nutrition they need.

 

[Alusdra]

I would first try using guts to get her excited, then the 'feeding with encouragement'. Usually if they are hungry, once something is between their jaws they go ahead and swallow it. For the long term, you will probably want to teach her where the food bowl is by feeding her on it, then maybe dropping them down in front of her (so she hears them hit). Perhaps while force feeding her drop a mealie so she learns to associate the sound with food?

That's a tough one, for sure.

 

[RampantReptiles]

I tried the mealworm in half thing, she loved licking the guts but when I tried to slowly sneak it into her mouth... she wouldnt have it.
Some of my geckos do respond to the chin thing and others dont but I will definitely try that.

Thanks for all the advice guys/gals, I will try it and keep ya updated.

 

[RampantReptiles]

grrr
tried the throat thing... that didnt work. So I tried force feeding him but couldnt hold him with one hand and get his mouth open and get the worm in all at once.
I have no one who will help me feed the little guy.

I dont have the patience for this... its pissing me off. He has a dish and there is food in there and if he doesnt want to eat then thats just the way its gonna be.

 

[**SEXYRACER**]

grrr
tried the throat thing... that didnt work. So I tried force feeding him but couldnt hold him with one hand and get his mouth open and get the worm in all at once.
I have no one who will help me feed the little guy.

I dont have the patience for this... its pissing me off. He has a dish and there is food in there and if he doesnt want to eat then thats just the way its gonna be.

LOL!....I feel your frustration....I'm surprised that if you hold the worm in front of him with the guts exposed that he wont just snag it....Good luck with the little guy....

 

[Retribution Reptiles]

Honestly, imagine what kind of life it's going to have being blind. The most humane thing to do with be to cull it unless you find some way of wiring a gecko that is a visually stimulated hunter.

 

[ElapidSVT]

i have to agree. it's the most difficult part of breeding and never easy, but culling is necessary sometimes.

 

[RampantReptiles]

yeah I was thinking about putting it down but I have heard of other people who keep blind geckos and there has to be a way to do it.

I was checking in on the geckos and I think I caught the little guy with his head in the food dish \o/

He had a speck of calcium dust on his head so I think he was trying. I should count how many mealies there are in there and see if any are missing in the next few days.

I hope he learns to do this, he has fought so hard for life so far. *sigh*

 

[RampantReptiles]

yep definitely eating! All 6 worms were gone by this morning. Got him a bigger food dish and put a bunch of worms in there so lets hope he can still figure it out. Im sure it will be fine.

 

[houseape57]

I privately messaged RR that I too have a week old without eyelids , has grown skin over what tiny eyes he had and is totally blind. I use aqua lube twice a day. He eats chicken baby food (with added calcium) real well. I have been giving him .03mls each night. I manage to get him to open his mouth without a hitch, I put him in between my thumb and pointer finger, with my thumb on one side and the syringe in my other hand I pinch lightly together...he opens up and I slowly push his food in. He doesnt seem to mind at all, licks his chops after he is done.
I keep his furniture and dishes in the same spot at all times. I don't know if he is using the h2o dish but his moist hide has alot of condensation so I would assume that he might be drinking the drops from there. I did watch him moving around his hide and what he does is push up against the sides of the tank to find his way around. Each corner either has a dish or a hide so I guess he is doing good. I have him now in a 6 quart, smaller so he learns the basics for now. I will give him my all, I bred his mother, I watched him in the incubator for 43 days, I watched him hatch...he is my responsibility. I know this isn't for everyone and it is time consuming, I want to state that I do not nor would I ever condone anyone for culling such an animal.
Would love to hear if anyone has ever raised a blind baby before.

Kathy

 

[*vIpPiE*]

Hey congrats on him finally eating! Since the little guy is blind, he is going to naturally rely on smell more, therefore I recommend JurassiFruit spray! It's an all natural scented appetite stimulator, for picky eaters. It comes in Banana and Strawberry, here is a link to the website: http://www.jurassipet.com/Products/JurassiFruit.html
Best of luck and don't give up!