Teaching your leo to eat out of a bowl?

[Misstasha]

Does anyone have any good tips for training a juvenile and or an adult how to eat out of a bowl?!?! That would be very helpful! Thank you!

 

[ez2animate]

Oh i know! mine wont eat out of his dish, and i feel bad if i starve him. (dont feed him just put them in a bowl). Well today he was sticking his head out of his warm hide, so i put some mealworms in his dish (i have a steep one(big sides)) and he doesnt really look in there, so i tilted it and he saw the worms, and i put it back flat. He lifts his head and looks inside, put one foot on the dish and gave up. Man i was so disappointed in him...

 

[GeckoNub]

I have the same problem with mine

They refuse to eat out of the dishes and have gone a few days without food rather than eat outta em, so i cave in and feed em by hand

Getting tiles when the fella gets paid next so will be trying to leave the dishes in again, pain in the butt atm as i use paper towel and sometimes the worms get out of the smaller dish and go hiding under the paper. I think she has eaten but nope, it just got away

 

[LizMarie]

Clear dishes seem to work pretty well for me since she can see them moving in there are a few steps back. If you don't have a clear dish try to show her that mealies are there. Take a worm with a pair of tweezers/Tongs/etc. and dangle it over your leo to get his/her attention and when he/she is close enough drop the worm into the bowl and he/she should follow and eat it. That's worked for me but some leos are just plain stubborn.

 

[stellascura420]

One of mine will eat out of any kind of dish, but the other one won't eat anything unless I hold it for him or drop it right infront of his face... rotten leo lol.

 

[STUTFL]

I've never tried a dish, exactly, but I'm pretty sure mine will eat mealies no matter *where* they are, so long as he's eaten one moving one first to get into "hunt mode" :laugh4: In fact, he'll start giving different-colored spots on the rocks that "look" - "if you show any sign of life, I am going to destroy you" :tongue3:

If he can't find where I've dropped them (there's a big clay saucer where I usually put them, since they can't get out of it), I'll snap my fingers, tap my fingers on the ground near the mealie, or make "dropping" motions so he gets all excited and runs up. He looks at my hand, and when he sees there's nothing there he (eventually) figures out to crawl up and look over the rim. And then he is very happy. :laugh4:

Then again, I usually let him initiate "feeding time" when it comes to the mealies. Not sure what he'd do if he weren't really hungry or if they were in there all day.

 

[Chewbecca]

My hatchlings were given their food in a bowl from day 1.
Believe me, if they get hungry, they'll FIND that food because they SMELL it.

Even my hunger strike leo figured out the bowl deal.

 

[GeckoTrouble]

I put the bowl so it covers the entrance to the hide (while they are in there). That way normally they notice the mealies when they want to leave

 

[kathleen]

You may need a shallower dish if your leo is climbing the side to see inside,. My guys are
lazy eaters and dont want to work.

 

[SDahmer]

I used to put a piece of slate or a rock right next to the bowl so that my leos wouldn't have to reach over the sides.

 

[daleo]

man im glad all my leos have not had a problem with bowls! lol they all eat fine too. my adult female Ruby gets fed by hand because she was my first and she gets mostly supers, but if i put in a bowl with meals in it she eats them just fine too. when they get hungry they will eat, they wont starve them sevles just to make you feel bad! lolol

dale

 

[jaymotzrt]

well what i did it get the meal worm by the head and sqeeze a little so it like wiggles then little it wiggle in front of your gecko like ur ganna hand feed it then move the mealworm in your hand toward the feeding bowl and then drop it in