The Ovulation Hunger Strikes

[Chewbecca]

Is there any way to avoid them? Or to get through them without females losing weight and looking like CRAP?
I mean, minus breeding them, of course?

Seriously, this is the second ovulation hunger strike female I've dealt with this year, and I don't think it's going to get any easier the more times I go through this with any of my females.

But is there a secret to making this either NOT happen or to make it easier on them?

My poor Joplin has been ovulating for a bit now, and she ate last week (THANK GOD), but she has yet to touch any of the mealies I've put down for her 2-3 days ago.
She's not in danger of dying, but she has lost weight, and looks like crap when I compare her now to the Joplin she is when she's NOT ovulating.
She's healthy, alert, and looks up and sticks her head out of her hide when I open her enclosure, she's just ovulating and on a hunger strike.

My 8 year old normal females NEVER went through this.
I don't get it.

Any suggestions? It KILLS me to see them not eat and to see them lose weight.
Cotten just got through this in June sometime and is now eating well.
Now it's Joplin's turn to ovulate.

UGH.
I HATE this.

 

[prettyprincess3690]

Yep, sounds like my older girl right now, and it's SUCH a pain! She's such a huge eater, and it drives me nuts when she just randomly stops, I always worry, even though I know what the issue is SO annoying!

So far Tinkerbell hasn't lost any weight (nothing visible at least, I'll have to weigh her tomorrow), but if anyone has any suggestions to make it easier on them, I'd also love to hear

 

[cocogecko]

My almost 3 year normal leo(female) just suddenly stopped eating and losing weight..will it kill her ?:main_no:

 

[Kristi23]

That has to be the most frustrating thing with having females. Not all of mine will stop, but I have a few who will go off food completely during that time. You can try upping the temps a bit and see if that will help. I tried and it didn't work for me, but I know it's worked for others.

 

[Chewbecca]

That has to be the most frustrating thing with having females. Not all of mine will stop, but I have a few who will go off food completely during that time. You can try upping the temps a bit and see if that will help. I tried and it didn't work for me, but I know it's worked for others.

I'd LOVE to up the temps, but unfortunately my heat tape is already maxed out.
I was able to help raise temps when Cotten was ovulating because I still had my breeder's cage up, so I sat her enclosure on top of that and let the ceramic heat emitter just beat down on the warm side of her enclosure.
But I don't think it helped. What helped for Cotten was just to put her on the rack and leave her alone.
And that's what I've been trying with Joplin.

I'm HOPING it comes to an end soon.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Our hunger strikes were terrible this year! I'm glad to say that it did finally end after what seemed like forever. There's just not a whole lot you can do other than offering different food items to try and spark interest. Crickets are usually more appealing than mealworms so you might try that if you haven't already.

 

[Palor]

I found offering different foods worked for my girls. I just worked through crickets, roaches, mealworms, superworms, silkworms and phoenix worms till I found something each leo would eat when on a hunger strike.

 

[acpart]

I went through 3 months of it with a gecko I got in APril. She has finally stopped ovulating and is eating. She didn't lose much weight, just didn't gain any. During that period, every other day or so I would hold her and push a cricket at her mouth. Occasionally she would eat one and I think that may have reduced the weight loss. Now she's getting fat and happy and next year when this happens she will breed.

Aliza