Using auto feeder worm bowls.

[Dimidiata]

Hi all, i haven't been around in a few months so sorry for just dropping in like this but I had a quick question of sorts.

I went ahead and got my leo one of those lipped feeder bowls today that keep the worms in. I feed supers so I had to find one tall enough to hold em. The issue is that she is kinda spoiled for tong feeding. I use to just drop feed her until I went on vacation for a month and my mother decided that she should tong feed her every day twice. Needless to say I came home to a spoiled fat gecko. She became a stickler for tong feeding and will often let dropped food crawl away.

My question is what do you think the best method for training her to the bowl would be. I tried dangling a worm over it already and she wouldn't go near it. I'm not opposed to starving her out though either. Hopefully she'll just wonder across it during the night and enjoy.

Also, I use Cal+ for her, i have noticed that feeders dusted in the stuff have a short life span. Should I just sprinkle it in the bottom of the bowl or offer her a separate container? She has never been one for licking calcium.

 

[Dimidiata]

Bump

 

[DrCarrotTail]

My guess would be your fat gecko is on a diet of sorts and isn't motivated enough to hunt. I wouldn't worry about tong feeding if she's overweight. Let her fast until she's hungry enough to get some exercise! haha. I dust all my insects with Reashy Calcium Plus and leave a bit of vionate in the bowl with them. The vionate is grain based so the insects will eat it and be semi-gutloaded. I don't leave insects in their bowls more than 48 hours - I switch them with new and more active ones if they haven't been eaten. I don't generally give all geckos calcium, just the ones with a need for it like breeding females or young babies.

 

[Dimidiata]

My guess would be your fat gecko is on a diet of sorts and isn't motivated enough to hunt. I wouldn't worry about tong feeding if she's overweight. Let her fast until she's hungry enough to get some exercise! haha. I dust all my insects with Reashy Calcium Plus and leave a bit of vionate in the bowl with them. The vionate is grain based so the insects will eat it and be semi-gutloaded. I don't leave insects in their bowls more than 48 hours - I switch them with new and more active ones if they haven't been eaten. I don't generally give all geckos calcium, just the ones with a need for it like breeding females or young babies.

i think we had a miscommunication of sorts. I already dieted her a while ago. She's been tong feeding for a year or so now and her weight is back on track as is her feeding. Cal+ is the only supps she gets. My issue is simply convincing her that the bowl is an acceptable form of feeding.