Your Gecko Won't Eat Video Tips 101

[GeckoGathering]

Your Geckos Not Eating.....
We've all been there.
Some Vid. tips to get them back on track.
Take care. HJ
[YT]RiWXlPgikeo[/YT]

 

[Adinar]

HJ, you make it look so easy. Thanks for the video, I'm sure that'll help alot of people out!

 

[TripleALeos]

Thanks for the vid... Love the office/ "crapper" lol

 

[Eric1969]

I couldnt see a video, just a white box screen....

 

[blackadder]

Great video.... Very informative...Thank you

 

[NRG]

HJ this is great! I have seen and tried other methods but they have never worked. This worked first time on my female and she ate five small dubia's.

Thank you

 

[Clams]

Awesome video, bro. Thanks for posting it.

 

[GeckoGathering]

no vid?

I couldnt see a video, just a white box screen....

Not sure why Eric.
Try this link to the tube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiWXlPgikeo

 

[Designer Geckos]

That was great! Cool video...you should have your own TV show! You should email this clip to SNL. :main_laugh:

The same sort of method works well for administering meds etc. to a gecko loaded in a syringe. Hold the gecko in the same position and slowly slide the tip of the syringe back and forth across the mouth jawline....when the geckos opens up you place the tip of the syringe into the mouth and gently push the plunger. After dosing, hold the gecko in that position for a while and stroke under its chin to be sure it has swallowed. Works great.

 

[GeckoGathering]

Your's Won't Eat

That was great! Cool video...you should have your own TV show! You should email this clip to SNL. :main_laugh:

The same sort of method works well for administering meds etc. to a gecko loaded in a syringe. Hold the gecko in the same position and slowly slide the tip of the syringe back and forth across the mouth jawline....when the geckos opens up you place the tip of the syringe into the mouth and gently push the plunger. After dosing, hold the gecko in that position for a while and stroke under its chin to be sure it has swallowed. Works great.

Hey Ray....Great post and well described.
That's the way I do the "appetite pick me upper"
prior to a force feeding.
I screwed up and didn't get it videoed......
but I did photo the products......
Check out products I found that work well
in thread......[Gecko Wont Eat.. Products that work]
I think we should get your words on a thread for
more people to see.
Thanks and you take care. HJ
Trying to get on Letterman, feeding an alligator
the same way. LOL..

 

[Taquiq]

I'm definitely gonna save this thread. Thanks for showing us!!!

 

[Clams]

Hey, is it best to bathe them before, during or after they are about to shed?

 

[M_surinamensis]

Unless it's part of a series of videos, as-is, it's kind of negligent. Inadvertently I assume, but negligent all the same.

It's a nice visual on the how but it doesn't address when or why.

Anorexia in reptiles is a symptom, it indicates an underlying problem, some issue that needs to be identified and addressed. Force feeding (the method shown is more of a defensive tease feeding than a force feeding) without fixing the actual problem that made them go off food to begin with is at best a stopgap measure and at worst it can be potentially dangerous to the animal.

A demonstration of a method for tease feeding should be accompanied by a detailed discussion about potential causes for a refusal to eat and a detailed discussion on the subject of when assisted feeding is an appropriate step. It is irresponsible to present instructions for a method of assist feeding without including those related subjects. Diagnosis of the actual problem needs to come before the treatment of a long term, non-acute symptom.

 

[IronGecko]

Boo hoo! It was a great video.

 

[Taquiq]

Boo hoo! It was a great video.

:main_yes:

 

[M_surinamensis]

Boo hoo! It was a great video.

It was a video that was almost adequate, not great.

When someone voluntarily assumes the role of a public educator, they have a responsibility to do it well. The video would make a perfectly appropriate segment in a longer piece or in a series. By itself, it fails to meet the standards that it should because it is dangerously incomplete.

 

[GeckoGathering]

Gecko Won't Eat

Unless it's part of a series of videos, as-is, it's kind of negligent. Inadvertently I assume, but negligent all the same.

It's a nice visual on the how but it doesn't address when or why.

Anorexia in reptiles is a symptom, it indicates an underlying problem, some issue that needs to be identified and addressed. Force feeding (the method shown is more of a defensive tease feeding than a force feeding) without fixing the actual problem that made them go off food to begin with is at best a stopgap measure and at worst it can be potentially dangerous to the animal.

A demonstration of a method for tease feeding should be accompanied by a detailed discussion about potential causes for a refusal to eat and a detailed discussion on the subject of when assisted feeding is an appropriate step. It is irresponsible to present instructions for a method of assist feeding without including those related subjects. Diagnosis of the actual problem needs to come before the treatment of a long term, non-acute symptom.

LOL, I think we met before, under about the same
conditions.
No, I'm not a public educator, nor do I sit back and
hold information on my hobby from others in need.
No, I don't run to the Vet. to get a diagnosis for
geckos not eating as I'm pretty sure most hobbyists
know the public educated Vet costs plenty for his/her
limited knowledge of our pets.
After the first three gecko visits to the Vet for a
diagnosis, resulting in three gecko deaths,
I have observed for five years with the hobby.
My main experience with non eating geckos is
the majority are caused from stress related factors.
My reasoning is to get it on track eating to control
the major dangers. Dehydration and Starvation.
And it seems to be working here as I have never
lost a gecko that has gone off food.
These kind of results I feel are worthy
to pass on to my fellow hobbyists in
what ever manner I choose.
And as I read the posts most seem
to show a appreciation for my sharing,
in the manner I choose.
Take care. I look forward to hearing from you
some day on a thread that meets your approval.
But if not , that's ******* life.
[as Will Rogers once said :]
"Opinions are the cheapest commodity in the world"

 

[M_surinamensis]

LOL, I think we met before, under about the same conditions.

Probably not a pattern you should be proud of.

No, I'm not a public educator

You become one when you create and post a video like this for public consumption. You are standing up and saying "Here is some information, learn from it." which is great... provided it's accurate and thorough.

You're about halfway there with this attempt. Good effort but ultimately insufficient for meeting the responsibilities you assumed when you decided to step into that role.

nor do I sit back and
hold information on my hobby from others in need.

There's a difference between active and reactive education. If you are reactive then you can tailor your response to the individual and cut out unrelated topics, streamline things and retain accuracy. When supplying general information- as you were doing in this video, it's irresponsible to provide incomplete or situationally accurate/inaccurate information.

No, I don't run to the Vet. to get a diagnosis for
geckos not eating as I'm pretty sure most hobbyists
know the public educated Vet costs plenty for his/her
limited knowledge of our pets.
After the first three gecko visits to the Vet for a
diagnosis, resulting in three gecko deaths,
I have observed for five years with the hobby.

First of all, I did not say a vet was necessary. I said that a diagnosis was necessary before making the decision to go ahead and put food into the animal that they aren't taking normally and voluntarily. If someone is capable of fully assessing the situation and reaching that diagnosis without a vet due to education and experience then that is their call- although someone who has that capability does not need your video. The sort of person who would need your video, who would need that information is a person who needs a vet to diagnose their animals.

Are you suggesting that people avoid the vet when their animal is displaying a symptom like anorexia? That they should not identify and address the underlying cause and should simply respond to that obvious symptom?

If you are, implying that then nevermind "negligent" you are outright misleading the public in a manner that is directly harmful to their animals.

My main experience with non eating geckos is
the majority are caused from stress related factors.

And the minority which will experience negative effects from having food shoved in them while they have a persistent condition which is causing them to refuse it? Just what percentage of cases would it require for you to do the responsible thing and address the topic while you run around pretending to be Philip DeVosJolie on YouTube? Ten percent? Thirty? More?

My reasoning is to get it on track eating to control
the major dangers. Dehydration and Starvation.

Those are dangers which can potentially have negative health effects if the animal is off food (and water) for an extended period of time, over which the owner can easily observe the progression of the problems as weight loss occurs. They are predictable and they are slow.

When a gecko is not eating due to; impaction, improper environmental conditions, a parasite load or injury and you put food in them that they aren't voluntarily taking, you risk an acute and immediately life threatening issue as a direct complication of that decision. It is possible to kill a gecko faster by feeding it if the reason it has started refusing food is not understood and corrected first.

And it seems to be working here as I have never
lost a gecko that has gone off food.

Just how statistically significant are your experiences? How many geckos have you kept in total over what period of time and how many have become anorexic? If it's a small number then your experiences lack sufficient substantiation as data and are meaningless. If it's a large number then you've got a bigger problem with your husbandry that's causing your geckos to regularly refuse food and are in no position to be giving out advice since your own house is out of order. Kind of damned if you do and damned if you don't.

These kind of results I feel are worthy
to pass on to my fellow hobbyists in
what ever manner I choose.

Any responsible manner you choose.

Spreading misinformation, incomplete information, inaccurate information- these are terrible things. You can do them if you want to but you should not be surprised when someone else steps up to correct you, for the good of the general public who may not have the experience or education to spot the flaws and problems with your halfway measures.

And as I read the posts most seem
to show a appreciation for my sharing,
in the manner I choose.

Many people lack the knowledge necessary to see your half-accurate and incomplete information for what it actually is. They thank you because it is more than what they knew before- but is still far less than they should have been given. The accolades of the ignorant are not something you should take pride in. You should strive for something that other, better educated, knowledgeable and experienced people look at and approve of as accurate and thorough. It'll still serve as an educational tool for those who don't know any better, except after they have gone through it they will have a complete education, instead of this tiny nugget that is potentially wrong without context.

Take care. I look forward to hearing from you
some day on a thread that meets your approval.

Create one and you will.

You almost had it on this one, all it would have taken was the when and why in addition to the how. Telling people how to do things like assist feed without also telling them when it is appropriate to do so and when it is not is like teaching someone to drive a car without teaching them any of the traffic laws. It gives them a greater capacity for harm than anything else.

[as Will Rogers once said :]
"Opinions are the cheapest commodity in the world"

Informed opinions apparently slightly less so.

 

[Erotik]

I tried this today, but I couldn't get my Male gecko to open up wider than a lick. Any suggestions?

 

[GeckoGathering]

Your's Won't Eat

I tried this today, but I couldn't get my Male gecko to open up wider than a lick. Any suggestions?

Check your PM​