Picky Eater...

[crestedgeckogirly]

Hey everyone. I'm a newbie to this Leo world...

...that being said, right now I have 1.3, and of those 1.2 eat WONDERFULLY. I mean, they could honestly eat me out of house and home if I let them. Those three are gaining weight nicely.

Then there's the one female problem child. I've tried crickets and mealworms w/her...both of which are loved by my other leos.

I never see her eat. I know she must be eating something b/c she's no smaller than when I first got her in January, but she hasn't gained a bit of weight, and her tail is skinny compared to my other geckos.

What can I do to stimulate her appetite? I've tried keeping her by herself, as well as with my other young female that's about the same size (actually a little smaller), but neither seems to improve her appetite.

She's getting a heat lamp and a moist hide, just like my other leos...is there another food I should give a try? I would have just expected her to be at breeding weight by this point.

I've included a couple pics. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks guys!

Oh, btw, I am getting ready to get some Phoenix Worms in...not sure if anyone has had better luck w/those or not.

-Andrea

 

[crestedgeckogirly]

Oh, btw, she's weighing in at 26.9 grams and is about a year old (I don't know her exact age).

Thanks!!

-Andrea

 

[Grinning Geckos]

Have you had her checked by a vet? She may have parasite problems. She's is way underweight for her age. Are you certain that's how old she really is? Certain stores are notorious for claiming a hatchling is 6 months old.

Due to not knowing if she's eating, she should live alone at all times. If not, you'll never be able to tell if she has eaten, or if it was another leo. When she's alone, count out each worm or cricket, then when you come back, count again to see what's missing. You should keep records to track just how much she's eating.

Trying other foods is a good idea. She may not care for the crickets and mealworms, but she might love superworms, silkworms, or the phoenix worms.

Look at how much your dusting. You need the dusting, but sometimes they don't like the taste of a certain brand (especially the vitamins/minerals). Other times, they may not eat if there is too much dusting. You want it really light, not caked on.

Check your temps. You need a hot spot of 90 - 94 (92-93 ideal) for good appetite stimulation and digestion.

 

[crestedgeckogirly]

Have you had her checked by a vet? She may have parasite problems. She's is way underweight for her age. Are you certain that's how old she really is? Certain stores are notorious for claiming a hatchling is 6 months old.

I have had her since January...at which point she was not much smaller than she is now. The person I bought her from did not tell me her age (got her at a reptile show and the person selling her was not the breeder...my first mistake, I know).

Due to not knowing if she's eating, she should live alone at all times. If not, you'll never be able to tell if she has eaten, or if it was another leo. When she's alone, count out each worm or cricket, then when you come back, count again to see what's missing. You should keep records to track just how much she's eating.

Again, I've had her since January, so she has to be eating something, but I'll move her to her own cage like you suggest.

Look at how much your dusting. You need the dusting, but sometimes they don't like the taste of a certain brand (especially the vitamins/minerals). Other times, they may not eat if there is too much dusting. You want it really light, not caked on.

Since I am feeding mainly mealworms right now I have been offering a small dish of vitamins/minerals seperately, as I was told dusting mealworms wouldn't offer the best results, so this is not affecting taste.

Check your temps. You need a hot spot of 90 - 94 (92-93 ideal) for good appetite stimulation and digestion.

I will double check the hot spot temps...but high 80's to low 90's are normal.



Thanks for the advise. I'll get a fecal done just in case, and I'll try your other suggestions as well. I'll let you know of any progress she makes.

-Andrea

 

[Grinning Geckos]

So long as the hot spot is no lower than 88, you should be ok. I've had the best results at 92.

The stress of living with the other geckos can be enough for some geckos to not feed. Not all females are suited to living with another gecko. Removing her is a great first step.

 

[crestedgeckogirly]

Just wanted to give a quick update.

I double checked basking temps and I was only getting low to mid 80's, so I bought a higher watt...basically a totally different bulb. Now I'm getting 90's in the hot spot.

And, the exciting thing was today, just randomly, I decided to offer her a 'canned' cricket. She never touched live ones, but I was hand feeding my frogs and thought I'd offer her one...

...and guess what? She went NUTS for it!!! She ended up eating 4 of them!! I stopped offering at that, b/c I didn't want her to over eat, but I was sooo excited !!!

I'm going to start offering her these in addition to the meal worms or phoenix worms that I feed normally.

I just thought that was totally awesome. Had to share!

Thanks again for all the advise.

-Andrea

 

[Grinning Geckos]

That's good news! Keep it up, and keep an eye on those temps. I'm sure she'll be catching up to the others before you know it.