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Is my gecko eating enough?

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Is my gecko eating enough? Empty Is my gecko eating enough?

Post by evilsloth Sun Nov 20, 2011 5:43 pm

Hi, I have two 9 year old Leo's. They have been eating alot, but recently for the last month or so, one started eating only 4-7 crickets per week. Can this be because they are going in to hibernation? She does not seem to be getting skinnier, but I am wondering if she can survive like this. Thanks.

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Post by Mystic Sun Nov 20, 2011 6:29 pm

they might be getting bored with just crickets, you could try mixing it up by adding super worms, dubia roaches, silk worms, phoenix worms, wax worms or butter worms. both wax and better worms are all fat and your leo could get addicted to them so if you do feed them those make sure its only like once or twice a week.
i don't think they go into hibernation unless their tank temps have gotten lower.
what is your tank set up like? what do you use to measure the tank temps?
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Post by kathstew Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:07 am

Can you please fill out this health questionnaire? It will help us in helping you.

Off hand, two reasons your leo may not be eating are bored of crickets or brumation. Filling out the health questionnaire will help us figure this out. Smile

As Mystic said, you can try feeding her different food; phoenix worms, wax worms, mealworms, super worms, dubai roaches, locusts, etc.
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Post by evilsloth Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:34 am

About your leo:
- Sex- Female?
- Age & Weight- 9 Years old (Not sure exactly, just a guess.), don't know what weight.
- Morph (if you know)
- How long have you owned your leo- 4-5 years.
- Where was he/she obtained (Pet store, breeder, wild caught, etc.) Family on Kijiji.
- Is your leo wild caught or captive bred- Captive I think

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo-twice a week.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how- Lately, she has been a little sleepier than normal.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
B) Fecals
- Describe-Do they look any different than normal- Because I have two in the same terrarium, I can't tell, but all the Feces I see is normal looking.
- When was the last time he/she went-don't know, look above.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem/issue you are experiencing and how long it has been going on
One of my Leo's has been eating less lately, only 4-7 crickets per week. She will not hunt the crickets, but will only eat them if they are right in front of her face. I tried hand feeding her but she wouldn't eat the crickets.
Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size- Don't know, bigger than 25 gallon for sure.
- Type (ex. glass tank, screen enclosure, tub kept) Glass tank
- Type of substrate (sand, vinyl tiles, ceramic/stone tiles, etc.)- Stone tiles
- Hides (how many, location and type (hothide, humid hide, regular hide etc.)-2, a hot hide and a regular hide
B) Heating
- What is your main heat source (heat bulbs, under tank heat mat etc) **Please include the brand and size of your UTH if you use one**- UV Heat bulb, Is it ok to leave this on all the time?
- What are your cage temps (hot side and cool side)-85, 79
- Method of regulating your heat source (thermostat, rheostat, light dimmer etc.) Timer.
- What are you using to measure your temps (probe thermometer, infrared lazer tempo gun, stick on temp gauge, etc) Circular Thermometer.
- Do you have any lights (describe type (red,blue, basking etc) and cycle duration)- Uv Light(red), 24/7
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) 1 Female ( 1 other female passed away recently)
- Describe health, or previous problems of cage mates (One got gout from too many vitamins anfd mostly too much vitamin D3, her vet told me to stop feeding them calcium with D3.)

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What are you feeding- Large crickets
- How often are you feeding your gecko and how much per feeding- 2 Times per week, put 15 crickets in and let them eat what they want.
- How are you feeding (hand fed, tongs/tweezers, left in dish, ect)- Leave them in terrarium.
B) Supplements
- What calcium suppliment are you using (please include brand)-Repashy Superfoods SUPERCAL Nod, there is no D3.
- What multi vitimin are you using (please include brand)-FLUKERS Orange Cubes
-How are you implimenting your suppliment program (how often do you dust with each suppliment, do you leave calcium in the tank 24/7 etc.)- I leave a small dish of calcium in the tank 24/7, dust half the crickets every time I feed them (twice a week.)
- What are you gutloading your feeder insects with- FLUKERS Orange cubes.

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Post by evilsloth Mon Nov 21, 2011 1:37 am

Oh, and I don't think the problem is what food they eat. In the past I tried to feed them all different kinds of worms, and they wouldn't go for any, though they used to LOVE silkworms. I will still try this, hopefully because worms are slower they will probably be easier to catch for her.

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Post by kathstew Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:41 am

Ok. I'm thinking your leo could be going into brumation. Your hot side should actually be 88*-95*.
Leos actually get their heat from their bellies. So you need to replace your lamp with an UTH (under tank heater). You also need a probe thermometer that you can stick to the ground, as you need to measure the floor temperature, not the air temperature.
You need to bump up your temps to prevent your leos from going into brumation. Brumation isn't a bad thing, but it isn't really necessary for your leos as you aren't breeding them, and if not done properly can make your leo sick.

Do you know what the other female died from? You may want to separate the two geckos until you know what is wrong with her.

Other than that, I'm not sure. Try the silkworms, it might help. And see if anyone else chimes in with some advice.

Good luck!
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