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crested gecko not feeding

908 views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  josh.magnall 
#1 ·
Hi, I purchased a baby Gecko a couple of weeks back & when I get it out I try & feed it and it has only ever fed once for me. Has anybody any idea's how I can make it eat? It's not being it's usually jumpy self, it seems like it can't be botherd. Also, what do you guy's feed you'rs on?

Thanks, Josh
 
#2 ·
What have you been offering it to eat and what substrate is he on? 2 weeks is not that long really, he might still be settling a bit, some take longer then others to settle into their new surroundings. What has he eaten so far?

I leave a dish of CGD in the setup 24/7 and offer dusted crickets twice a week.
 
#4 ·
As has been said it can take a while to them to settle properly. Leave the CGD in all the time but refresh every two days.

Also what size enclosure is your baby in? Anything too big and he may struggle to find the food.

If you notice any poos then you'll know he's eating something. Babies need very little to fill them up so it may appear that he's not eaten.
 
#8 ·
Don't leave it alone completely :lol2: Make up some repashy or CGD (my gargoyles wont eat the komodo stuff, they only eat repashy). I blend up some strawberries, mango and kiwi (though i do a different mixture every tray i.e swap fruits around like peach, melon, papaya etc) and add 15g of repashy powder (i buy mine already mixed with base and flavour, again, i change the flavour each tray just to keep everything fresh and new for them :)) and blend it all together and put it in an ice cube tray. I use milk bottle tops as food bowls for my girls. I simply take a cube out every 2 days and let it defrost in the bottle top and put it in their vivs on the floor in the darkest place i can find so that they feed safe. I change it every 2 days because it soon goes manky!

I've had my gargs about 3 weeks now and they're still not eating properly but they're getting better :) I have only got them out about 3x since i've had them and that was just to check them and weigh them. I'm going to avoid any handling until they're completely settled.

As has been said, take the bark chips out and put some kitchen roll down then you can easily monitor what your crestie is doing plus its easier to clean out :) Then when hes a bit bigger put some coir/coconut fibre down as this holds humidity better and i'm sure he'll be fine :)
 
#6 ·
I would take out the wood chip to be honest. Babies are best kept on kiitchen paper in a faunarium to start with. It'll be much easier to monitor that way and you'll be able to spot poos really easily. When he is big enough then something like eco earth is best to use as it holds humidity better. Wood chip doesn't and you risk impaction if your baby swallows any.

I don't put mine on any substrate until they are at least 20grams.

I'd also replace the baby food with fresh pureed fruit and use that to mix in your CGD. You can use most fruits except citrus. Mine like melon and mango the best. Just puree it and freeze in ice cube trays. Then you just take out what you need.

Baby food is really not good for crested geckos.

Hopefully once a few things have been changed he'll settle alot quicker for you.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I got a couple of new additions recently, one has not eaten for a couple of weeks and runs away from live food, the other loves the livefood but not the paste, (To get him to eat the paste I dip the cricket in it and feed him with tweezers - an insect lollipop, yum) you just never know what your going to get!

The settling in is important and I know how we worry when they are not noticably feeding, keep an eye out for pooh and keep an eye on the weight, sure everything will be fine.

Just before anyone else asks, when you say woodchip, do you mean beech chip style or orchid bark style?

Look sweetcorn beat me too it!! As above, sound advice, on the substrate issue I use orchid bark on top of eco-earth as a substrate but thats why I tweezer feed insects - to avoid impaction risks.
 
#17 ·
LOL, just because you do something for any length of time, doesn't mean you've been doing it correctly or wrongly.

However despite what ever method used in convince of feeding, freezing is bad enough when the produce is in an air tight container, never mind something that will allow the content direct contact with the produce.
And thats before we address the issue with freezing fruit.
 
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