Automatic feeders for geckos?

dberger · #1 11-25-2009, 04:25 PM

Hello,

just out of curiosity - are there automatic feeders that can be used to feed (day) geckos? I saw some automatic feeder machines for fish tanks, but those work with dry food only. Probably automatic feeding wouldn't be a good idea with live food like crickets, but for example with Repashy it should be possible? With something like an automatic soap dispenser? Does anyone of you use such a device?
Thing is, I would really like to get a day gecko, but I can't guarantee that I won't be away from time to time for a week or two. Having the little guy fed automatically for that time would be the easiest solution. Otherwise I would have to ask a friend to care for him every time, and I might have to transport the viv as well...

- Daniel

MauricesExoticPets · #2 11-29-2009, 10:45 AM

I suggest that you look into feeding things like house flies in the days you are away, pupae are available as well as larva (maggots).

The pupae and larva can be placed in the enclosure in such a way that you have several days worth of feedings.

Roaches might work to your advantage as well, a bit of food and a roach or two in each bin of an automatic fish feeder might be made to work. Seems like there would be a lot of complications to making it work well if at all.

Maurice Pudlo

OffshoreMetal · #3 11-29-2009, 12:34 PM

Crickets could work. I would wimply put some gel water and food with the crickets and put a dish where they will fall at feeding time. So you wont have a mess when you come back :P Didnt tried this i already tought doing so.

JeffG · #4 11-30-2009, 07:43 AM

I guess the biggest concern with having crickets thrown in there unsupervised would be the unlikely but possible chance that they wont be eaten and could stress out/injure some of the geckos.

OffshoreMetal · #5 11-30-2009, 09:01 AM

If the Gecko can eat crickets from a dish , Theres no problem if the crickets cant escape.
Mealworms could also work really well since they cannot jump or climb.

JeffG · #6 11-30-2009, 09:29 AM

Definitely. Maybe take a look at the feeder dishes superior enterprises offers?

MauricesExoticPets · #7 12-03-2009, 08:03 AM

Those feeder dishes are pretty nice.

My issue with free range crickets is that they are mainly active at night.

Mealworms wouldn't do so hot for 2 weeks in any dish without food enough to cover them.

Those feeder dishes and any non climbing roach would work very well, though I'd likely want to use more than just one so the roaches aren't crowded all in one.

Maurice Pudlo