G. Vittatus not eating. please help.

knightowl71 · #1 06-01-2009, 08:36 PM

I have a 24X24X18 Exo-Terra viv with hides and plants. The G.V. is the only thing in there. He has been in for about 3 weeks now. I have introduced crickets, tried mealworms and even baby food. He doesnt seem to eat anything. I thought he had been eating the crickets but I found them hiding in the top corner of the viv. Is there anything else I can offer him to eat? I have Anoles in another tank and they eat crickets as fast as I put them into the tank. The Gecko doesnt seem to be hungry. He seems pretty healthy and gets plenty of water. I have a bowl plus I mist the tank twice daily. The temp is around 80 and the humidity is between 70 and 80.

Is there anything else I can be doing?

Palor · #2 06-01-2009, 11:12 PM

Try feeding it some feeder roaches. A ceramic bowl with sides deep enough to keep them from climbing out is what I use for my leos. Also I would call the person you bought it from and ask them what it was eating when they had it.

knightowl71 · #3 06-02-2009, 12:07 AM

I got it from a pet store. Where do I find feeder roaches? I dont even like to think about choosing to bring roaches into the house.

thanks
Chris

cliff_f · #4 06-02-2009, 12:17 AM

Feeder roaches are just another food source they are not going to magically make your gecko eat.

First thing I would do is take out all the old crickets. Then just offer one or two per feeding and see if those disappear over night. You could have just been over feeding and it was just not eating one or two of the crickets and then over time it added up to look like a lot. Another thing, make sure after you offer food you are not in the same room with it and just leave it alone to let it eat. Most geckos will not eat at first if you are watching them the whole time. They need time to settle in.

knightowl71 · #5 06-02-2009, 12:42 AM

Thank you.

I actually see four crickets hiding in the top corner of the hab. I will remove them then reintroduce them tomorrow. Since they are nocturnal, is it better if I dont add the crickets until the lights go out at night so they are not running around too long before he decides to hunt?

Is there anything else I should try to feed him or are the crickets the best thing?

Thanks for your help. I will keep you posted on his situation.

Chris

cliff_f · #6 06-02-2009, 12:51 AM

I would just work on getting it to eat anything first. Cricket can be one of the best thing or the worst if you do not properly gutload and hydrate them, that goes for any feeder insect. Only offer one or two crickets every other day. You want to get him a little hungry so he has a stronger feeding response. Just make sure you mist regularly and keep him hydrated. Feeding at night is the best bet and then leave him alone and let him hunt. If he does not eat any take all the crickets out then wait a couple days and try it again.

knightowl71 · #7 06-06-2009, 02:00 AM

I took out the crickets and left them out for a couple of days. He is active once the lights go out. He is climbing around the hab and seems healthy. I have continued to mist twice daily and monitor the temp and humidity. I will introduce a cricket tonight and see if he has eaten it in the morning.

Is it rare for a gecko to go weeks without eating? I am just worried about him and want to make sure I am doing everything I can for him.

Thanks for your help.

Chris

Dyesub Dave · #8 06-06-2009, 07:05 AM

When I first got my pair of Vittatus I was told to only put a few crickets in at a time .... in the evening as they are nocturnal ... as they would get stressed with too many crickets in there. The previous owner had noticed this when feeding them.

I now just throw a handful of crickets in but it seemed to work well at first. Mine also seem to like butterworms so you could try those.

I use a halogen puck light in my enclosure and am not sure what the ambient temp in the enclosure is but I know the puck light makes a hot spot of around 90 deg. F. There's a decent care sheet here if you're looking for one .... White lined gecko care guide - Reptile Forums UK.

You gecko may be eating small amounts of food and you just don't notice. If you could post a few pics of your enclosure others may be able to give more advice.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Dyesub Dave.

knightowl71 · #9 06-08-2009, 01:21 AM

Here is a pic of my habitat. I hope the link works.

Thanks
Chris

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/...8fe3a7.jpg?v=0

Dyesub Dave · #10 06-08-2009, 10:23 AM

Hey Chris,

That looks like a good setup. I would perhaps add a nice thick branch and perhaps a bark curl or piece of cork bark or something. They really like to have good hiding spots. The only other thing that I would say is to make sure the temps are up high enough. Many reptiles slow down their eating when the temps are a bit cooler.

Here is an older pic of my setup. The only difference is that now there is a bamboo pole running the width of the enclosure near the top and the plants have grown in a bit more.

Dyesub Dave.