Gekko vittatus (White Lined) question

[Regan]

Just got my first White Lined gecko and wanted to ask how they feed... Do they actively go hunting, on the prowl? Or are they more "Hey, a cricket just walked in front of my face *CHOMP*" kind of eater?

The reason I ask is that the big all planted vivarium is home to 2 White's Tree Frogs that regularly leave a good portion of their crickets free to roam, and the frogs are definitely "order in" kind of feeders, so after that inital what-where-am-I stage the crickets go through when dumped in a viv wears off, they either die off or hide forever. My hope is that the gecko will round up the strays.

The frogs are already used to having a lizard roomie and no aggression has been seen. The gecko is already too big to be tempting to the frogs. I should've taken a photo of the gecko sitting on top of the leave the male frog was sleeping under... I wonder if the gecko liked the extra padding? So, I know the purists out there are anti-mixing of anything, but I do think it out and ask around. This is a very large very heavily planted and layered viv, so no one's stressin.

So white lined owners, how does yours get his meals?

 

[Gecko Ranch]

Your set-up sounds ok if the G. vittatus has places to hide vertically. Sounds like he will get enough to eat. If he maintains weight or gains if he is a subadult then you have it right! They like crickets and benefit the most metabolically if the crickets are 90-95% of the gecko's head size.

 

[Saille]

I find my White Lined Gex to be rather shy, that is, they'll actively hunt if they don't know they're being watched. I have seen them do both the prowl and hunt, and I've also tong fed mine as well.
As for rounding up stray crickets, I couldn't tell you, because mine took his sweet time catching a very very loud obnoxious chirpy cricket. I mean it took him like 4 days, (and 4 sleepless nights for me) and I couldn't catch the darned thing either, as it was somewhere hiding in his tank. Needless to say, I have switched to roaches and superworms.
THey don't appear to have big appetites anyways, they seem to go through phases. Mine snarfs bunches of food for a few weeks then seem sto go on a hunger strike for a while, so I find them to be sporadic eaters anyways.
Thats been my experience!

 

[Regan]

Thanks!

I totally understand the annoying chirpy cricket sentiment! I had a sound spa alarm clock with different "peaceful" sounds, one being Woodland and it was all crickets :rofl: Maybe peaceful for people who have tossed and turned wishing their geckos would finish their meals!

 

[sardelius]

I bought male and female gekko vittatus 16 days ago and they didn't eat anything. I tried to give them crickets, roaches,meal worms and wax worms. I keap them in 40x50x40 terarium. 28C degrees and 80% humidity + in their terarium is mini waterfall. What should I do for their eating?

 

[Gecko Ranch]

I bought male and female gekko vittatus 16 days ago and they didn't eat anything. I tried to give them crickets, roaches,meal worms and wax worms. I keap them in 40x50x40 terarium. 28C degrees and 80% humidity + in their terarium is mini waterfall. What should I do for their eating?

First, what was the previous owner's conditions and feeding regimen? Adaptation may take longer if your set-up or feeding regimen is a lot different.

 

[sardelius]

I bought them from pet store they was feeded tvice a weak and keaped 30C degrees. that's all I konw.

 

[Gecko Ranch]

I bought them from pet store they was feeded tvice a weak and keaped 30C degrees. that's all I konw.

What was the food? Is it possible to contact them and get more complete information?

 

[Spawn]

Hello Sardelius:
How do you have the geckos set up. It would be easier to offer advice if we knew. The waterfall is a nice touch but they really like their terrarium to be heavily planted. Mine stayed hidden under pothos leaves for long spells before venturing out. The more hiding places they have the more secure they feel. When they feel secure their feeding will begin a short time later.
Besides the usual food of various insects I find that mine will also eat off of a jar top of baby food based nectar like Phelsuma geckos do. This is a great way to offer them vitamins. They don't all eat it but I find that most of mine will try it. I only offer it to them about once every other week, just for variety.
Good Luck with yours. They are great geckos.
Have a Great Day!!!

 

[Sk3d]

They definetly go through phases, however, I had a problem with fake plats. They crickets would hide in them and the geckos could not eat them. I've since switched to all live plants whanging around a banboo set up with larger plants at the bottom, and they eat almost all of them now. It went from finding a substantial amount of dead crickets on the ground to finding one or two now and again. also, if there's a huge temp fluctuation from summer to winter, or you move them after cleaning or switching tanks, they will not eat as much. Hope this helps.

 

[Saille]

I know this sounds crazy, but I have found sometimes geckos that are poor eaters actually will eat better if they're in a smaller enclosure. (I know this is true with my Leachianus and some of my Cresteds, as well as some White Lineds!)
Is it possible to move the picky eater into a smaller viv for a while?
I feed crickets and roaches to my cresties in a separate kritter keeper so I can monitor how much they eat and so they don't end up with crickets in their enclosures biting them and bothering them.
I tong feed my White Lineds for the same reason, its a pain when a cricket gets away and chirps for weeks before it either finally dies of old age or the gecko eats it.

 

[Gecko Ranch]

I know this sounds crazy, but I have found sometimes geckos that are poor eaters actually will eat better if they're in a smaller enclosure. (I know this is true with my Leachianus and some of my Cresteds, as well as some White Lineds!)
Is it possible to move the picky eater into a smaller viv for a while?
I feed crickets and roaches to my cresties in a separate kritter keeper so I can monitor how much they eat and so they don't end up with crickets in their enclosures biting them and bothering them.
I tong feed my White Lineds for the same reason, its a pain when a cricket gets away and chirps for weeks before it either finally dies of old age or the gecko eats it.

This small enclosure deal is not crazy, it works. I would not move geckos from one enclosure to another for feeding though, this disturbs the geckos unnecessarily. Just adjust the amount of live food you feed until there is just one or two crickets that don't get eaten at the most. Tong feeding is not desirable on a permanent basis either, geckos are perfectly capable of hunting down their own food. It is the humans that screw up the feeding process by overfeeding or by allowing too much food to remain in with the gex. Easily fixed though, pick out the excess crix at the end of the day and adjust the amount you feed, perhaps also the number of days in between.

Hope that helps my friend from the north!

 

[Saille]

HI Julie, good to see you here!
Thanks for the tips, too! I fortunately don't tong feed all the time, but I tend to try that if my White Lineds are out, so they can associate me with food and treats and not be as skittish!
I know my original White lined, Crazy, loves to hunt. I will let B. Dubia roaches loose in his enclosure for him to hunt, as they are nice and quiet and there's only paper towel for them to burrow into.

 

[Gecko Ranch]

HI Julie, good to see you here!
Thanks for the tips, too! I fortunately don't tong feed all the time, but I tend to try that if my White Lineds are out, so they can associate me with food and treats and not be as skittish!
I know my original White lined, Crazy, loves to hunt. I will let B. Dubia roaches loose in his enclosure for him to hunt, as they are nice and quiet and there's only paper towel for them to burrow into.

LOL! Good deal! :biggrin: I think the paper towel roll or bamboo about that size is the best thing since crickets for geckos too. Makes 'em feel secure.

 

[Saille]

LOL! Good deal! :biggrin: I think the paper towel roll or bamboo about that size is the best thing since crickets for geckos too. Makes 'em feel secure.

Mine LOVE Papertowel rolls! Very good cheap hides, and easy to change out when they get dirty. Perfect for quarantining, for sure! :biggrin:

 

[TARENTOLO]

Mine are very active hunters, i saw the females eating at day & nigth, this is not usuall but i saw them at least three times in this last 6 months.
They prefer crikets & bombix mori (i dont know the name in englis, sorry) but only the moth form, & never acept worms (of any class), the females also like to eat baby food, phelsuma formulas & ciliatus formula too, i never saw the male eathing this kind of pure or formula.
But in winter they eat more or less the 50% of the food the consume in the summer, & obviously they are inactive for more time.