worried about appetite

Normphobic

Normphobic

New member
I know that cresties have small stomachs and don't eat much, but this is the first one I've owned and lately it seems he isn't eating as much as he used to. I don't know his exact age, but I estimated him to be about 3-4 months old when I got him, and that would make him 9-10 months old now. My question is do they eat more while they are growing? He used to eat 3-5 crickets at a time, and would hunt nearly every day. I started off giving him peach baby food as a treat every once in a while and gradually mixed more CGD into it (he wouldn't eat it by itself). He eventually started eating the CGD without the baby food (about a half teaspoonful), and I alternate between crickets and CGD. I dust the crickets with T-Rex Bone Aid Microstick calcium powder.

Recently he only eats 1-2 crickets at a time, and I'm lucky if he takes a couple licks of the CGD. He's still active, but he does look a bit thinner than before. He usually doesn't eat much before he sheds, but he just shed last week, so I know it's not due to that. How much does a crested gecko at this age usually eat? Should I be worried? He's still going to the bathroom. I just thought their appetite would increase with size:?
 
mh728

mh728

New member
Temps, humidity, etc. are all important and should be included in your post. You didn't mention the size of the crickets before and now either, it is likely that if they are similarly sized crickets than he needs bigger ones (they often refuse bugs that are to small, but you probably know this).
 
Normphobic

Normphobic

New member
I gave him crickets according to his size, so he is able to eat larger ones now, but even when I get large sometimes there are some smaller ones in the mix. Also, I can't stand crickets chirping, so I try not to get the really big ones. There has been no change in temperature or humidity, that's why I didn't mention it, because I know what temperature and humidity range is good for them. My room is cold in the winter, so I had a heat glo lamp on and the temperature was about 74 degrees. It was a bit harder to regulate humidity with the lamp, though. Once it warmed up I didn't need to use the lamp. Now the temperature is usually 75 degrees when the air conditioner is on, and 78 degrees when it's off (during the day, it drops a bit at night). The humidity is usually between 60 and 80%.
 
mh728

mh728

New member
Alright then either:

A. he is being himself and doesn't want to pig out right now (all of my cresties do this occasionaly)

B. I have no idea what's wrong with him.

Either way just be sure he doesn't start losing weight or developing tail/back kinks. I have never used the calcium powder that you spoke of so I can't recomend it or say anythings wrong with it. Also you might try the Repashy 2 part diet, it has the base diet and multiple flavor portions so can change up the flavor of his CGD.
 
Normphobic

Normphobic

New member
Okay, thanks. He had a bit of a kink at the base of his spine when I got him. It has gotten more pronounced as he's grown, but I think it's due to how he sleeps. If I see him sleeping upside down I move him, but he usually just goes and sleeps in an even more awkward and uncomfortable looking position. He also climbs on the top screen of his terrarium sometimes, and his tail hangs down. As he's gotten older, his tail of course has gotten bigger and heavier and I think it may be putting some pressure on his spine when he does this. I've added more vines for him to climb on, but he always ends up doing the upside down deal lol.
I'm going to get him some more calcium powder today to mix in with a little baby food to see if he will eat that. I'm worried that he won't be getting enough since he hasn't been eating as much crickets/cgd.
 
mh728

mh728

New member
Sounds to me like he is having some calcium problems, you don't want to just get any old calcium powder. While I haven't heard of many others using it, I have used Repashy Calcium ICB for awhile and it's conveniant because you can usually order it from where ever you get your Repashy CGD. In the past 2-3 ish years that I've used it, I haven't seen any problems.
 
Normphobic

Normphobic

New member
That's one of the things I was worried about.
Yes, I know, that is why I got the T-Rex MicroStick to dust the crickets. It's specially made so it will stick better to the crickets and be digested faster. I was going to get Rep-Cal to mix in with the food. The store I go to specializes in reptiles and also breeds many of the ones they sell. They have a smaller variety of supplements than other pet stores, but I would trust anything they sell.
 
mh728

mh728

New member
No problem, oh and also, if you set up your tank verically it will drastically reduce his climbing on the top. The reason they climb the screen so easilly is more do to their claws then their toe pads. Also they obviously appreciate the extra vertical space.
 
Normphobic

Normphobic

New member
His terrarium is 18x18x18, so it wouldn't matter. Plus it has doors that open in the front, so flipping it would make it difficult to open.
 
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