G. Vittatus not eating. please help.

[knightowl71]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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. :biggrin:

 

[knightowl71]

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

Thanks
Chris

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/3560326589_8e3f8fe3a7.jpg?v=0

 

[Dyesub Dave]

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. :biggrin:

 

[knightowl71]

Thanks Dave!

That is what I was thinking. What range should the temps be in? It averages about 80, should it be higher?

I have a red light to watch him at night. I know this will give off heat and keep the hab warm all night. Do they mind the red light? It is not like total darkness that they would get in the wild. Would the blue 'moonlight' bulb be better?

Also, how do you post a pic right in the post?

Thanks again. I am so glad I have found some friends to help with my pets.

Chris

 

[Dyesub Dave]

Has your gecko started to eat yet??

As for temps ... the ambient temp of the enclosure is likely around 78-80 deg. F. however under the puck light it can get up to 90 deg. F. or a bit higher. However I don't usually see them basking under the light. I have no light on mine at night ... I just turn a room light on for a bit to view them.

I mentioned how to post a pic using Photobucket in this thread .... http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/news-rules-updates/40098-posting-pics.html.

Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

 

[knightowl71]

I have held food a couple days then introduced some food. I dont think he is eating the crickets but he has been eating a few mealworms. I also see feces in the tank so I know he is digesting something. I have added a few more plants and am leaving both lights on. The temp has risen to an average of 85 from 80. I am thinking that he likes it hotter than is has been.

I am so used to my anoles just eating when I put crickets in the tank. I am worried since it seems like the gecko is not eating.

Thanks for your help so far. I will let you know how he is doing.

Chris

 

[knightowl71]

Update

The temps have consistently been higher and I have moved the hab to another location with less foot traffic. I have seen more activity from the house gecko that has been hiding in the wall. The white-stripe is still very skittish. I have been removing any food in the morning if not eaten and waiting a day or two before introducing any more. Also been alternating between a couple of mealworms and a couple of crickets when I do feed them. I have seen the mealworms disappear from the bowl overnight. I have not seen the crickets but it is possible they could be hiding. Overall, it seems like the geckos are eating little bits. Maybe they will eventually settle into their new home and eat more regularly. I just want them to be healthy.

 

[Russ90]

Hi Knightowl

Hope things are improving with your G.Vittatus! I recently got some G.Gecko and it does seem to me that they tend to be alot more skittish and prone to stress than other types of Geckos as mine took alot longer to settle in and start eating properly than my Rhacs and Paroeduras did. I have had mine about 3-4 weeks aswell and they've only just really started establishing a regular eating pattern and venturing out more often.

If you're seeing poops in the tank then that's always a good sign!

I would agree with Dave in regards to putting some cork bark in there, mine spend their day hiding behind it and seem to love is as a secure spot to rest and hide.

I have also found all my geckos to be more active and visible in the evenings using the Moonglo nightlights rather than a red bulb, i know some people say they can't see red light but mine definitly seems to notice it as they won't come out with the red light on. (may just be the type of red bulb i'm using!?)

Without meaning to hijack your thread Knightowl (sorry!), in regards to the picture you posted of your setup Dave, are those eggs covered by a deli cup in the top left corner of your tank? If so, have you had any success with hatching them out this way? I'm hoping my pair will breed and lay soon but i'm worried about them glueing them somewhere where i can't remove them for incubation!

Best of luck with your Vittatus Knightowl, i've had my eye on getting some for a while now so i'm quite jealous!

 

[Dyesub Dave]

.... in regards to the picture you posted of your setup Dave, are those eggs covered by a deli cup in the top left corner of your tank? If so, have you had any success with hatching them out this way? I'm hoping my pair will breed and lay soon but i'm worried about them glueing them somewhere where i can't remove them for incubation!

Hey Russ ... yeah ... those are eggs covered by a deli cup. I put some moistened sphagnum moss inside to help keep the humidity up but it didn't seem to work. They eggs started to look moldy from the humidity after a while and when I uncovered them I believe the gekcos ate the eggs. I've heard that these geckos will eat the eggs if they are no good. I was also told that perhaps they didn't recognize them as their own eggs since they seemed to be GONE for a while and then all of a sudden back! :roll:

I had read that these geckos won't harm their own babies but wanted to stay on the side of caution which is why I was using the deli cup. However I have had 5 babies hatch that manage to survive in the enclosure with the parents until I find them.

I have had a couple eggs where the babies didn't make it out and died inside the egg. I've also noticed the female licking and biting the eggs when they're close to hatching. I think that she may perhaps be trying to help them out of the egg. When I spray the enclosure I ensure that the eggs get a bit of the moisture but I try not to saturate them.

I currently have 4 eggs in the enclosure. The last two laid are definitely fertile, one is definitely not fertile and I'm hoping that the fourth will hatch out any day now.

Hope this helps!!

Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

 

[Russ90]

Thanks for the info Dave and thanks Chris for letting me borrow your thread!:blushing:

I've read on certain breeding caresheets about the method of covering them with Deli cups but haven't seen or heard any first hand accounts of the results so i was a little intrigued. Sorry it didn't work out on those ones but happys days with the five babies you did get!

Most of the decor in my viv is removable so should they decide to lay on any of that i can remove and replace it and incubate the eggs seperately but if they decide to glue to the enclosure itself i guess i'll just have to let nature take it's course and see what happens!

Thanks again guys. Best of luck with the rest of those eggs, let us know how they get on!

 

[Sinosauropteryx]

Feeding tips for arboreal geckos

Hey Chris,

I haven't read the whole thread yet but I can think of a few pieces of advice that may help you:

1. Feed your gecko in the evening. Unless they are used to eating during the day, they will probably be sleeping and hence will not notice the crickets when you put them in. If you are letting the crickets loose in the tank, they may have found some really good places to hide by the time your gecko wakes up and, unless you are putting food in for the crickets too, those crickets are more likely to die before getting eaten.
   -
2. Use a dish. This is beneficial for several reasons. First, it keeps all of the feeders in the same place until your gecko wants to eat them and your gecko can take more time eating them instead of wating time chasing them down. Geckos usually don't like doing this in captivity because the chances of them being seen before they have a chance to get the insects is greater and it discourages them from persuing the insects. In addition to keeping in crickets, the disk can also keep mealworms since the glass keeps them from digging and therefore they are always seen. If you are going to feed crickets of any kind, clip their legs before placing them in the bowl and make sure the bowl's sides are high and steep. Another neat tip I learned is to make the dish see-through so that the gecko doesn't need to be peering into it to see the bugs. And thr third benefit from using a dish is that it prevents the crickets from eating your gecko. This may not be as much of a problem with arboreal glass-climbing geckos but it can still be enough to discourage them from coming down to the floor of the terrarium and it can add unnecessary stress. If you can't use a bowl or you would rather just let the crickets loose in the terrarium, the least you could do is remove the crickets after each feeding. Even professional sources recommend not leaving crickets in a lizard's terrarium for too long out of concern for the lizard.
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3. If you are using a dish, place the side of the dish against the far wall of the terrarium or whatever wall your gecko feels most comfortable on and/or is found on most of the time. If the rim is particularly steep, make sure it rests on the glass so that the entire side of the dish is completely paralell to the wall. From my experience, glass-climbing geckos usually tend to catch their food while they are still on the glass so they don't have to tackle the insect head-on. If the dish is away from the terrarium wall, your gecko may either be unable to climb into it or may tip the dish upon getting into it. Which will release the insects into the rest of your terrarium and will probably scare the gecko.
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4. Leave your gecko alone after you give it the bugs. As several members may already have pointed out, many geckos are shy to the point where they will not eat while someone is watching them. My white-lined gecko eats a lot but only when he is not being watched. Some geckos don't mind it but initially they probably won't be very tolerant unless they were previously hand-fed or are particularly bold. One last benefit to using a dish is that you can keep track of when and how much your gecko is eating. I can leave crickets in Pepe's bowl for up to two days and I am still able to tell when and how many he ate if I check the dish periodically.

I hope all of this helps. Once again, I am sorry I didn't read the whole thread. I will do that right now.