My Leopard Gecko is Not Eating

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thank you, but the UTH is almost half the tank when it is laid diagonally. I do have the moist hide in the cool side because it makes the tank too humid, and where it is i's around 80 degrees so it still stays humid enough. What do you recommend for the supplements? Two times D3? That's what I had before I saw the list thing I showed you in post #18. I can't get the crickets into the diet yet I am sorry I just don't feel comfortable with them and it would take getting used to for my Leo. I might just purchase some crickets every two weeks and feed them to him with the calcium or something. I don't have anywhere to keep the crickets (I have a really small cricket keeper...) don't know anything about them, and don't have the proper guy load for them, plus, getting them right now would mean them being on the Calci sand. Sorry for not taking your advice I just can't do that right now.

As soon as Steve e-mails the age of your leo I'll post the schedule. I'm concerned about you substituting things when you may not understand why I said something or just because of a mistake like 3x per week D3 with the mealworms. ALL these details are super important!

Is there someone at your home who can help us out? Setting up for a leopard gecko involves many details. Once you get going, it gets easier.

Crickets every 2 weeks sounds good!

• If the moist hide is too cool, your leo might get sick.
• What are your house/bathroom temps in summer, in winter?
• Mealworms and crickets need to be fed too. What they eat...what is in their stomachs, ends up in your leo's stomach. If nothing is in their stomachs, if they are hungry, about all your leo gets is skin and "bones".
  
  Most of our nutrition should come from the diet we eat. Multivitamins should be just a secondary source of nutrition.

Please read these guidelines. Click: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...feeding-issues-/68574-cricket-guidelines.html

The list you found in my Leo Guidelines and posted via a screen shot shows 2x per week calcium with D3, not 3x per week with D3. The frequency of powdered supplements depends upon how nutritious the diet is you feed the crickets and the mealworms. It also depends upon how old your leo is and his health. Mealworms can eat the same food crickets do.

Too much vitamin D3 can produce metabolic bone disease, just the same as too little vitamin D3 can.

 

[LeopardGeckoNewGirl]

First off, the moist hide is 88 degrees Fahrenheit inside. I gut loaded my mealworms already. I feed them a few pieces of squash, a strawberry, and and some carrot. I bought them from Rainbow Mealworms and most of them are active and fat now. I will not feed any vitamins for now and will only offer the mealies (About 4 each time). What cricket gut load do you recommend? I am looking into getting the "T-Rex Cricket Gut Load ILF, which Steve Stykes uses and recommends. I am also emailing him where he gets the Gut Load as I can't find it online or in stores. I am just going to say it straight up. I live in San Diego so it is HOT. Winter is usually around 70-80 degrees I the house and doesn't really get too cold. Summer can range from 80-91 degrees in my house until the AC is turned on (79 degrees is popular). This I why I plan to get a thermostat but the highest temp would be possibly 91 degrees and the lowest at a number around 79. **Note I am not 100% sure. Temperature varies as you know.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

First off, the moist hide is 88 degrees Fahrenheit inside. I gut loaded my mealworms already. I feed them a few pieces of squash, a strawberry, and and some carrot. I bought them from Rainbow Mealworms and most of them are active and fat now]. I will not feed any vitamins for now and will only offer the mealies (About 4 each time). What cricket gut load do you recommend? I am looking into getting the "T-Rex Cricket Gut Load ILF, which Steve Stykes uses and recommends. I am also emailing him where he gets the Gut Load as I can't find it online or in stores. I am just going to say it straight up. I live in San Diego so it is HOT. Winter is usually around 70-80 degrees I the house and doesn't really get too cold. Summer can range from 80-91 degrees in my house until the AC is turned on (79 degrees is popular). This I why I plan to get a thermostat but the highest temp would be possibly 91 degrees and the lowest at a number around 79. **Note I am not 100% sure. Temperature varies as you know.

88*F is a GREAT moist hide temp!!! Living in San Diego really helps!

Feed both mealworms and crickets finely ground Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food.
Click: https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-20-Ounce-Natural-Bearded/dp/B0002DIY94

Did you read the Cricket Guidelines? More info is right there.

I write that Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food is a good mealworm diet 24/7. Then you tell me what they eat and say you'll cancel all the vitamins. The mealworms and crickets need a good diet to fill their tummies PLUS a little ZM D3 calcium and ZM plain (no D3) Reptivite multivitamins to cover all the bases.

Does that make sense?

 

[LeopardGeckoNewGirl]

Great! I'm glad it will work! Sorry about that... It does make sense and I will add the Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food to my Anazon shopping list!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Click: https://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-ETL-Certified-Thermostat-Germination-Reptiles/dp/B000NZZG3S

I hang my thermostat on the outside of the tank with a metal shower curtain hook.

• The thermostat turns off your UTH when your UTH gets too hot. It controls higher tank temperatures, not outside room temperatures.
• Tape the thermostat's probe to the Zoo Med's thermometer's probe and place both of these on top of the substrate underneath the warm dry hide.

Two 12 x 12 textured ceramic tiles plus one 12 x 12 tile cut in half will be perfect for your 30 x 12 x 12 tank. You could also use two 12 x 12s plus two 6 x 6s.

 

[LeopardGeckoNewGirl]

Thank you I already had that thermostat in my list before. Going to order all the stuff right now. Thanks for all the help!!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

In case you wonder about Rep-Cal's calcium with D3 (pink label) that you were just about to order, it contains 17x more D3 than the Zoo Med's Repti Calcium that you already have. In most cases that's just too much D3.

 

[LeopardGeckoNewGirl]

Okay, I'm glad i have my Zoo Med stuff then. Thanks again! ;-)

 

[LeopardGeckoNewGirl]

Okay my Leo hatched on 8/28/2014 so he's 1 year 23 months old! He's almost 2 years, his birthdays a month from today!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Make sure you feed the mealworms (and crickets) Zoo Med's Natural Bearded Adult Dragon Food! Add some collard greens or another high calcium, low phosphorus veggie to the side like pesticide-free dandelion flowers and leaves.

#126---Monthly Feeding & Supplement Schedule for leopard geckos 18 months old +

Feed an adult leopard gecko crickets or dubia 2x per week and mealworms 1x per week:
Crickets or dubia>Monday
Crickets or dubia>Thursday
Mealworms>Saturday

• Use Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3 1x per week. Lightly dust it on half the crickets or dubia, not every one.
• Use plain (no D3) Zoo Med ReptiVite multivitamins lightly dusted on crickets or dubia every other week or 2x per month. Maybe only half of them.
• Use some plain precipitated calcium carbonate (purer than oyster shell calcium). The NOW brand sold in health foods stores is ideal.

Feed finely ground Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food (or an equivalent high quality dry diet) 24/7 to the insects and worms to cover the basics. Add high calcium, low phosphorus veggies off to the side. Vary your leopard gecko's diet. Crickets, Blaptica dubia, hornworms, Phoenix worms, and silkworms are all good.

Nutritional Comparisons of Insects & Worms

• Click: http://www.geckotime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/table-large.png

Monthly Schedule for Leos 18 months old +​

Week 1:
Crickets or dubia>Monday- D3 Repti Calcium
Crickets or dubia>Thursday- no dusting
Mealworms>Saturday- no dusting

Week 2:
Crickets or dubia>Monday- D3 Repti Calcium
Crickets or dubia>Thursday- plain (no D3) ReptiVite multivitamins
Mealworms>Saturday- no dusting

Week 3:
Crickets or dubia>Monday- D3 Repti Calcium
Crickets or dubia>Thursday- no dusting
Mealworms>Saturday- no dusting

Week 4:
Crickets or dubia>Monday- D3 Repti Calcium
Crickets or dubia>Thursday- plain (no D3) ReptiVite multivitamins
Mealworms>Saturday- no dusting

Week 5:
Continue this every other week schedule.

 

[LeopardGeckoNewGirl]

Great, I'll start that schedule today! Thanks!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I hope you and your leo become good buddies! Who knows? You may even get another gecko some day.

 

[LeopardGeckoNewGirl]

Good news! He ate 9 mealies!! (Either that or my mealworms can teleport ;-)) I think my problem was that he couldn't see them very well because of the curved sides of my mealie dish. Everything seems to be fine and soon I will put in the thermostat, and thermometer when they arrive, along with some nice tile I plan to pick up from Home Depot soon. I am also planning to purchase 3 parts of a photo (I'll crop the one photo into 3 parts to be printed) and have them printed at Costco at $12 for the three 12" x 18" parts. I will use the photos put together to cover the back and sides of my gecko enclosure (Which is in all 54" long).

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

:cheer: for your leo! :cheer: for you!

Let me know when your Amazon order arrives with the Zoo Med's Natural Adult Bearded Dragon Food and all. That's the basis of his Feeding & Supplement schedule. Just look at the ingredients online! There are other good staple diets "out there", but that is one of them.

A spice or coffee grinder works to grind the beardie food. Then it's easier for the mealies and crickets to eat it.

You may need a power strip for the UTH and thermostat.

• Plug the heat mat into the thermostat.
• Then plug the thermostat into the wall outlet.

I look forward to seeing a photo when it's done.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

......

Thank you for your help but I was wondering how many mealworms you would recommend me to put in his dish every time I feed him. I don't want him to become overweight but I've also read you should see how many they will eat. :scratchhead: What is the average amount of mealworms per feeding that you suggest? Thanks!

I scarcely have any experience with mealworms. I really can't answer your question. Maybe [MENTION=8562]acpart[/MENTION] (Aliza) can stop by or someone else who feeds their adult leo mealworms.

Click: http://www.geckotime.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/table-large.png

Can you see the amount of fat contained in mealworms versus the amount contained in crickets? Mealworms contain twice the amount of fat that crickets contain.

I strongly recommend adding some crickets or Blaptica dubia to your leo's diet.

 

[acpart]

Here I am, stopping by. I don't usually look at "my gecko is not eating" posts because there are so many and I've said all I have to say about this in my articles in Gecko Time:
My Gecko is Not Eating: Why and How to Fix it - Gecko Time - Gecko Time
"My Gecko Will Not Eat" Part 2 - Gecko Time - Gecko Time

With the mealworms, I feed my hatchlings on mealworms (the adults get crickets and super worms). I don't count, I just dump a bunch in the dish. If you really need to know how many they'll eat, put in 10 and see what happens. If they don't finish them, put in fewer; if they eat them all put in more.

Aliza

 

[LeopardGeckoNewGirl]

Okay, it kinda varies with him, ranging from 6-13 but thanks anyways.