Raging_Crocodile
New member
I have a baby standings day gecko in a 12x12x18 exo Terra, he recently lost his tail and stopped eating afterwords, is he not eating because he dropped his tail or could it be something else.
Day gecko not eating
- Thread starter Raging_Crocodile
- Start date
Aimless
Super Moderator
how old is he? how long has he been in that cage/setup, and has anything about his housing changed in the past month or so? how long has it been since he ate, and are you positive he's not eating?
can you also please post a pic of his setup?
it might be stress over the tail but it might be something else.
can you also please post a pic of his setup?
it might be stress over the tail but it might be something else.
Raging_Crocodile
New member
I have have him in the enclosure sense I got him about 2 months ago. He used to be a very good eater and would take crickets right from my hand. But after he lost his tail, he started to loose his appetite, until he stopped eating completely. I would find crickets in his tank several days after I put them in there. I even tried giving him CGD, which he used to love, but he doesn't eat that either. He is about 6 in long and hasn't eaten in over a week.
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Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
These difficulties could possibly be caused by too little or too much vitamin D3!
Have you been dusting his crickets? With what (exact brand and frequency)?
How often has he been getting CGD? kind?
Has he UVB too? What brand and type?
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Raging_Crocodile
New member
I dust his crickets every other feeding in repashy calcium plus all in one, I give him repashy CGD twice a week, and for uvb he has a reptisun 5.0 mini.
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
/\ All this may be overkill re vitamin D3!
- Where does your Reptisun 5.0 mini sit in relation to the screen top? Have you checked out the specs for that bulb?
- Does your enclosure have a fine mesh screen? Screen can reduce UVB transmission by 50%!
- Repashy's Calcium Plus is an all-in-one multivitamin that does contain D3.
- In addition, does your Repashy's CGD contain vitamin D3?
PS:
Instead of using any powdered vitamin D3 supplement, I use an 18 inch Zoo Med Reptisun fluorescent tube to provide UVB. For that reason (for 10+ years) I only use Zoo Med's Reptivite multivitamins without D3 for my Phelsuma barbouri.
I house my Reptisun tube in a Slimline fixture. The Slimline fixture sits right on the screen top and is perpendicular to the enclosure's length. A couple sansevieria directly beneath the Reptisun tube provide a choice of basking levels for these Phelsuma.
Either tube that comes with the Slimline fixture is inadequate for providing decent UVB rays.
Zoo Med's Reptisun fluorescent tubes are top-rated for strength and consistency of UVB rays. Zoo Med recommends changing them out annually.
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Raging_Crocodile
New member
The uvb bulb does sit on a screen lid, should I get a 10.0 uvb or can I just stick with the 5.0 mini? And the CGD does contain some D3. Another thing I might add is that after he lost his tail he became very timid, now he basically hides all day, and only comes out to bask, but then dives for cover the instant he sees me, I used to be able to put my hand right next to him without him running away. Is this common when geckos loose their tails? He is also just a baby so is he more prone to stress?
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Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
Maybe your sub-adult Phelsuma standingi is wary because of his tail accident. (How did he lose his tail?) Try taming him after a while. Baby steps are great!
I don't know how Reptisun 5.0 minis compare to the excellent Reptisun UVB tubes. Part of your choice also depends upon the height of his Exo Terra vivarium (12 x 12 x 18 inches high). Before you do anything, phone Zoo Med to see what they say. Then call Josh's Frogs for feedback on UVB and compact fluorescent bulbs. Arcadia makes good UVB bulbs as well.
- Zoo Med: 888-496-6633
- Josh's Frogs: 800-691-8178
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Raging_Crocodile
New member
This may sound weird but i hate talking to strangers on the phone, I am actually a very shy person, could I email them instead? Or could I just ask people on the forums? Also, my gecko lost his tail when I tried to get him out of some bamboo that he managed to get stuck in.
Elizabeth Freer
Well-known member
Thanks about the tail injury.
Phone them and ask for email contacts.
I would trust the developers or someone like Josh's Frogs. They're the experts. Your Phelsuma standingi needs some expert UVB advice.
Green Gecko
New member
How did this turn out? It does sound like potentially too much D3 is being metabolised with both the dusting of supplements and the UVB bulb that may be more than adequate by itself.
Too much D3 can cause just as much problems as too little for day geckos.
In my experience, dropped tails are usually eaten. If you consider that this is mostly a fat store, the gecko will not need further nutrients for some time while it is re-ingested, as it is almost 100% fat plus bone if it has not dropped before (in which case there is only cartilage). The stress experienced can also reduce feeding. I'd be interest to know how this turned out as sadly I have lost tails before due to infighting, no apparent reason and subsequent infection (and in one case, closing the door on one which I will hate myself for forever).
Too much D3 can cause just as much problems as too little for day geckos.
In my experience, dropped tails are usually eaten. If you consider that this is mostly a fat store, the gecko will not need further nutrients for some time while it is re-ingested, as it is almost 100% fat plus bone if it has not dropped before (in which case there is only cartilage). The stress experienced can also reduce feeding. I'd be interest to know how this turned out as sadly I have lost tails before due to infighting, no apparent reason and subsequent infection (and in one case, closing the door on one which I will hate myself for forever).