Have never seen my geckos eat or drink

[McBoredFace]

Hi my name is Brooke and I just got western banded geckos. Two females in a 35 gallon tank. They have a fresh water dish, dish of mealworms, and a second dish of calcium just in case. Now I know sometimes people don’t see their geckos eat or drink but I even tried recording all night and they just stay in the humid hide day and night. Sometimes they come out and go to their favorite spots but all they do is sleep and the one likes to walk through the calcium but other than that I haven’t seen them eat. I mean the mealworms are crystallizing or whatever it’s called lol. I tried silk worms too but maybe I didn’t try long enough. I just kinda held them up to them. But the one is a normal size and the second is really really small with a deformed skeletal structure which I’m actually worried about and wanted to know if you guys knew what that was too. Any insight on this odd behavior would be great.

 

[Herpin Man]

If you just got them, it may be a few days before they eat. I keep and breed this species myself, and they are very easy to feed.
Mealworms aren't very nutritious. I recommend starting them out on small crickets. Normally, the geckos should start stalking them immediately. Make sure you are keeping them warm enough, about 90f or so on the warm end.
You will probably never see them drink from a dish.

 

[McBoredFace]

If you just got them, it may be a few days before they eat. I keep and breed this species myself, and they are very easy to feed.
Mealworms aren't very nutritious. I recommend starting them out on small crickets. Normally, the geckos should start stalking them immediately. Make sure you are keeping them warm enough, about 90f or so on the warm end.
You will probably never see them drink from a dish.

Ahh okay, thank you. I did just get them but it’s been a little over a week. I’ll get them small crickets. I also have Phoenix worms, butter worms and silk worms. Can I feed those to them too? Also do you know where I can get good small crickets mailed to me? I refuse to go to petco. Just too many bad experiences and I now hate everything about the whole company...
also did you see the picture of the small one? Do you know what might be wrong with his bone structure?

 

[Herpin Man]

You can try the other worms, I've never used them. They aren't super nutritious, so don't rely on them as a staple. I feed primarily crickets, dubia, and occasionally meal worms.
There are many sources for crickets, however having them shipped to you is generally not cost effective for two geckos. If you order them in bulk and try and maintain them, they will outgrow your geckos before you can use them. Dubia, on the other hand, are quite easy to culture, and are more nutritious and easier to handle than crickets.
I can't tell what is wrong with the gecko from the photo.

 

[GeckoLeen]

From your description, I would say MBD, or Metabolic Bone Disease. Usually that comes from a lack of calcium or nutritional deficiency. I don't know anything about western banded geckos, so hopefully someone else will chime in with help as to best things to feed them. Some insects are better than others for difference species.

 

[GeckoLeen]

From your description, I would say MBD, or Metabolic Bone Disease. Usually that comes from a lack of calcium or nutritional deficiency. I don't know anything about western banded geckos, so hopefully someone else will chime in with help as to best things to feed them. Some insects are better than others for different species.

 

[McBoredFace]

From your description, I would say MBD, or Metabolic Bone Disease. Usually that comes from a lack of calcium or nutritional deficiency. I don't know anything about western banded geckos, so hopefully someone else will chime in with help as to best things to feed them. Some insects are better than others for different species.

Okay so I’ll switch the food. And about the MBd. I thought so at first too but he looks really young. Too young to have developed it. Can they be born with it? And if they are can it be fixed or will she always be deformed? Also is it fatal? I’d hate for this poor little cutie to suffer :/ I swear this is the last time I’ll ever buy anything from a corporate petstore like petco. This is the second time they got me on a sick animal. It’s beyond not acceptable. I wish I knew if there was something I could do about it.

 

[GeckoLeen]

No, they're not usually born with it, and it doesn't have to be fatal. But your gecko looks very thin, and does look like there is a deformity - it may be a birth defect. Do you have an exotics vet in your area? If you can find one, it might be worth emailing them a photo and asking what they think. Dusted dubias are a nutritious food if you can have roaches in your state. You can order them from Josh's Frogs.

 

[Seth9999]

Armstrong crickets, rainbow mealyworms. Shops sell crickts. 3 week is small. If you just got geckos it's always best set up vet app. They need be tested for parasites and cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is fatal, very hard get rid of, contagious. I used gloves feed one new baby , that wasn't tested yet , in order to know I wouldn't spread it to my male gecko ( Cecil).

 

[McBoredFace]

Armstrong crickets, rainbow mealyworms. Shops sell crickts. 3 week is small. If you just got geckos it's always best set up vet app. They need be tested for parasites and cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is fatal, very hard get rid of, contagious. I used gloves feed one new baby , that wasn't tested yet , in order to know I wouldn't spread it to my male gecko ( Cecil).

Thank you guys so much. This was all extremely helpful. I do have a vet so I’ll get those pictures sent out. Also yes I can order the roaches easy. My vet also told me I should start a colony but as soon as my bf heard the word roach he freaked out lol. So it’s gonna be fun to do that. But thank you for your help

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Welcome to Geckos Unlimited, Brooke!

Please share a ~60 second video of your smaller gecko. A video may help us see whether MBD is affecting that lizard.

How are you set up for supplements? Does either your calcium or your multivitamins contain vitamin D3? What brand(s) and frequency do you use? Without a regular D3 source, pure calcium carbonate will not be metabolized.

 

[McBoredFace]

Welcome to Geckos Unlimited, Brooke!

Please share a ~60 second video of your smaller gecko. A video may help us see whether MBD is affecting that lizard.

How are you set up for supplements? Does either your calcium or your multivitamins contain vitamin D3? What brand(s) and frequency do you use? Without a regular D3 source, pure calcium carbonate will not be metabolized.

Sure I can do that. And yes I give them calcium with d3 mixed with calcium without d3 in a dish like you would do for a leopard gecko? But I also dust the mealworms with it when I put them in the dish but very lightly. But again I haven’t seen them eat the mealworms. They’re crystallizing or whatever it’s called. So I’m going to do what someone on here said and get a few small crickets and dust those with the calcium with d3 and hopefully they’ll eat. But in the meantime here’s a video...

 

[McBoredFace]

I’m trying to upload the video but it won’t let me... I’ll try to take more pictures?

 

[McBoredFace]

 

[McBoredFace]

 

[McBoredFace]

 

[McBoredFace]

Has anyone thought of what could be wrong with her? See the white spots on her bottom back? What is wrong? Plus I finally got them crickets. The bigger one are right away. The small one in the pictures would not eat. I had to hold the cricket in front of her face with the rings until she got pissed off and ate them. I did that with about 6 then let them go back to sleeping all the time. It’s about 24 hours later and their stomachs still feel pretty full. Is this all normal? I feel like they should have passed them by now. Plus what is wrong with her bone structure and those white spots on her back?? my poor baby still barely opens her eyes.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Sure I can do that. And yes I give them calcium with d3 mixed with calcium without d3 in a dish like you would do for a leopard gecko? But I also dust the mealworms with it when I put them in the dish but very lightly. But again I haven’t seen them eat the mealworms. They’re crystallizing or whatever it’s called. So I’m going to do what someone on here said and get a few small crickets and dust those with the calcium with d3 and hopefully they’ll eat. But in the meantime here’s a video...

I would NOT leave any supplement in the enclosure 24/7. There's too much chance of accidental overdose supplementing that way.

How long have you had both these geckos?

MBD (metabolic bone disease) is a progressive condition that often develops because of vitamin D3 deficiency. However, MBD can also develop with too much D3.

All supplements are different. Please share all these details.

1. Brands and exact name(s) of supplements.
2. Is there always a dish of calcium with D3 mixed with plain calcium in the enclosure?
3. How often do you dust?
4. If your gecko does not eat the mealworms just about right away, the powder you've lightly dusted onto the mealworms may fall off.
5. Are you using a multivitamin too?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I’m trying to upload the video but it won’t let me... I’ll try to take more pictures?

I can't really tell much by looking at your pictures, Brooke. See whether these instructions help for uploading your video.

Posting Photos/Videos...inline or attached
Click: vBulletin FAQ

• To insert a video find 3 lines of choices at the top where you make a post. On the second line, 15 icons in from the left, you'll see a video icon. It looks like a ladder. Post your video URL right there. A picture and arrow like you may have noticed here will be displayed, not just a link.
• To insert a photo use the "image" icon close to the "ladder" icon.
  • Click: Go Advanced under the reply box
  • Then click: Manage Attachments
  • Find pictures from your computer and upload them (after uploading your photos/video to a free Imgur account)
  • Grab the url they provide
  • Then click "insert image url" OR "insert video url"
  • Then paste & share

Imgur offers free online sites for sharing photos.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

View attachment 45907

Has anyone thought of what could be wrong with her? See the white spots on her bottom back? What is wrong? Plus I finally got them crickets. The bigger one are right away. The small one in the pictures would not eat. I had to hold the cricket in front of her face with the rings until she got pissed off and ate them. I did that with about 6 then let them go back to sleeping all the time. It’s about 24 hours later and their stomachs still feel pretty full. Is this all normal? I feel like they should have passed them by now. Plus what is wrong with her bone structure and those white spots on her back?? my poor baby still barely opens her eyes.

So you have 2 females of different sizes in a 35 gallon enclosure.

Regarding the "area" on the left back mid-section: Does that seem to be a scar? Could it have resulted from bullying?

Please share a photo of both these geckos side-by-side.