Adult leopard gecko feeding (possible issues)?

[acpart]

I think the thing you're getting at with your question can be answered by thinking about how different various types of geckos are fro each other based on biological classification. The biological classification system starts with the biggest divisions (i.e. "Kingdom" or plant vs. animal) and continues like a branching tree through Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
Leopard geckos are its own species. Their genus is Eublepharis which includes all other geckos with eyelids Your day geckos don't have eyelids, so they are in a different genus and they relate to the leopard gecko through the next level up, the "Family", which in this case is Gekkonidae (or "gecko"). Once a type of gecko diverges in its classification from another gecko at the Family level, the two gecko types are going to be quite different. In this case, as mentioned above, one type is awake mostly right before and after sunset/rise while the other is active during the day, and one type stores fat in its tail while the other type doesn't. Make sense?

Aliza

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Here's a cricket keeping link and a mealworm link.

For link 112 click: Updated Cricket Care Guidelines II -- June 2019 (latest version)
For link 98 click: Common Mealworm & Superworm Dry Diets & Beddings -- Use something else!​

 

[GROOVY1975`]

Well now...what makes the Leopard Gecko unique is something that you would best read up on. It's a lot of things! But I can tell you they don't bask as by nature they are "crepuscular."

Their nature is to be most active at first light and right when it starts to get dark. They don't tend to worship the sun like a lot of other lizards.

Their tail is fat because that is where they store fat deposits to be able to be used when they don't get access to food for a long time. However, that tail can be dropped if they get extremely stressed out as a defensive mechanism. Which is not good for the Gecko as then they lose all of their reserves. They can regrow their tail but it is never as nice as it was before.

Thanks, the crepuscular note helped. I will try to read up on the differences, this helped so I will see if I can find other bits of info on the differences. I kinda figured the tail was where it held its resources so thats good to know, he still has the original (and its huge) but pretty cool.

 

[GROOVY1975`]

I know this is probably a REALLY dumb question, and I am sure my question answers itself, BUT, I only want the best for my little lady Gecko. Her tail is nice, plump, fat, and healthy with no underarm fat nor fat anywhere else on her. I believe she is eating well and she is happy and content, BUT (here's the dumb question), can I safely assume that because there are still a cricket or two in the cage a week after feeding, that she isn't hungry, and is just content? I ask because she is SO LAZY, and I mean LAZY LAZY, so lazy in fact that she will ignore the food UNLESS I drop it near her (like almost on top of her). I originally thought her eyesight was failing, but its not, she sees EVERYTHING and follows the food with her eyes, just ignores it unless its right near her (or never at all). Rarely do I ever see her actually hunt for the food, and basically she just eats them when they are in her immediate range. I mentioned this earlier in this same thread (above) but now its a few months later, and shes pretty much the same but seems to be ignoring them even more. I may be feeding her to much, but I dont know, I give her 2-3 (large) crickets every 3-5 days. I assume she is happy and healthy because her tail is fat, and she does eat the crickets eventually, but I dont like that she goes days (even a week) before eating. I guess this is all normal, but I would like other Leopard Gecko owners to chime in that its normal and she is fine, so I dont freak out. I do gut load her with vitamins, and her water is always kept fresh (along with the constant 88-90 degree heat during day and no light, and cooler at night) with her hiding rock for cool side (always available) so I think she has everything and is happy, but the not eating freaks me out.

Let me know your thoughts..

 

[acpart]

She's fine. Many female leopard geckos aren't eating much right now because they're ovulating. Just keep offering. I feel that a healthy gecko should not have a problem with a few crickets remaining in the enclosure.

Aliza

 

[GROOVY1975`]

She's fine. Many female leopard geckos aren't eating much right now because they're ovulating. Just keep offering. I feel that a healthy gecko should not have a problem with a few crickets remaining in the enclosure.

Aliza

Thanks for the heads up, she does seem better and eating properly now, BUT she laid 4 eggs overnight. What do I do with her eggs, leave them (which they are left untouched so far), or remove them, or offer them to a local lizard farm? Whats best for my gecko? I asked the previous owner (who cared for her 3-5 years when she had her), but she never laid eggs with her, or the previous previous owner (who also had her 3-5 years). I got Marvin from my step-daughter (previous owner) about a year and half ago which puts her in the 7-10 years old range (but no one knows for sure). Since this is the first time Marvin has laid eggs (that anyone knows of), I don't know how to proceed but I guess I have her kept healthy and happy as this is the first egg laying but IDK what to do now.

It is REALLY important to note (at least I think it is), there is NO MALE gecko near her or with her ever. She is a single female gecko that lives alone her entire life. As far as I know (at least 4 years) she has NEVER been NEAR a male gecko. Can female geckos reproduce without a male? I know some species can but I suspect these are infertile eggs (like a chicken egg we eat) but I do not know enough about this process to know the answer myself. I have had tons of geckos, of all types, but always males, never females, so this is my first experience with eggs and leopard geckos (or any geckos for that matter), again I always had males.

 

[acpart]

There are a few species of gecko (gargoyles, crested geckos, leachianus geckos) that have been known to reproduce parthenogenetically on rare occasion. It has never, to the best of my knowledge, been found with leopard geckos. The eggs are nearly certainly infertile (I've had my leachie for 10 years, thinking it was a male, and about 5 years ago she laid some eggs but never since) so you can just go ahead and toss them. My crested geckos and gargoyle geckos are laying eggs regularly and though I check each time, none of them has been fertile.

Aliza

 

[GROOVY1975`]

There are a few species of gecko (gargoyles, crested geckos, leachianus geckos) that have been known to reproduce parthenogenetically on rare occasion. It has never, to the best of my knowledge, been found with leopard geckos. The eggs are nearly certainly infertile (I've had my leachie for 10 years, thinking it was a male, and about 5 years ago she laid some eggs but never since) so you can just go ahead and toss them. My crested geckos and gargoyle geckos are laying eggs regularly and though I check each time, none of them has been fertile.

Aliza

Thanks for the info, I cleaned and removed the eggs. I was just worried they may be fertile or worse, Marvin (my female gecko) would be upset that I removed them. I was more concerned with her being upset, but if it doesnt matter, and she doesnt care, then I wont worry about it in the future.

FYI, I didnt name her, I took over care for her a little over a year ago, from my step-daughter, who she got from her cousin so Marvin is anywhere from 8-12 years old. I know the original girl had her for 4-5 years, then my step-daughter another 3-5 years, and now me over a year so who knows exactly how old she is, but this is her first known egg laying. I look at that as a good thing in that since the year I took over her sole care, she went from not eating and living in sand, to eating regularly (when not ovulating) and changed to slate substrate. I also fixed her heating conditions and made it more stable and routine (6AM-6PM lighting at 90-92 degrees on the "hot side"), with plenty of shade and cool spots for her to regulate the temp. I look at her laying the eggs this year as her health improving, both physical and mental. I could be wrong, and she just laid it this late in life due to her own growing schedules, but I like to think I have her in a happy and healthy spot.

 

[acpart]

Glad Marvin is getting such good care. As far as names go, the leachie I mentioned in my post is one who I thought was male for years until "he" laid an egg. Her name is Igor! In the wild geckos lay their eggs, bury them and walk away. In captivity, sometimes they may lay eggs in the lay box and can be found still sitting there after they've laid. I don't think they're protecting their eggs, I think they just haven't gotten around to getting out of the box yet.

Aliza

 

[GROOVY1975`]

I have a new possible issue, in the last 2 weeks, she hasn't eaten much. Sure here and there a single worm she eats but both times, only 1 worm, then she seems to have enough and gets fed up with me trying to feed her more and retreats to her hideout (this happened twice in the past week and half which is how long its been since she ate a large meal). I then leave her alone when she retreats to not annoy her and try again later on, but is this an issue? It seems to have started when the weather here in Northern NJ started to get colder but it could just be coincidence (she is at least 7-10 years old, maybe more, but not less, no one knows the 100% age but close enough). I am the 3rd owner so the timeline gets messed up from person to person. I keep her tank the same temp year round, and the only real change is that I lowered her daylight hours by 2 hours during the day for DST. Her tail is plump, healthy fat, she is active, and quick, so she isn't the least bit lethargic but definitely not eating like she did last month. She shed about 2 or 3 weeks ago so I assumed it was that, but 3 weeks later, she only eats a worm every few days, but she does see them, licks them, and refuses to eat them. I try to feed her daily when shes not eating (like this), so the food is always offered more than once (and I make damn sure she sees it and refuses to eat before I stop trying), and she sees them but refuses them so I don't push it, I am just checking this is normal and shes a picky eater (or just lazy). I know I started this thread around the same type of topic but now it seems worse to me, so IDK. I just want her happy and healthy and I see no signs she isn't, but I concern over the lack of eating.

Thanks in advance!

 

[GROOVY1975`]

I have a new possible issue, in the last 2 weeks, she hasn't eaten much. Sure, here and there a single worm, but both times, only 1 worm. This seems to be enough and she gets fed up with me trying to feed her more and retreats to her hideout (this happened twice in the past week and half, which is how long its been since she ate a large meal). I then leave her alone when she retreats to not annoy her and try again later on, but is this an issue? It seems to have started when the weather here in Northern NJ started to get colder but it could just be coincidence (she is at least 7-10 years old, maybe more, but not less, no one knows the 100% age but close enough). I am the 3rd owner so the timeline gets messed up from person to person. I keep her tank the same temp year round, and the only real change is that I lowered her daylight hours by 2 hours during the day for DST. Her tail is plump, healthy fat, she is active, and quick, so she isn't the least bit lethargic but definitely not eating like she did last month. She shed about 2 or 3 weeks ago so I assumed it was that, but 3 weeks later, she only eats a worm every few days, but she does see them, licks them, and refuses to eat them. I try to feed her daily when shes not eating (like this), so the food is always offered more than once (and I make damn sure she sees it and refuses to eat before I stop trying), and she sees them but refuses them so I don't push it, I am just checking this is normal and shes a picky eater (or just lazy). I know I started this thread around the same type of topic but now it seems worse to me, so IDK. I just want her happy and healthy and I see no signs she isn't, but I concern over the lack of eating.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Marillion]

Hopefully you'll get some more opinions but I don't see anything too concerning here. Sometimes they can go for weeks not eating too much only to all of the sudden get their appetite back after a while. As long as she is energetic and healthy otherwise I wouldn't be too concerned about a lack of appetite for a while. Just wait a bit and offer food again, appropriate to the feeding schedule for an adult gecko.

 

[GROOVY1975`]

Hopefully you'll get some more opinions but I don't see anything too concerning here. Sometimes they can go for weeks not eating too much only to all of the sudden get their appetite back after a while. As long as she is energetic and healthy otherwise I wouldn't be too concerned about a lack of appetite for a while. Just wait a bit and offer food again, appropriate to the feeding schedule for an adult gecko.

Thanks for the reply, thats what I was hoping to hear and what I am doing now. I am just offering her wormies per the usual schedule (every other day), with additional attempts in between until she eats again normally. I have been offering her once at night fall, then once a few hours later. She is eating in the later times the single worm, then retreats but seems OK. She doesnt seem unhappy, unhealthy, or otherwise not perfect so I think shes cool, but I wanted to reach out and ask others as well. Her not eating is what I pay attention to as I know thats somewhat normal, but I also dont want to neglect her if she is hungry. She has always been a pip with certain things, like eating. She used to be so dang lazy that I thought she was dying at one point, but I later found out (through the thread) she is just finicky when she wants to eat.

 

[Marillion]

Feeding every other day is far too often for an adult gecko. Usually twice a week is plenty. Please see Elizabeth's feeding schedule in my signature below.

 

[acpart]

This is pretty normal for this time of year. For reference, I'm attaching an article I wrote for Gecko Time about the yearly cycle of geckos. You'll see they often don't eat that much in the winter. As long as they are behaving normally (though they may be a little lazier in the winter) and aren't visibly losing a lot of weight, they're fine.
https://geckotime.com/the-yearly-cycle-with-geckos/

Aliza

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Feeding every other day is far too often for an adult gecko. Usually twice a week is plenty. Please see Elizabeth's feeding schedule in my signature below.

Here's a good feeding & supplement schedule for adult leos:

Weekly Schedule 126 for Leopard Geckos 18 months old +​

(withOUT UVB)​

Early stage metabolic bone disease (MBD) symptoms include uneven (lopsided) gait, walking on one or both "elbows", bowed limbs, belly dragging, and an underbite.

The Reptile Supply Company based in Lodi, California stocks Zoo Med's ReptiVite multivitamins withOUT D3.

• Monday > > crickets or dubia lightly dusted with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3
• Thursday > > crickets or dubia lightly dusted with Zoo Med's ReptiVite multivitamins withOUT D3
• Saturday > > Optional: mealworms, superworms, or black soldier fly larvae (Phoenix worms) > > no dusting

PS:
Be sure to actually measure "surface" temps below any ceramic heat emitter! Lay the entire probe on some solid surface like cork bark. Don't suspend the probe mid-air!

 

[GROOVY1975`]

THANK YOU! I know every other day is not the right feeding schedule from this forum and this posting I made a year ago, but the problem is, I am the 3rd owner, and she has been trained to eat this way. I am only keeping to what she is used to eating (every other day for her entire life), so she has a happy and healthy life. I will note, she has barely eaten now in almost two weeks (2 worms in almost two weeks) but her tail is plumpy fat, she is active, fast, and alert, friendly, and playful, so she show absolutely no signs of distress, just no interest in food. She does see them, she does get excited to see them (at first), she does go after them (sort of), it does seem to grab her attention when they wiggle, then she gets closer and almost turns her nose up as to say "nah, not today" then walks away and goes onto other things. She has eaten only 2 worms in the last week but this is a fraction of what she normally eats in a two week period. I was just making sure its a normal pattern of eating behavior for the season. I cant remember if she did it like this last year at this time, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same thing last year, I just cant remember.

I know I sound a little nutso with the forum postings, I am 45 years old, I have had every type of animal in history, and care for them so they enjoy life. I feel having an animal is as important as any living thing, so I try to do my best with their care. This tends to spill over in my paranoia of not doing it right out of fear of not giving them a happy life, good lifestyle, or otherwise normal life if they were in the wild, so I tend to hit the forums and seek out advice from my peers.

I am going to let it go, keep offering her wormies every few days and let it go, but not worry.

Thanks everyone!

 

[acpart]

Most of my geckos aren't that hungry now that it's winter. Even though the heat is on in the house, there's less light. Just keep offering and see what she wants. Here's an article I wrote for Gecko Time about how things go at my house throughout the year; it may be helpful:
https://geckotime.com/the-yearly-cycle-with-geckos/

Aliza