How to tell if a baby geck is eating?

[Narcissus]

Hewwo

Henlo, friends. I'm Narc, and I am brand-spanking-new to reptile ownership. I always loved scaly critters and wanted one, but I never actually put any effort into obtaining one.

I found this little dude hiding in my kitchen and tried to put it outside, but it refused to get off my hand (probably because it was too cold outside) so I decided to keep it. I'm pretty certain it's a Mediterranean gecko, and it's obviously very young, but I don't know its age exactly, or its sex. I named it Yoshi.



Yoshi seems to be a surprisingly calm and intelligent animal, unlike any other lizard I've ever met. It's plenty energetic but doesn't freak out too much when I try to hold it (I can convince it to climb on my hand) and actually looks directly at me, like with curiosity. I don't know if that's weird or if all geckos are that way.

 

[Narcissus]

So I just got a baby Mediterranean gecko that is too small to eat crickets, so I bought some wingless fruit flies for it. I haven't actually seen the gecko eat any flies, but they all disappeared from its cage, so I'm not sure if he ate them or they escaped. The lizard seems to be alert and energetic, so I assume it's not starving, but is this an accurate way to tell if it's actually eating enough?

 

[Hilde]

Narcissus, I merged both your threads, so all the info is in one place, which makes it easier to answer your questions.

 

[Narcissus]

Thanks ��

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

So I just got a baby Mediterranean gecko that is too small to eat crickets, so I bought some wingless fruit flies for it. I haven't actually seen the gecko eat any flies, but they all disappeared from its cage, so I'm not sure if he ate them or they escaped. The lizard seems to be alert and energetic, so I assume it's not starving, but is this an accurate way to tell if it's actually eating enough?

Welcome aboard, Narc! Is Yoshi's belly bigger after his meals? That's a good way to tell whether he's eating.

How warm is the room where his enclosure sits? I've never kept these. Perhaps someone (or Google) can recommend good temps?

Wingless fruit flies might not be able to escape. If some are escaping, a layer of Easy Gardener Landscape Fabric (weed block cloth) covering the screen top will keep them contained. That's porous and breathes.

​

I recommend lightly dusting these flies 1x per week with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3. Also dust 1x time per week with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium without D3. Just place a little D3 calcium powder in a tall deli container, add some flies, then swirl. Once lightly covered, dump these flies into Yoshi's home.

Buying a wingless fruit fly culture is a great way to proceed! Drosophila melanogaster are easy to breed.

 

[Narcissus]

Oh! I just took him out of the cage for a closer look, and I noticed dark spots in his belly (this species is slightly translucent) so I think it's safe to assume those are flies he's eaten. :3

 

[Narcissus]

possibly sick gecko?

I've been feeding Yoshi (baby mediterranean house gecko) wingless fruit flies, but I ran out of adult flies, and he seems less interested in eating the larvae. He's also looking very pale, and I worry these may be related. My friend suggested the paleness may be due to the lizard getting ready to shed, though. Should I be worried, or just leave him alone for a while?

 

[Hilde]

Narcissus, I have merged your new thread with the original one. As I mentioned the last time I merged a thread, it's easier to give advice if they're in one thread.
Any more problems with the same gecko can be dealt with in this thread, while it's still relatively current.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I've been feeding Yoshi (baby mediterranean house gecko) wingless fruit flies, but I ran out of adult flies, and he seems less interested in eating the larvae. He's also looking very pale, and I worry these may be related. My friend suggested the paleness may be due to the lizard getting ready to shed, though. Should I be worried, or just leave him alone for a while?

Just let Yoshi be alone for a while.

A pale gecko is an indication that shedding will happen soon.

 

[Narcissus]

Yoshi ate a cricket! o3o
I got the smallest cricket I could find and put it in the cage just to see what would happen. I thought it was probably still too big, but Yoshi immediately pounced on it and killed it, then spent the next hour slowly eating it. I'm kinda proud of my tiny lizzer baby. ����

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Yoshi ate a cricket! o3o
I got the smallest cricket I could find and put it in the cage just to see what would happen. I thought it was probably still too big, but Yoshi immediately pounced on it and killed it, then spent the next hour slowly eating it. I'm kinda proud of my tiny lizzer baby. ����

Yay, Yoshi! Good job! :biggrin: