AFT Seems Lethargic

Rocketeer

New member
Bought my AFT about a month ago, after a few days he began to eat and poop healthy on a regular basis. Just before Christmas he stopped eating his dusted crickets. I set up a motion camera on his tank to see if he is active at night and there is no change between day and night. Sleeping constantly with the odd adjustment and moving between his warm hide (set at 88-90 degrees) and his cooler moist hide (around 75ish). About 5 days ago he began to shed, he had no interest in eating his skin, and about 2 days later, I helped him get the rest of his shed off of his tail and face with a warm soak. I have tried feeding him meal worms, crickets and wax worms and he isnt interested. I fed him 2 wax worms today just holding him and keeping the worm by his mouth. I have only found 2 poops since this has began and they were completely white. Even when I pick him up, he wiggles for about 5 seconds, opens his eyes, then closes them and falls asleep. Is this brumation? Or is somthing the matter with my AFT. His bedding is coconut fiber. Water changed regularly. Food is always dusted with calcium, and sometimes reptivite, both with D3. Please help!IMG_20210102_130434.jpgIMG_20210102_130441.jpg
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Welcome to Geckos Unlimited!

Please let me know what else you have for further recommendations.

  1. About how old is your AFT?
  2. How many times per week is his prey currently dusted with D3 calcium?
  3. Is that Zoo Med Repti Calcium with D3?
  4. How many times per week is his prey dusted with Zoo Med D3 Reptivite multivitamins?
  5. Was that prey lightly dusted or heavily dusted?
  6. Can you buy plain (no D3) Zoo Med's Repti Calcium soon?
Your AFT only needs light dusting with a D3 product @ 1 feeding per week. Other dustings at 1 or 2 feedings per week should be done with pure calcium (Zoo Med's Repti Calcium withOUT D3). That's because D3 is fat soluble. A single D3 dose sticks around in a gecko's body all week long.

Only feed a couple waxworms per month at most!
 
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Rocketeer

New member
Thanks Elizabeth!
He isn't very old, an exact date I'm not sure. I bought him a month ago from a reptile shop in my city. Only a few months old is my guess. His prey is always dusted with calcium, typically daily or every other day. Is this too much? Yes that is the calcium I have, I could probably get some tomorrow without d3. I put a few crickets in a bag and shake with the suppliments to coat them, probably considered a heavier coating. Hes only had the multivitamin twice, I believe I read on here once or twice a week? Correct me if wrong. And today is the first time hes had a wax worm. The reptile supplier recommended it to see if he would eat somthing atleast.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Thanks Elizabeth!
He isn't very old, an exact date I'm not sure. I bought him a month ago from a reptile shop in my city. Only a few months old is my guess. His prey is always dusted with calcium, typically daily or every other day. Is this too much? Yes that is the calcium I have, I could probably get some tomorrow without d3. I put a few crickets in a bag and shake with the suppliments to coat them, probably considered a heavier coating. Hes only had the multivitamin twice, I believe I read on here once or twice a week? Correct me if wrong. And today is the first time hes had a wax worm. The reptile supplier recommended it to see if he would eat somthing atleast.
Your gecko may be responding to a supplement overdose. He is also probably getting too much vitamin D3.

Daily dusting is definitely way too often! Lightly coated prey (like the sprinkling of powdered sugar on a cake) is what you want.
  • Take a tall plastic container.
  • Add some powder.
  • Add crickets or mealworms.
  • Swirl crickets or mealworms.
  • Bounce crickets off the bottom of this container to remove excess powder.
  • Tightly cap this container until the next dusting.
Waxworms can be addictive and cause your AFT to only want waxworms. Waxworms may contain vitamin C. Only feed a couple waxworms 1x per month.

Supplement Schedule for young AFT
  • Monday ~ Lightly dust prey with Zoo Med's Reptivite multivitamins with D3
  • Wednesday ~ Lightly dust prey with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium withOUT D3
  • Friday ~ Lightly dust prey with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium withOUT D3
  • Saturday ~ Just feed AFT if he's still hungry

What are you feeding the crickets and mealworms? I recommend Repashy's Bug Burger.
 
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Rocketeer

New member
I just ordered some calcium withOUT d3, so I will start using that. I guess if theres d3 in the multivitimin then thats sufficient? Okay I will try a container next feeding rather then ziplock baggy, to get rid of the excess suppliment. Noted for the wax worms, I've read they lack alot of nutrients and are basically just fatty. Thats a good schedule to have! Thank you. Currently feeding my mealworms (which he almost never likes to eat) and crickets Flukers Orange Cubes total vitamin, along with some spinach and oats. Ill have to get some bug burger aswell.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
I just ordered some calcium withOUT d3, so I will start using that. I guess if theres d3 in the multivitimin then thats sufficient? Okay I will try a container next feeding rather then ziplock baggy, to get rid of the excess suppliment. Noted for the wax worms, I've read they lack alot of nutrients and are basically just fatty. Thats a good schedule to have! Thank you. Currently feeding my mealworms (which he almost never likes to eat) and crickets Flukers Orange Cubes total vitamin, along with some spinach and oats. Ill have to get some bug burger aswell.

Here are recs re feeding the feeders.

Best to skip oats, because they contain excessive phosphorus. Skip spinach too!

Gutload Ingredients for Bugs & Worms . . . . . . thanks to Olimpia -- August 2013

"A commercial gut loading food like Bug Burger or Superload (both by Repashy), Cricket Crack, Dinofuel, etc. is going to make your life easier AND provide a nutritious diet to your crickets at the same time. Avoid Fluker's gutloads, as they are super feeble in their formulas.

"If you opt for making your own gutload at home, here is a list of great ingredients to use:
Best: mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion flowers & leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress, and alfalfa.
Good: sweet potato, carrots, oranges, mango, butternut squash, kale, apples, beet greens, blackberries, bok choy, and green beans.
Dry food: bee pollen, organic non-salted sunflower seeds, spirulina, dried seaweed, flax seed, and organic non-salted almonds.
Avoid as much as possible: potatoes, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, corn, grains, beans, oats, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, dog food, cat food, fish food, canned or dead insects, vertebrates."
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
I just ordered some calcium withOUT d3, so I will start using that. I guess if theres d3 in the multivitimin then thats sufficient? Okay I will try a container next feeding rather then ziplock baggy, to get rid of the excess suppliment. Noted for the wax worms, I've read they lack alot of nutrients and are basically just fatty. Thats a good schedule to have! Thank you. Currently feeding my mealworms (which he almost never likes to eat) and crickets Flukers Orange Cubes total vitamin, along with some spinach and oats. Ill have to get some bug burger aswell.
You're welcome.

Confirming: ONLY use a D3 supplement @ 1 feeding per week and Zoo Med's Reptivite multivitamins @ 1 feeding per week. :)

We are what we eat. Please copy & paste the amount of ingredients contained in your Flukers Orange Cubes total vitamin gel food.

Keep us posted.
 
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Rocketeer

New member
"Ingredients: Water, carageenan, soya protein, dried brewers yeast, dried kelp, calcium carbonate, spirulina, potassium sorbate, ascorbic acid, citric acid, yellow #6 food color." Is the ingredient list for the orange cubes.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
"Ingredients: Water, carageenan, soya protein, dried brewers yeast, dried kelp, calcium carbonate, spirulina, potassium sorbate, ascorbic acid, citric acid, yellow #6 food color." Is the ingredient list for the orange cubes.

What I'm looking for is % protein, et cetera. As I recall Flukers Orange Cubes are significantly deficient in protein.

What you probably need is a ground up dry diet containing about 16% protein like Bug Burger. I place moistened paper towels on top of egg flats for the crickets to drink. I usually heavily mist the paper towels once daily.
 
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Rocketeer

New member
I have a cricket keeper, with food and water dishes (sponge inside). Purchaced the bug burger and calcium without d3 today. Attempted to feed my AFT a cricket (no dusting, just plain) after picking him up and he didnt open his eyes. He bit the cricket then fell asleep with the cricket hanging out of his mouth. He ended up spitting it out after about 2 hours. I pre-killed the cricket, just incase, I didnt want it biting him. He didnt wiggle when I picked him up this time, which worries me.
 

Rocketeer

New member
He hasnt been eating or drinking water. (I have a motion camera on his tank to see if I can catch him moving at night)
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
I have a cricket keeper, with food and water dishes (sponge inside). Purchaced the bug burger and calcium without d3 today. Attempted to feed my AFT a cricket (no dusting, just plain) after picking him up and he didnt open his eyes. He bit the cricket then fell asleep with the cricket hanging out of his mouth. He ended up spitting it out after about 2 hours. I pre-killed the cricket, just incase, I didnt want it biting him. He didnt wiggle when I picked him up this time, which worries me.

He hasnt been eating or drinking water. (I have a motion camera on his tank to see if I can catch him moving at night)
I don't know why he's not perking up. :/

[MENTION=8562]acpart[/MENTION] What do you think is going on with this young AFT?
 

Rocketeer

New member
No change this morning, moved about 3 inches last night in total. I placed him in his warm hide, and he walked out of it and stayed there all night.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
No change this morning, moved about 3 inches last night in total. I placed him in his warm hide, and he walked out of it and stayed there all night.
I hope he's brumating.

What do you think about giving him a warm/tepid bath for about 15 minutes? Keep the water temperature about 30*C. That should help with hydration!

A leopard gecko's preferred body temperature (PBT) = 86*F. That's 30*C. That same water temperature would be alright for your AFT.
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Thanks for sharing, Rocketeer. I'm so sorry for your loss. May he rest in paradise.

Maybe he had something wrong internally that we couldn't see.

Here's a daffodil to ease your pain.

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