Leopard Gecko feeding dish and eating challenges

So we seem to be having an issue.

Feeding option #1 -- small white ceramic with a lip designed to keep insects in. Donovan did okay with it, but the dubia roaches kept climbing on top of one another and getting out.
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Feeding option #2 -- I tried using feeding tongs. But he bumped his nose on them and now doesn't want to eat that way.

Feeding option #3 -- Anchor glass bowl, 8 oz. Approx. 2 inches deep. The dubia can't escape it, but Donovan saw the bugs and didn't realize about the glass. So then he just sat and stared at the bowl.
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Feeding option #4 -- shallow stoneware bowl. maybe 1.25 deep with sloped sides. almost 6 inches in diameter so it's taking up a lot of space. Stupid roaches got out of it. Donovan chased down and grabbed one. But he's been ignoring the rest of the escapees.
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He doesn't want to have anything to do with me other than peeking at me from his humid hide. I know, it's only been a week and a half and it takes time.

I've got to find a solidly functional way of feeding him so I can keep track of what he's eating. And now he has me worried because he only ate like 3 roaches tonight (well, and one for a morning snack this morning).

I'm open to any suggestions
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
So we seem to be having an issue.

. . . . . .

Feeding option #3 -- Anchor glass bowl, 8 oz. Approx. 2 inches deep. The dubia can't escape it, but Donovan saw the bugs and didn't realize about the glass. So then he just sat and stared at the bowl.
View attachment 50421

1. Staring at the bowl = baby steps! :cheer:

I use the 8 ounce Anchor "storage" bowl with vertical sides sold by Amazon & Walmart. I add a sloped rock up to the bowl's lip. My leo scales the sloped rock to access her crickets. Skip a feeding so a bit of hunger motivates Donovan. Place him on the rock to show him that gives easier access to his dubia.


. . . . . .

He doesn't want to have anything to do with me other than peeking at me from his humid hide. I know, it's only been a week and a half and it takes time.

2. :sad: Patience is one key to success, Michele. Like you've mentioned he's ONLY going on 2 weeks with you guys.

ONLY Donovan knows when he's full.



I've got to find a solidly functional way of feeding him so I can keep track of what he's eating. And now he has me worried because he only ate like 3 roaches tonight (well, and one for a morning snack this morning).

I'm open to any suggestions

3. I use two 8.5 x 11 inch monthly calendars to monitor many things "gecko". Just a quick notation keeps me on track -- mostly.

2x per month weighing could track his growth.
 
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So we seem to be having an issue.

. . . . . .

Feeding option #3 -- Anchor glass bowl, 8 oz. Approx. 2 inches deep. The dubia can't escape it, but Donovan saw the bugs and didn't realize about the glass. So then he just sat and stared at the bowl.
View attachment 50421

1. Staring at the bowl = baby steps! :cheer:

I use the 8 ounce Anchor "storage" bowl with vertical sides sold by Amazon & Walmart. I add a sloped rock up to the bowl's lip. My leo scales the sloped rock to access her crickets. Skip a feeding so a bit of hunger motivates Donovan. Place him on the rock to show him that gives easier access to his dubia.


. . . . . .

He doesn't want to have anything to do with me other than peeking at me from his humid hide. I know, it's only been a week and a half and it takes time.

2. :sad: Patience is one key to success, Michele. Like you've mentioned he's ONLY going on 2 weeks with you guys.

ONLY Donovan knows when he's full.



I've got to find a solidly functional way of feeding him so I can keep track of what he's eating. And now he has me worried because he only ate like 3 roaches tonight (well, and one for a morning snack this morning).

I'm open to any suggestions

3. I use two 8.5 x 11 inch monthly calendars to monitor many things "gecko". Just a quick notation keeps me on track -- mostly.

2x per month weighing could track his growth.

Hmmm....some kind of little steppy thing might help with the glass bowl issue (I feel like it's too tall for him but it's possible I am overthinking things), although putting him on the steppy thing won't work because he isn't ready for me to pick him up.

Sigh. Patience. Not really my strong suit. (Excuse the Hugo the Abominable Snowman moment, but I want to "hug him and pet him and squeeze him...." and name him George.)

I got a digital kitchen scale to keep track of his weight. Except he won't let won't let me take him out to weigh him.

IS there any practical way to pick him up before he's fully on board with the idea? Or should I just calm the heck down and trust the process (if it's any reassurance, I was just as neurotic when I first had my snake AND when I first had my very first cat)?
 
So we seem to be having an issue.


Feeding option #3 -- Anchor glass bowl, 8 oz. Approx. 2 inches deep. The dubia can't escape it, but Donovan saw the bugs and didn't realize about the glass. So then he just sat and stared at the bowl.
View attachment 50421

1. Staring at the bowl = baby steps! :cheer:

I use the 8 ounce Anchor "storage" bowl with vertical sides sold by Amazon & Walmart. I add a sloped rock up to the bowl's lip. My leo scales the sloped rock to access her crickets. Skip a feeding so a bit of hunger motivates Donovan. Place him on the rock to show him that gives easier access to his dubia.

[/B]


So, you mentioned a rock or something. What about something like this that he can climb on to get to the bowl easier? Or am I still overthinking?

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Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
So, you mentioned a rock or something. What about something like this that he can climb on to get to the bowl easier? Or am I still overthinking?

View attachment 50424

This ramp may work well! After you place Donnie on the "steppy thing" a couple times he may figure out it leads to bugs!!! You da boss, Michele. Donnie will probably forgive you.

My leo = 9 inches total length. I've had my leo's rock ramp ever since she's had her glass feeding bowl. I found the perfect rock on the beach.

Please share an image of Donnie's entire enclosure. Each enclosure could be a work-in-progress. Right now Donnie is safety-conscious and quite curious. He doesn't know you all that well.
 
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This ramp may work well! After you place Donnie on the "steppy thing" a couple times he may figure out it leads to bugs!!! You da boss, Michele. Donnie will probably forgive you.

My leo = 9 inches total length. I've had my leo's rock ramp ever since she's had her glass feeding bowl. I found the perfect rock on the beach.

Please share an image of Donnie's entire enclosure. Each enclosure could be a work-in-progress. Right now Donnie is safety-conscious and quite curious. He doesn't know you all that well.

This is the current set up. The humid cave and log style hide are on the warm end of the enclosure. the skull and fake stone hide are on the cooler end. The far corner (opposite the skull) is his litter area.

I have a leopard gecko litter box coming in the mail (if he uses it great, if not, no big deal). And I have an Arcadia Shadowdweller light showing up tomorrow (hopefully -- UPS and I are not getting along at the moment). I also have shelf liner coming because while I like the tile, I feel like escapee roaches are getting under it and hiding.

He has been hiding in his humid hide a lot of the time (although he pokes his head out and stares at me whenever I sit down). After last night's less than successful feeding, I offered him some roaches with the tongs this evening and he ate four small ones for me. I don't leave his food dish in there other than when I'm feeding him.
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Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Sometimes leos like to eat in private.

1. What dimensions is this enclosure?
2. Did you order non-adhesive shelf liner?

Had I known you planned to buy Arcadia's ShadeDweller lighting so quickly my recs may have been different.

Anyway, a slate substrate or a slate basking area is a superior stone for absorbing heat! Amazon has ~16 x 12 x 0.25 inch slate, coaster sized slate, & something in between.

 
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Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
PS:

I really, REALLY, think Donovan would feel more comfortable eating when he feels like it. That's similar to what he'd do "in the wild". That includes times when you're absent.
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
I use a white deli cup with a hole cut in the center of the lid, big enough to admit the gecko.

After considering your options, I think Herpin Man's recommendation for a feeding dish is the best option we have.

  1. Take a shallow container, ~3 inches tall and ~5-6 inches in diameter.
  2. With a soldering iron melt a hole in the lid big enough for Donovan to climb through.
  3. Add dubia.
  4. Snap on the lid & wait.
  5. Please leave bugs in this container even when you're not present.
.
 
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Sometimes leos like to eat in private.

1. What dimensions is this enclosure?
2. Did you order non-adhesive shelf liner?

Had I known you planned to buy Arcadia's ShadeDweller lighting so quickly my recs may have been different.

Anyway, a slate substrate or a slate basking area is a superior stone for absorbing heat! Amazon has ~16 x 12 x 0.25 inch slate, coaster sized slate, & something in between.


OK the enclosure is 12x30x16.
Yes, I ordered non-adhesive shelf liner, but I'm not 100% determined to use it for him. What he has in there now is ceramic tiles (I had read about having to treat slate because it is porous and that ceramic works just as well).

OK, so what recommendations will change with the ShadeDweller?
1. Does it add any significant amount of heat? The Ultratherm UTH + a CHE was way way too much heat. Is that going to become a concern with the ShadeDweller? (I already have a digital timer for it).

2. Because his enclosure is 16 inches high (versus the 12 inches being discussed in the link you provided), I know I'm going to have to adjust his Calcium D3/Vitamin schedule, but I'm not sure how much. Should the D3 be eliminated entirely? Used every other week? I have the plain calcium carbonate powder as well. Would I use that instead of the Calcium D3?

3. When you say eating when he feels like it, I'm assuming you mean roaches in a dish they can't escape from so that he can eat at his leisure? That's what I'd like to do. Because he seems to be a bit of a grazer. He'll eat 3-4 roaches in a sitting and then he's done.

If I can get things so that the roaches can't get out of his food bowl (so I have some idea of how much he's eating), leaving him a selection of them to nibble on when he's hungry is probably going to be the best way to make sure he's eating enough.

The past couple days, he's been staying in his humid hide a LOT (although he comes out during the night to use his bathroom area). I know this is a food/feeding forum, so if you prefer I set up a question about ShadeDweller under the housing forum, I can do that, but based on the photos, what other suggestions do you have? (I got the ShadeDweller because I hadn't completely realized how dark my desk area is even during the daytime.)
 
After considering your options, I think Herpin Man's recommendation for a feeding dish is the best option we have.

  1. Take a shallow container, ~3 inches tall and ~5-6 inches in diameter.
  2. With a soldering iron melt a hole in the lid big enough for Donovan to climb through.
  3. Add dubia,
  4. Snap on the lid & wait.
  5. Please leave bugs in this container even when you're not present
.

Donnie doesn't seem especially about eating in front of me, but he does seem to prefer small meals.

So, the container....basically a plastic lunch container? Or should it be something stoneware-ish to make sure it doesn't tip over when he climbs on it? Maybe a 2x2(ish) opening?

I'm really liking this idea!!
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Donnie doesn't seem especially about eating in front of me, but he does seem to prefer small meals.

So, the container....basically a plastic lunch container? Or should it be something stoneware-ish to make sure it doesn't tip over when he climbs on it? Maybe a 2x2(ish) opening?

I'm really liking this idea!!

A plastic container should work fine! I'd find one about 3 inches tall. I think a plastic sandwich container would be too confining.

You might locate it in the cool end up against the corner right where the skeleton head is???
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
I know this is a food/feeding forum, so if you prefer I set up a question about ShadeDweller under the housing forum, I can do that, but based on the photos, what other suggestions do you have? (I got the ShadeDweller because I hadn't completely realized how dark my desk area is even during the daytime.)

No worries. Stick to this thread. :)

There's an easy way to add light to your enclosure. Take a Westinghouse 15 watt incandescent bulb, dim it to half power with a Lutron rheostat, place the bulb in a 5.5 inch diameter Fluker's dome, and place it on a timer.

The ShadeDweller won't add significant heat. The ShadeDweller is all about UVB. That's why distance is important. Don't unbox your ShadeDweller until you hear back from RL.

I see you've seen my PM. I'll be back later today.
 
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A plastic container should work fine! I'd find one about 3 inches tall. I think a plastic sandwich container would be too confining.

You might locate it in the cool end up against the corner right where the skeleton head is???

I'll definitely be setting this up over the weekend and I'll post photos once it's prepared.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Have I missed your thermostat? What brand & type do you have?

Is some probe lieing on the floor inside Donnie's warm dry hide? I wonder if you reduce that temp to 90-92*F as suggested in ReptiFiles' Leo Care Guide (linked by Fran), if Donnie would spend time there too.

2. Because his enclosure is 16 inches high (versus the 12 inches being discussed in the link you provided), I know I'm going to have to adjust his Calcium D3/Vitamin schedule, but I'm not sure how much. Should the D3 be eliminated entirely? Used every other week? I have the plain calcium carbonate powder as well. Would I use that instead of the Calcium D3?

Once Donnie is "reliably" basking below his Shadedweller & halogen bulb, switch to Schedule 155.

 
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Updated Housing and Feeding Dish, and a new (non-shedding) picture of Donovan

So, I joined the Reptile Lighting group on Facebook and have added lighting according to the recommendations of Dr. Baines.

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And I added a new food dish set up so Donovan can eat at his leisure.

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And I got to take a couple pictures of him this morning. He still looks like he needs to gain some weight, but I'll be feeding his roaches with Pro Gutload. And now that he can eat when he wants, hopefully he'll fill out the way he should.

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Hilde

Administrator
Staff member
MicheleVicchitto, I've merged your update thread with this one, since it's basically just a continuation of the original.
There's no need to start a new thread when your question is related to something in a recent thread you started.
 
MicheleVicchitto, I've merged your update thread with this one, since it's basically just a continuation of the original.
There's no need to start a new thread when your question is related to something in a recent thread you started.

Thank you. And I'm sorry.
 
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