Feeding tricks..?

[KarleyandBrad]

I have a yellow dalmation male crested gecko I picked up from someone a month ago who wasn't taking care of him properly..

He was very skinny, his head is still bigger than his body and his temperment was very docile and lethargic. He has filled out a little since then, and is moving around his tank on his own now.. but he's still a lot less active than other cresteds I've had in the past.

He eats CGD, but I have to put it right infront of his nose for him to know it's
there. I haven't seen him eat anything on his own.
The weird thing is, he is having larger than 'normal' deposits, though I never witness him eating anything - I know a lot of cresteds eat in private, but unless I move him, he is rarely in a different spot than I left him. The crickets I leave in his cage are always still in there (with the exception of the two missing and the third I witnessed him eating).. so I just remove them in the morning and try again later.

I've tried isolating him in a seperate container with the crickets to see if maybe he just isn't finding them in his cage, but he doesn't seem to be phased. He licks the air like he's interested, but that's it. I've tried using tongs and putting them infront of him, but he still won't bite.

Another concern is that he only seems to eat the powder and fruits when I hand feed him, and I don't want him to get into the habit of depending on me. In short - does anyone have any feeding tricks, or should I just stick to a non-cricket diet?

[will post pictures later for anyone who wants to see them]

[kellymack515]

Can't help ya but I definitely want to see the little cutie!

[KarleyandBrad]

I'll get some up tomorrow for you Kelly.

[Envied Reptiles]

How old is he ? Smaller / younger crested naturally eat very little. Also, generally speaking they are nocturnal and not active during the day, so I would check in on him periodically at nights after the lights are out for a bit to see if hes moving around then. Google "entemoba" spp?,as it soulds like this might be something you wold want to look into, but its really hard to say. Also check "pangea forums" or "Repashy forums" and that will lead you to more info on cresteds.

[KarleyandBrad]

I'm not sure how old he is, but he is full grown.. just skinny.

I'm only home at night, and this is when I check on him.. His light is on an automatic timer, and goes out about an hour before I get home. He is always in the same spot before I go to bed and when I get up in the morning.

I'm headed to work, I'll look up 'entemoba'.. is that an illness?

I've also noticed that he licks his vent a lot.. is that normal for males? I've only ever owned females.

	Cloaca is the posterior opening that serves as the only such opening for the intestinal, urinary, and (usually) genital tracts of certain animal species.All birds, reptiles, and amphibians possess this orifice, from which they excrete both urine and feces

[leoares27]

maybe he needs more calcium? Are you sure he is a he...good luck

[KarleyandBrad]

Very sure it's a he.

And well if I could get him to eat crickets, I could calcium dust them if that's the problem..

[leoares27]

we have a female who was having some shedding problems, then she wouldn't eat and was very lathargic. MY husband had to hand feed her everything. He mixed calcium in babyfood and the crested gecko diet. She ate her first cricket on her own the other night. The first in probably more than a month

[KarleyandBrad]

Hmm. Thanks for the info, I'll definitely try it!

He just shed a few days ago, just has a little still left on the ends of his toes. Seems that the shed went okay.
When we picked him up I thought he was a silver dalmation, only to see a few days later when he had been hand fed some fruits and CGD that he really was bright yellow with red.

[EmilyK]

I've got cresteds that won't eat crickets, too. If he's eating the Repashy CGD he doesn't need anything else. Do you mix the CGD right before you give it to him? Try mixing it and letting it sit for a few hours before putting it in his cage. Some geckos prefer it "aged."

What fruits are you feeding to him? Mine like overripe bananas, mushed berries and mango.

[KarleyandBrad]

He is eating the CGD, likes it more runny than solid. I know he doesn't necessarily have to eat more than that, though a variety and offering him different foods couldn't hurt.

So far he's only eaten pineapple, bananas, and applesauce.