Crested Gecko Feeding Help

I have a male I got in May and I just got two two week old Cresties a couple days ago all were feeding on Repashy Crested Gecko food but I can't get them to eat it. I'm not to concerned about the babies yet since they are still settling but the older one I can only get to eat crickets. Any help or tips on how to get them to eat it will be great would be great.

Thanks a lot for any help.

So they both were eating CGD and then stopped? How long have they refused the CGD?

Some are pickier than others. I have some cresteds that will devour CGD as soon as they see/smell it, while others will eat it a little at a time. I;ve been feeding it to my guys for just about a year now and they all eat it pretty readily. Some will skip a meal, but they'll eat it next time around.

Try feeding them dusted crickets for a while, then switch back; maybe they're tired of CGD and need something new.

Originally Posted by defcon222

So they both were eating CGD and then stopped? How long have they refused the CGD?

Some are pickier than others. I have some cresteds that will devour CGD as soon as they see/smell it, while others will eat it a little at a time. I;ve been feeding it to my guys for just about a year now and they all eat it pretty readily. Some will skip a meal, but they'll eat it next time around.

Try feeding them dusted crickets for a while, then switch back; maybe they're tired of CGD and need something new.

The male I got in May and the breeder told me he was eating CGD and crickets but now he will only eat crickets. The two week old ones I just got last Wednesday and I was told they were gobbling down CGD no problem but so far have refused for me, but I figured that may be because they are still adjusting to a new home.

They may still be adjusting. Do you just put it in a bowl and let them eat it or do you hand feed them? They may just not know what/where it is. Try mixing some up, putting it on a spoon and put some on thier nose. They'll lick at it and realize what it is. or put it in the bowl and gently stick their nose in the bowl, that way they can see the bowl with CGD in it. That works for me if I need to move them to a new cage and they can't find it.

Originally Posted by defcon222

They may still be adjusting. Do you just put it in a bowl and let them eat it or do you hand feed them? They may just not know what/where it is. Try mixing some up, putting it on a spoon and put some on thier nose. They'll lick at it and realize what it is. or put it in the bowl and gently stick their nose in the bowl, that way they can see the bowl with CGD in it. That works for me if I need to move them to a new cage and they can't find it.

I normally just put a bowl in and after a while if they don't touch it I will put them next to it so they know it is there.

I did what you said tonight except I just held their bowl to their nose. I first tried my older male and at first he did not seem to like it and shook his head ever time he licked it but after awhile he seemed to get the hang of it and was licking it out of the bowl on my hand. Hopefully after hand feeding him a bit he'll get the hang of it and eat in his cage. The babies did very well and licked it off my finger and then out of the bowl, I don't think they will be too much of a problem to get to eat in their cage.

Thanks for your help.

I have had a few cresties that seemed resistant to eating CGD at first... but now I feed it pretty much exclusively! In fact, I have many adult Cresties that won't even eat crickets (I've gotten tired of pulling uneaten crickets out of cages)! I have found that they will all eat CGD eventually.

How much food are you offering the hatchlings? Most people offer too much food (its hard to just mix up the teeny amount that they need) and it is hard to tell that the small amount they are eating is missing. I would just look for little poops in the cage, and if you are seeing those, they are eating. I use a 1 oz solo deli cup with only about 2-3 mm of food in it for the hatchlings and after one day, sometimes can not tell if any is missing. I do see the poops however, which assures me that they are in fact eating. Keep in mind their stomachs are very small.

As for the adult, you can try mixing in small amounts of baby food just to add some flavor, but will want to use very small amounts and slowly cut the baby food out altogether, as it is very high in sugar and not desirable as part of their diet. The other (better) option is the 2 part CGD system which is available in a variety of more tempting flavors.

Like the others said, it's really hard to tell whether or not the juvie cresteds are eating because they just make little tiny dents in the CGD. Basically, as long as you see poops in the cage and they look "normal" and not runny, then that's a sign that they're eating the CGD. You could also try putting another little dish of CGD in the cage in another area just to be sure. Also, sometimes if you have too big of an enclosure for a hatchling/juvie they may have problems finding the CGD, they do better in smaller enclosures. Hope that helps.