tips to get albino to eat?

I have an albino gecko that I purchased from a reptile dealer , ive had her for about 2 months and she is very pickyonly eating like one ckicket every 2 weeks. When i first got she weighed 16 grams she was kept in a 5 gallon with an overhead lamp with the temps at 85-90 degrees, she wasnt eating at first but after a couple of days she was eating ckrickets and mealworms .After a month it put on a couple of grams 18 and i thought she was doing well. Then one weekend she just stopped eating and its been downhill eversince.Im always throwing crickets in the enclosure but it just looks at them and the ckrickets eventually die. I got her to take a crickert the other day but nothing since.I have now changed her to a heated rack were the temps are 85-89 degrees.Im just a little worried that this girl isnt going to gain any weight, any advice on what to do.

Mitch, you may need to take her to a vet. Also Marcia from Golden Gate Geckos as a great "Slurry" recipe that has been very sucessful for some of the other people here. Good Luck keep us posted.

Originally Posted by Clucky

I have an albino gecko that I purchased from a reptile dealer , ive had her for about 2 months and she is very pickyonly eating like one ckicket every 2 weeks. When i first got she weighed 16 grams she was kept in a 5 gallon with an overhead lamp with the temps at 85-90 degrees, she wasnt eating at first but after a couple of days she was eating ckrickets and mealworms .After a month it put on a couple of grams 18 and i thought she was doing well. Then one weekend she just stopped eating and its been downhill eversince.Im always throwing crickets in the enclosure but it just looks at them and the ckrickets eventually die. I got her to take a crickert the other day but nothing since.I have now changed her to a heated rack were the temps are 85-89 degrees.Im just a little worried that this girl isnt going to gain any weight, any advice on what to do.

Some random thoughts/questions -
How are you measuring the temperature? Temps on the ground need to be around 90F, not necessarily the air temps. I'd bet the 5gal w/overhead lighting was a bit on the warm side, which could affect eating. It's not too easy to get a proper thermal temp gradient on such a small tank (unless it was a half-height 10-gal size tank). How large is the enclosure in the rack? Have you tried mealworms? You can leave a dish of mealworms in the enclosure all the time. Most leopard geckos will eat mealies, especially if you start them young. In addition to a vet, I would thoroughly reevaluate the enclosure, especially the heating aspects. I use both in/out door thermometers and a temp gun to measure temps. Also, you probably already know, but make sure to provide a humid hide. Lastly, what size crickets are you offering? Try to get ones that are about the length of the geckos head and 1/2 to 3/4 the width. This would probably be 3-4 wk old crickets for your gecko (I think).

Good luck

I normally just hold up a mealie and say "No Waxworms for you if you don't eat your dinner!"

Seriously... I got nothing.... read the other posts

Glenn's got the right idea with his slurry. With babies that are real reluctant feeders, I generally feed them peach or apricot baby food mixed with T-Rex's crested gecko diet or calcium. While the babies won't eat this voluntarily on their own, leopard geckos have the really handy habit of wanting to keep their faces clean. I get a teaspoon, fill it with the babyfood mixture, and then smear little chunks of food on the nose of the gecko, careful not to get any in the nostrils. The gecko will ingest the food simply by licking its mouth to keep clean.

I often use this method to rehabilitate dehydrated geckos as well. It works wonders and generally their appetite improves within a week.

Good luck and keep us posted!

My fiance and I recently adopted two beautiful leopard geckos killer a patternless male, and psykadelic a normal female. Killer is doing great he eats about 4 crickets a day and loves to sit on my shoulder. Its Psykadelic I'm worried about. All shes eaten since we've gotten her is a cricket and a leg. maybe im just being a worry wart but it unnerves. i know shes probely just ajusting still. although last night she was all in "pounce mode" and stalking this cricket then just walked away. what do i do?

Try hand feeding the crickets with tweezers. I've seen mine pounce and pounce trying to get their cricket then give up in frustration. I don't think a Leo's eyesight or depth perception is the best. To me, it seems like they only get their cricket 1 in 5 times....Since you only have two hand feeding wouldnt be too time consuming. I've tried it with the ones that are horrible hunters and it seems to help their appetite. Then eventually I start holding the cricket further away and moving it around so they have to lunge for it...I've had my finger clamped on a few times....adding to my belief that the eyesight isnt the best and it is movement that they focus on....good luck...
And a fecal to the vet would be a good idea just incase. A new living situation can stress a gecko leading to higher parasite levels causing it to bloom into an infestation. Someone correct me if I am wrong,but don't most reptiles, including Leos have some level of parasties naturally and stress can cause it to turn into a problem? Or I am thinking of Beardies carrying Crypto naturally...

I've seen her hunt once. she's also 3 years old and didn't like a cricket in her face or any where near her. we are going to try mealies tonight maybe take the advice posted earlier about smearing a little on her face.