HELP!! (Crested Gecko owners)

[blondebabe567855]

I have a baby crested gecko (about 2 months) and he was eating fine and now I don't see him eating
I have him in a medium critter keeper inside of a 20 tall tank, it has jungle bedding and is offered crested gecko diet and baby food (fruits) as well as small crickets. I work at petsmart so and I know the set up is the right kind of setup. The temperature usually stays between 70 and 78 pending on the temperature of my house and the lights, humidity is always high so he isn't dehydrated. I accidentally gave him a apple and bananas yogurt baby food and didn't realize it had yogurt after I put it in and put the jar in the fridge and then I pulled it out of the cage. I have been putting crested gecko diet on his nose so he can lick it off but he wont eat the crickets. Even when I cleaned his critter keeper I put him in a deli cup (like we use at petsmart to transport them from the store to the new home) and I put three small crickets in there and he wasn't even remotely interested. Any suggestions?

 

[SamanthaJane13]

Number one-get the baby off the baby food. I don't give a rat's butt what PetSmart's care sheet says-NO BABY FOOD.

That's like feeding a toddle NOTHING but chips and Coke for it's meals.

It's almost animal abuse.

THIS is the result of a poor diet-His name is Wolf Runner, and his mother laid his undercalcified egg, and he's been crippled since birth from Metabolic Bone Disease. He will NEVER be NORMAL.

Look how compressed his ribs and torso are!!! And he's about 2/3's the size of a "normal"adult gecko!!!

He was given to a friend of mine who didn't have room in her colony to do his rehab.

He came from a PetSmart in Washington State.

Also-no crickets until he's eating CGD for at least 2 to 4 weeks, then only 2 or 3 crickets every 7 to 10days. They are SNACKS-NOT DINNER.

Next-get rid of any heat or lighting devises in his tank.

He's nocturnal-he doesn't need light, and his heat requirements are the same as yours. If you're cold, raise the heat a bit, because your gecko probably is, too. Don't let the temps get over 80, because it can cause permanent damage or DEATH to your gecko.


NOTHING infuriates me more than PetSmart's inaccurate tank labels and care sheets!!! They KILL more animals than they help.

For an GOOD caresheet please check out Anthony Caponetto's-breeder for ACReptiles.com and owner of Ciliatus.com-

http://www.ciliatus.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=197

 

[blondebabe567855]

Thanks Donna!

 

[rcarichter]

Kayla,
A while back a purchased a baby from a show, which died 4 days later. It had a bit of fiber substrate sticking out of it, and when I pulled it out, a large impaction came out that it would never have been able to pass. I'd get some paper towels and Crested Gecko Diet and it should be fine. Good Luck!
Noelle Richter

 

[Sublime Reptiles]

Babies dont do well on particle substrates and are best housed on paper towels until they are 15g or larger before moving onto a substrate like eco earth.

As stated baby food is meant for babies, not crested geckos. The proper diet would be CGD only, or CGD supplemented with crickets 1-2 times a week which either need to be dusted with a calcium or dusted with CGD. I personally rarely offer crickets to my crew, only my egg laying females get crickets other then that it is CGD only here. And as stated by Donna, just stick with the CGD until you know it is well established on it.

But an easy way to know if your gecko is eating, because these guys are so small that when babies it doesnt look like they have touched their food, poop = eating, plain and simple. So as long as you are seeing feces I wouldnt fret to much. Just stick with the CGD and hit up the forums for advice and not the pet stores.

 

[SamanthaJane13]

Thanks Donna!

Any time!!! I'm glad I could help!!!

I'd definitely suggest you join the following forums-

http://ciliatus.com/forums/index.php

&

http://www.pangeareptile.com/forums/index.php

They specialize in cresties!!! And they both have very caring, helpful people there to guide you!!

Another hint for making sure your new kid is eating-use a Gatorade cap for the food dish.

Their little tummies are about the size of a dried split pea to the size of a green pea until they get to about 6 or 8 months, and a few tiny licks a few times a day keep them pretty full!!

When he gets bigger, go to the small mammal aisle and get one of the small plastic non-tip dishes that look like a miniature dog dish. They come in purple, blue and teal...and hold about 2 ounces. I buy them at PetSmart all the time for my kids. They each have one!!

And yes!!

As Sublime so aptly put it, poop = EATING!! Look for tiny droppings that look like mouse droppings.

Good luck with your little one!!!

 

[blondebabe567855]

Thank you all you have been much help!