Questions about crested geckos.

[thisongwillend]

Hi, I got a pair of crested geckos recently and I don't know if they have been eating as much as they should. I have three leopard geckos that have been known to eat 5 full sized crickets in one sitting, but my new crested geckos donts seem to have as much of an appetite as these do. When I got them from the store the owner said he just fed them crickets. I have been providing them with new crickets in their cage every night, and they quickly adapted to eating crested gecko diet, which I bought because I didnt notice any of the crickets being eaten at night. I got them to eat a small super worm about 4 days ago, but they are not interested in eating another one yet. Do crested geckos only eat once or twice a week, or are my geckos not eating enough? They dont look very skinny, but sometimes when they walk I can see they ribs show through, just a little. Thanks, If you have any tips on how to get them to eat some insects I'd love some advice.

[ColleenT]

Welcome. STOP feeding only crickets. you'll end up with MBD. order some Repashy formula Meal replacement powder or Crested Gecko Diet( CGD), this should be the main diet of the gecko and it is balanced so it has the right nutrients, vitamins and minerals and your gecko will never have to eat insects if you don't want to buy them. but i give a snack of insects every week or two. Crickets are snack food. not very healthy as the main meal.

[floydsmom]

As he said, he did get them to eat the diet.

The diet is a complete formula which provides all of the necessary nutrients for these guys. If they eat plenty of that, you should have no problems.

Btw, are you housing them together? This is not adviseable unless both are of mature size *35 grams* and ready to breed. Unless they are the same sex Usually you can't tell the sex until 20 grams or so unless you're really good at it. So unless they're almost full grown, they should probably be kept apart unless you're sure it's a same sex pair(unless they're tiny hatchlings, which again, can live together usually).

[thisongwillend]

They are a 1.1 adult sized pair which were housed together for almost a year in this little petshop. Should I feed them the crested diet everyday? they eat about half a spoonful in one sitting. I dont know their weight, but do you know if it is normal to see their ribs a little? My leopards are fat, but I dont really have a way to judge if my geckos are underweight.

[ColleenT]

mine only reALLY EaT IT ONCE EVERY OTHER DAY, SO I DON'T make it every day. *sorry the caps key* it should be their main meal and insects should be their treats.

[floydsmom]

I feed Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and make sure you're misting them so they get their water *some wont' drink out of the dish.*

If you can REALLY see their ribs, thats bad, but when they squirm and stuff, you can sometimes see them normally. I would feed every day for this week, and then cut back. If they're eating it, they're hungry. Gaining a bit of weight isn't a problem unless they actually get little gecko fat rolls

[Chicubswally]

First of all, welcome to the forum.
Second, great suggestions so far.
One of the most common questions concerning newly acquired geckos is "How much should/Is my gecko eating?". As a new owner, you want to make sure your pet is getting the best care they can receive.

The best way to know whether your gecko is eating is to look around their enclosure for signs... piles of poop. If they are eating, they are pooping

After 3 or 4 days in your care (it takes a little time for the new animals to feel comfortable in their new habitat), if you do not see these 'signs', then you need to be concern about them eating. The geckos may have been eating something other than what you are offering. Find out from the prior owner what they were eating or, offer CGD and insects.

How much to feed is another issue. I find adults will eat 3 or 4 crickets per feeding (nothing longer than the width of their heads). When feeding the diet, I provide about as much as the size of their heads. Diet is always fed just before lights out.
I also mix the diet a bit on the moist side to provide even more water to the animals and to allow it to be edible throughout the night and part of the next day before it dries out.


If you are feeding crickets (not really needed if you are feeding the mix diet), you should 'dust' them to include the right nutrients in their balance. There are several great dusting materials on the market but one of the best is the ICB offered by T-Rex.

Perhaps even more important to the new gecko's immediate health is hydration. The enclosure should be misted once a day, and then allowed to dry out. This should be done before lights go out for the evening as the geckos become most active after this time and seek out moisture and food. Mist the glass/screen and decor enough to give the geckos water droplets to lick.

[tmfleo]

Also if they still don't seem to be eatting enough you might want to separate them for awhile and see if they improve and gain some weight something might be stressing them being housed together.

[tmfleo]

You may want to invest in an inexpensive digital scale to monitor there weight.

[droogievesch]

Wow, everyone has hit this right on! *good-job pats for Repashy forum*

Wally hit the nail on the head on this one.

I would also agree with Terry (TMFLEO) on getting a digital scale and here's why: Geckos can be sexable BEFORE they are breeding ready. So if they are at 28 grams or something and they are together you're looking at stressing your female. Your female can become gravid before 35 grams, but just because a 12 year old girl -can- get pregnant it's not something anyone would recommend.

If they were housed together for a year I would assume she's been bred whether or not she is big enough. Put a lay box in there (sandwhich sized container with peat moss covered in spaghum, topsoil, cocofiber, or something of that sorts. If you do a search on nesting materials a whole bunch of ideas will come up). Separate them because you want to give your female a nice rest.

Welcome to the forum and don't hesitate to search through old posts or create a new one to answer any/all of your questions!

~Jenna