# how can i tell if my crested gecko is eating?



## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

i'm generally assuming he is eating his crickets and stuff, as they generally disappear after a while. however they have a habit of burrowing into the substrate a bit, so its hard to tell if he's actually eaten them or not (for instance, i thought he had eaten a cricket yesterday as it had gone, but it turned up again today). i haven't seen much poo in a while either. i'm feeding him some baby food off my finger as well but its normally just a few licks and he gets bored. 
is he eating enough? i'm new to this so i'm paranoid about absolutely everything going wrong. 
thanks for any help you guys give me.


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## Bosh (Jan 26, 2009)

if he's pooing he's eating, so if you haven't seen any poo in a while you could be right to worry.
how long is a while?


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## puddin (Sep 27, 2009)

How old is the crestie?
What size are the crickets? maybe they are to big for him?

I had a small problem a long while back with one of my very young crestie did not seem to be eating much & could not find any poo.
So I mixed up some CGD mix instead of just leaving the food inside the exo terra, I dabbed some on his mouth & he just licked it even if he didnt want lol. After with the problem stop & eats me out of house & home now!
You could also try hand feeding the crickets too.


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

How many crickets are you putting in the viv with him? Also, as above, how old is this cresty?

Generally not a good idea to leave crickets in with them all the time though. You might try and get him on one of the proper Crested gecko diets like Repashy rather than baby food.


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

i think i last saw poo on like sunday? im gonna buy one of the diets today, although i have to do it online which is a pain. yeah i think some of the crickets might be too big for him, but the shop i got him from just gave them to me, and loads of them are way too big, so its hard to find reasonable sized ones.


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

i dont know how old he is specifically, but i think he's like an older juvenile. his body is about 3 inches maybe 4


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

actually scrap that, my sense of length is all off, he's probably about 3 inches, without tail. i just tried to hand feed him a cricket and he just ignored it. i'm getting really stressed about this now. tempted to have today off so i can sit with him and make sure he eats.


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## Mrs Swans (Jul 4, 2009)

The best way to see if your crestie is eating it to keep him on paper towel when you feed him life, so you can see them go and hide and take the ones he hasn't eaten out of his tank. You can order all different sized crickets online. =)


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

oh thats a good idea. i think i might try mealworms next time though, just so i can keep track of them better


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## puddin (Sep 27, 2009)

I would not bother with mealworm their hard shell are hard to digest can cause impaction & in some case can kill.

Why dont one buy the Crested Gecko Diet mix & or buy the correct size crickets for him? 
I would advise you do it quickly too, everyday he does not eat, everyday he is not getting the correct diet for him/her to be a happy healthy crestie. 
Instead of buying CGD you will find yourself spending in the vets!!!!! 

Baby fruit food should be given a treat as.
Also bare in mind crestie should be feed 3-4 times a week only & about 4 bugs a time, HOWEVER mine likes 6 so he gets 6!
Paper towel is a great idea too! I use that in mine you can see clearly when they have been to the toilet.

Have you checked among the plant? because he could have poo there & you have not see it!
Make sure you are misting your exo terra EVERYDAY? he/she will drink the droplets off the plants.
Remove all live uneaten food from the exo terra, the crickets will only bite him.


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

yeah, i'm going to go get some more live food this afternoon, but unfortunately i have to buy the CGD online, so i won't have that for a few days minimum.
i might try and feed him a cricket by hand later on, to see if he actually will, but i'm worried i'm over handling him now.


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## puddin (Sep 27, 2009)

Over handling :lol2:

I would change the medium in the exo terra to tissue so the crickets cant hide in it.
Tissue would be better.
Maybe he/she wont eat out your hand, mine does because it was kept up from a baby, my others wouldnt.

So if I was you remove all the current live food from his exo terra, shake the plants too because they will hide in them.
Start a fresh, & count some crickets in, after a few hours go back & check.

How long have you had him/her?
Another way you can montior the eating is weight loss or gain. So if you have some scales you could weight him/her today write it down & weight again next week.
I weight all my reptiles weekly its just good practice to keep a close eye on anything that could be going on.

Easyer said then done try not to worry to much, I sure he/she will be fine.
I have had manys times in a state of panic over my reptiles, so far they have always been okay.
Let us know how you go later with it.


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

puddin said:


> Over handling :lol2:
> 
> I would change the medium in the exo terra to tissue so the crickets cant hide in it.
> Tissue would be better.
> ...


urrgh this is so frustrating. i just gave him the smallest cricket i could find, about 1cm long, and he just totally ignored it. it actually fell into his baby food at one point, so i offered it to him like that, and he just licked it a bit. he just seems so disinterested. i'm pretty sure there isn't any more live food in there, but will have a look in a bit. hes still active cos he climbed all the way up my arm whilst i've been trying to feed him. but he just isn't interested in anything i give him. unless i force it upon him (i did the thing where you put it on his nose and that worked)
i really just want him to be healthy, i'll try the weighing thing.
i'm in tears over this now, i really hope hes ok.


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

Just thought I'd point out that you are trying to feed a nocturnal gecko in the middle of the day. It will want to sleep in the day, so just leave him quiet and try later tonight. Also, over-handling is gonna stress him out.


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

ive tried at night too. but thanks.


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## puddin (Sep 27, 2009)

Dont start crying, if he/she is active & alert then thats a good sign.
If I go up to my crestie right now & try & feed hand feed them they wont be having any of it, they will look at me, like get lost!

Remember during the day is when they sleep, he/she may not want it for no other reason then he/she just doesnt want it.
Also you dont know it may have eaten a cricket or two during the night, but you havent not seen.
They are very shy reptiles, & really only like to come out in the dead of night.

I suggest leaving him/her be for now, let him sleep & when the evening comes just put a few crickets inside the exo terra, turn the lights off just sit still & watch.
You will proberly see him chasing them.

You have to take your mind off it for a few hours or you will send your self mad!!!!!


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

Whats the set-up? i.e. viv size, temperatures, humidity, any artificial heating or lighting, what decor is in there etc etc


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

thank you so much for all your help  i normally leave him completely alone all day normally. but i'll definitely try that this evening and just leave him to it. 

the vivarium is like 2ft tall, temp is like 72-4 degrees fahrenheit, misted daily, no lighting, silk plants, plenty of wood, substrate etc


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## puddin (Sep 27, 2009)

Set up sounds fine.
As I said I would suggest leaving him be for now.

When you get your CGD it will be much better because as I said you can mix it up, then dab on his mouth, he will lick if he wants it or not.
I think your worrying too much. 
You need to take you mind off it for a while.


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

Agree with Puddin^^

Setup sounds fine. You could maybe try a couple of small locusts? A damn site easier to see if he's eaten them in the viv:2thumb:

When your cgd arrives, make some up and put it in a plastic milk bottle top. Leave it in for him for a couple of nights. I personally wouldn't dab his nose with it though.


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

puddin said:


> Set up sounds fine.
> As I said I would suggest leaving him be for now.
> 
> When you get your CGD it will be much better because as I said you can mix it up, then dab on his mouth, he will lick if he wants it or not.
> ...


yeah i really am, i'm a worrier. might go watch a film haha. thanks for being so nice about it.

and i'll try to CGD thing as well when i can get it, and i'll look into locusts.


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## alxbrlw (Mar 22, 2010)

andy007 said:


> Agree with Puddin^^
> 
> Setup sounds fine. You could maybe try a couple of small locusts? A damn site easier to see if he's eaten them in the viv:2thumb:
> 
> When your cgd arrives, make some up and put it in a plastic milk bottle top. Leave it in for him for a couple of nights. I personally wouldn't dab his nose with it though.


i'm going 'live food' shopping tonight so i'll see what i can get. thanks for the advice.


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## puddin (Sep 27, 2009)

Your most welcome, we have all been there!


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## puddin (Sep 27, 2009)

Why would you not dab a bit of the CGD mix on the cresties mouth?

In my experience not all cresties like the stuff, if fact one of mine will not eat it all, he would starve himself first!

As crestie always lick their lips guaranteed, its a sure way of knowing they have had all the supplements required for a healthy balanced diet.


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## andy007 (May 13, 2008)

puddin said:


> Why would you not dab a bit of the CGD mix on the cresties mouth?
> 
> In my experience not all cresties like the stuff, if fact one of mine will not eat it all, he would starve himself first!
> 
> As crestie always lick their lips guaranteed, its a sure way of knowing they have had all the supplements required for a healthy balanced diet.


Because it is not natural for a cresty to have food stuck on it and can cause stress to the animal, which can lead the whole not feeding cycle to get worse. Also, you could inadvertantly get some stuck in its nostrils causing a number of health issues.

Have you tried using natural fruit, like melon or mango, mashed up with cdg mixed in? Or tried using a different variety of cdg?


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