Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We got our first gecko on saturday he seems very small but he is not eating much. The tank is set on a 12 hr day/night cycle with a temp of 85 during the day dropping to about 75 at night. He runs from the crickets when we put them in the cage like he is afraid of them. We crimped the back legs so they wouldn't jump and put them in a bowl but he still won't touch them. There are waxworms in the cage he ate three of them on Monday but then at nothing the next and Wed night he ate only one. It doesn't seem like enough. Does anyone have any suggestions to get him to eat more. Someone suggest to try phoenix worms but shouldn't they also eat crickets?

I've attached a picture of him so you can see his size.

How big are the crickets you're feeding it? From the picture, it looks as if he should be feeding on pinheads or ones similar in size. Don't feed him too many waxworms, 1-2 a week is plenty for a young gecko, although I normally havn't given babies waxworms until they are about 5-6 inches.. Pheonix worms would probably get him feeding, I don't use them myself but I have only heard good things about them. I personally feed my Leopards mealworms, I have raised all of my breeders to adult size on a diet of just mealies, all have turned into 45-70 gram adults on that diet. Just make sure you supplement your baby's diet with the proper vitamin supplement if you use mealworms or crickets. I hope this helps, I'll be happy to answer any more questions.
-----
1.0 Hypo Tang Leopard Gecko
0.1 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.1 SHTCT Baldy Leopard Gecko
1.0 African Fat Tailed Gecko
1.1 Crested Geckos
0.1 California Kingsnake
1.1 Cornsnakes
1.0 Ball Python

I alternate, one day with a vitamin supplement and the next with a calcium supplement. The crickets are pinheads but he still won't eat them I put them in his cage and leave them there for a few hours but he just runs from them. I was told not to leave them in there for long as they will stress him if left in for too long. I was also told not to give him mealworms yet because if he doesn't kill them when he eats them they would cause damage to his insides. Is this true? He's only eaten two waxworms since Wed. i tried to get him to eat from my hand but he wants nothing to do with it.

The crickets are pinheads. He is till not eating them. I leave them in the cage for a few hours and then take them out. I was told leaving them in for too long might stress him. I tried to hand feed him but he wants nothing to do with it. He has eaten only one waxworm since Wednesday night. I was told that he is to young for mealworms because if they do not die when ingested they will cause internal problems. Is this true?

The mealworm damaging the insides is a common misconception. In one of the most recent book on leopard geckos, The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos by Phillipe de Vosjoli, Ron Tremper, etc., the whole idea of mealworms damaging insides is explained. Leopard geckos, big and small, are very efficient at crushing and digesting their prey. Mealworms might eat "into" a dead gecko, but that's the only occurence of mealworms acutally doing damage to a gecko. You are correct about the crix though, they can stress the gecko if left in there for more than 15-20 minutes. Try gutloaded mealworms, they will probably work. Also, what kind of setup is your gecko in; size, temps, humidity etc? Factors like those can lead to feeding problems if something in the enviroment is wrong.
-----
1.0 Hypo Tang Leopard Gecko
0.1 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.1 SHTCT Baldy Leopard Gecko
1.0 African Fat Tailed Gecko
1.1 Crested Geckos
0.1 California Kingsnake
1.1 Cornsnakes
1.0 Ball Python

I'm going to try the mealworms and see if that will get him to eat. He is in a 20 long tank and has the 12 hr day/ night cycle. The heat is about 85 on the hot side and 75 on the cooler side. I drop the night temp down to 75 on the hot side the cool side only goes down to a little below 70. I have a humid box on the cool side and there is a rock hide on the hot side. I keep his water and food on the cool side. Thank you for all your help.

No problem. You're setup sounds great, everything you need to keep a gecko is there. If you want to, you could increase the hot spot to about 88-90 degrees during the day. Your Leo might be more willing to eat with a hot spot of that temp, for it could just want speedier digestion with a slightly hotter spot. Good Luck with you're Leo!
-----
1.0 Hypo Tang Leopard Gecko
0.1 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.1 SHTCT Baldy Leopard Gecko
1.0 African Fat Tailed Gecko
1.1 Crested Geckos
0.1 California Kingsnake
1.1 Cornsnakes
1.0 Ball Python