Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am leaving and will be gone from Thursday through Sunday evening. My geckos have never been left alone this long. I am used to feeding them cricket by cricket and mealworm by mealworm until they get full.

I am planning on leaving a big bowl of mealworms in each cage. I was wondering if there is a certain kind of bowl I can buy to prevent them from escaping.

Also, should I leave a slice of carrot in each bowl so that the crickets have a constant source of nutrients and water??? I am afraid it may mold, but I have a slice in my "room temp gutload container" and I haven't experienced any sort of molding from the carrots yet. Apples, yes, but carrots no. Any ideas?
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-Kristin

0.2.2 Leopard Geckos
(Kumquat, Tamale, Jujube, and Nougat)

Your geckos are still quite small right? (
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

I have 1 at 25 grams, one at 23 grams. The other two are around 10 grams. They are all still eating pretty much everyday.
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-Kristin

0.2.2 Leopard Geckos
(Kumquat, Tamale, Jujube, and Nougat)

>>I have 1 at 25 grams, one at 23 grams. The other two are around 10 grams. They are all still eating pretty much everyday.

At that stage, I would attempt to get a friend to come over and feed them at least once or twice during that period - most people I know would think this is cool, rather than a chore, cause watching them eat is pretty exciting if you ask me, and that way you can be sure that your geckos aren't getting neglected. Certainly they have chubby tails for a reason, and they *can* go a few days w/o food if it's impossible to feed them, but especially with juveniles, it's really better for them to get fed daily.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

I've never had a whole lot of luck getting my geckos to eat out of a dish on their own so I feed by hand as well (actually by tweezers). The mealworms don't really move much in a dish unless they've got incentive to do so. Also, the gecko doesn't see them over a tall rim and a short rim allows the mealworms to escape too easily. I've had some mealworms actually pupate in the dish uneaten though I do try to replace them with fresh ones most of the time.

The dish is always a good idea but I've learned not to rely on it to provide a good food source on it's own. Of course maybe my geckos have just taught me to spoil them. Who knows? I think they do get something beneficial out of the tank-wide 'cricket hunt' too.

I think having a friend help out would be a great idea. Just make sure you get someone who's not going to take them out to play if you do. Temptation to do so is pretty great among kids, especially if they haven't got a leopard gecko of their own.