Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,
I posted about a month ago concerning my 7 mo. old crested gecko female who suddenly started refusing food. Quick recap for those who didn't see the previous post: purchased at 1 month old from a private hobbyist who really knew reptiles, no evidence of disease or parasites, no contact with other reptiles, no change in environment, temp, or other care factors. Had been eating 4-6 dusted bugs a night and had daily bowel movements. She suddenly quit accepting food but I don't know why.
I'm posting again because she still has not resumed eating but isn't really getting any worse either. For the past month I've been handfeeding her a mixture of CGD, calcium supplement, and banana baby food. She has seemingly lost interest in bugs (does not snap to attention when one is dangled in front of her--unusual because she used to be veracious!) and I have to dab this nutrient paste on her nose to trick her into licking it off. She's getting by; no longer losing weight and remains active, but obviously something is wrong. Any ideas?

two things come to mind when reading your post. One is that cresteds, like any lizard, may become bored with a food source. The concern comes in when you say she doesn't really eat the CGD mix unless you dab it on her snout. Do you leave some of the mix in her cage after you have fed her? I know my 2 don't really look like they are eating the CGD, but they are still defecating like normal, and not loosing any weight (in fact they are gaining). It might just be that your crestie lost interest in the bugs out of boredom & a natural shift to a more veggie/fruit diet as they age. You may not notice that the CGD mix is being eaten, but it just may be that your crestie eats less than you are expecting.
The second thing that comes to mind is that she may need a trip to the vet. Have you had her fecal tested for parasies? Sometimes thay can aquire parasites from food (esp. since you had been feeding crix). It's a good idea to just double-check and make sure there's nothing that your gecko picked up.
Other than that, if she's not loosing weight and seems to be acting normal, then just leave the CGD in her cage and keep monitoring her weight. I would still suggest a trip to the vet for a fecal to make sure there's nothing else going on.
Good luck.
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1.1 Crested Gecko (Anton/Angelina & Harley)
1.1 Crazy dogs (Alex & Sadie)
0.2 Vacationing Kitties (Puddy, PeeWee)
0.1 Amazing Wife =o)
Charlie - RIP 9-8-05 (Veiled Cham)

I agree with everything that was said above, but wanted to add:

CGD is a complete food, you may be feeding too much Calcium by adding more to it.

Secondly, trying a babyfood with apples (ours really likes apples and apricots) will encourage it to eat more: apples are sweeter and contain more sugar to stimulate appetite.

Finally, try leaving straight CGD out, without mixing it with food. Our crestie hated straight CGD and would only eat it mixed with fruit for the first 5 months, now she won't eat it mixed with anything... If I put straight CGD (with water) in her bowl she eats it like it is going out of style, she literally shovels it in. I have also noticed that she eats several times a night. Sorta get a little "coffee" when she first wakes up, then she has "lunch" and really late at night she eats the most.

Remember that cricket supply a lot of protein, which they need to grow, if yours has reached full size s/he may naturally cut back on eating since s/he is only maintaining her weight at that point. But a checkup with a vet is never a bad thing if you are worried at all. Good luck, you've got lots of things to try at least!
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

My both cresteds seems to be eating very, very tiny amounts at a time, but they still defecate like normal. I use crickets very rarely, but offer CGD every night.
I have abaut 7-8 months old male and a grown up female. Both are in good shape and active. I was a bit concerned at first, because all my other lizards are eating like a bunch of pigs, but cresteds are doing fine with smaller meals.