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Feeding Question

brent_sydney Jan 22, 2007 12:46 PM

I recently adopted a year old crested gecko from a friend of a friend. It's my first reptile experience so I'm definitely a noob and in need of advice as far as feeding goes. I assume at this point he's considered an adult? I could be wrong, so I feed him 4 times a week (a couple times with crickets and a couple times with a mango/banana/papaya mix with added t-rex day gecko diet since I couldn't find the crested gecko diet at my superpet). I guess I'm just wondering if adding the mrp straight to the fruit mixture is a good idea? I use a standard ice cube tray for the fruit mix and it lasts 3 feedings per cube generally. I was also wondering if I'm adding the right amount of the mrp. For a teaspoon of the fruit mix I add about 1/3 of a teaspoon of the t-rex day gecko mrp.

He seems to be doing fine with it but I thought any input on this would be nice.

cheers,
brent.
Sydney @ Mypsace
Sydney @ Mypsace

Replies (4)

sleepygecko Jan 22, 2007 01:40 PM

It is probably an adult or at least very close at that age. (Environmental factors can slow growth, so I have no way of knowing for sure.)

I would really suggest getting CGD, around here it is harder to find the day gecko formula than CGD, all the major chain pet stores have it. You should wean the gecko off any kind of babyfood at this point. I would suggest starting as you have, but I add equal parts water and MRP when mixing with fruit so that the diet is fully hydrated (see the directions on the MRP bottle). At this point you should start mixing more and more MRP until it is eating that straight without the food. This should only take maybe two weeks. It is the best way to be sure that he's getting enough vitamins and calcium. Also, if the gecko is indeed full grown there is no need for extra protein and crickets can be given as treats not part of a regular diet. Maybe no more than 1x a week. Basically, a full grown crested is one of the easiest reptiles to feed, only need a bottle of CGD, a bowl, and a spoon to mix up each serving. Remember that MRP only lasts 6 months opened at room temp and because of oxidation you only want to mix what you need at the time.

So, in summary, good start, for sure get your hands on CGD (It is the purple topped bottle if that helps) and start getting the little one moved over to straight diet. Give CGD about every other day as much as it will eat and crickets occasionally as treats. Good luck.

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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

brent_sydney Jan 22, 2007 01:48 PM

Thanks a lot for the info. I'll have to check out some other pet stores then since Super Pet here is Super Unreliable.

It's good to know about the water/mrp thing because in the morning the food looks pretty dried out, and I kept having to take it out before the full day "food in the cage" cycle.

thanks again.
brent

warnersister Jan 23, 2007 02:40 PM

>>Thanks a lot for the info. I'll have to check out some other pet stores then since Super Pet here is Super Unreliable.
>>
>>It's good to know about the water/mrp thing because in the morning the food looks pretty dried out, and I kept having to take it out before the full day "food in the cage" cycle.
>>
>>thanks again.
>>brent

if you can't find it in any stores, you can always order it online. make sure you mist your cage in the evening, to about 75-85% humidity. if there's only a little bit of food, even mixing with water, it will usually dry out by morning, after the gecko has licked some up during the night. i wouldn't worry about having food in there all day, as your gecko will be sleeping then anyway.
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3.1 snakes, 1.2.1 crested geckos, 2.0 devon rex cats, 1.0 betta

supremegecko Jan 25, 2007 01:52 PM

I mix mine a bit on the watery side (1 pt powder and a tad over 2 parts water). I also feed early evening as it will stay moist for the entire evening and into the next morning.

Here is a great site for finding distributors for ordering...
http://www.store.repashy.com/
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http://wkern.msspro.com/supremegecko.html

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