Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Good morning. I've notice that one of my girls has been actibg strange. She isn't eating for me, but that's kind of understandable since she is pregnant. I'm worried though that she isnt eating enough calcium. I always provide calcium in a bottle cap for her to get to, but she doesn't eat eat. What can I do to get her to eat more calcium? I've though about liquid calcium, but since I have powdered at home, its easier.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
Michael

Hi

They will stop eating one to two weeks before they are ready to lay there eggs. By you saying she has stopped eating it sounds like she is to that point.

TLB

Ya. She should be due real soon,b ut afterwards, to boost up her calcium... because when she eats, she shakes her head, and alot of the calcium falls off... so I was thiking liquid calcium, and wanted some pros and cons of that and where to buy. Thanks for you help though.

Hi

I was at my vet.s a couple of weeks ago with a gecko and while there I happened to have mentioned that I had bought some of that T-Rex liquid calcium, and he told me with an attitude that I shouldn't give them any of that kind of stuff, because you don't know what could be in it. I tried to talk to him about it and he wasn't very giving on the topic at all.

TLB

That is a lame answer from a vet or from anyone. You can say that about just about anything, including the powder. We are all taking companies word on what is in their product.

Matt

If you don't mind me asking... where and for how much did you get the T-Rex liquid calcium?

Thanks
Michael

Hi

I don't remember the price, but I had picked it up at a privately owned petstore.

If you go to kingsnakes breeders and dealers site and go down to "AAA reptiles", they sell liquid calcium lactate.

Take Care, TLB

When you say she shakes her head and the calcium falls off are you referring to dusting the feeder insects?

My suggestion for increasing her calcium intake would be to dust with a supplement that sticks well to the bugs (i use miner-all 1) and feed the insects a diet containing more calcium. I've only ever seen one of my geckos lick at the calcium bowl but i dust my mealworms on a schedule so they are all getting some.

Red
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Crested Gecko Zeek:1.0, Ziggy and Zeus
LEOS: Boo: 1.0 normal , Bronx & Nala: 1.1 blizzard,
Lily: 0.1 patternless, Abby: 0.1 albino, Zoe: 0.1 reduced pattern, Dot: 0.1 hypo
New Girls: Flame, Karma, Bubbles and Bell pics coming soon
Chip: 1.0 papillion (small dog)

I dust with mineral I, the same you do, but when she gets a worm, she shakes her head in a violent manor and the calcium falls off. Thanks TLB, always a help. I'll just maybe wet the worm, then put it in the calcium so it sticks better. Nothing I'm too concerned with. Thanks all.

I have seen my geckos be pretty rough with the worms, but i've never seen them shake all of the calcium off after i've dusted them. Thats weird that yours does so.

Red

>>I dust with mineral I, the same you do, but when she gets a worm, she shakes her head in a violent manor and the calcium falls off. Thanks TLB, always a help. I'll just maybe wet the worm, then put it in the calcium so it sticks better. Nothing I'm too concerned with. Thanks all.
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Crested Gecko Zeek:1.0, Ziggy and Zeus
LEOS: Boo: 1.0 normal , Bronx & Nala: 1.1 blizzard,
Lily: 0.1 patternless, Abby: 0.1 albino, Zoe: 0.1 reduced pattern, Dot: 0.1 hypo
New Girls: Flame, Karma, Bubbles and Bell pics coming soon
Chip: 1.0 papillion (small dog)

Even if you were to sit and watch your geckos for 14 hours a day, (and I'm sure you don't), there'd still be a window of 10 hours when she could be eating the calcium right out of the bowl. They only need a few licks, which only takes a few seconds, and which is why you'll never notice a change in the amount of calcium powder in the bowl.

So, if she needs it, and she probably does due to the fact that she's gravid, I can virtually guarantee you that she's licking up the powder. Their natural instinct tells them to find what their body needs.

Ways to ensure that she's doing so include putting the container with the powder somewhere close to her favorite hide, and making sure that its the only powder substance she has access to (ie: no sand or loose substrate).

As for liquid calcium, if you chose to do so, and you probably don't have to IMHO, you can just mix up some calcium powder with water and drop a drop or two on her nose.

Just as a side note, I've been keeping and breeding leos for 3 years and have probably actually seen a leo licking up calcium 10 times at the most ... and that's all of my leos, including many babies over 3 years.

Hope this helps,
Joel
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2.5 Leopard Geckos
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.0 Blair's Phase Gray Banded Kingsnake
0.0.2 Crested Geckos