Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi
i just got a pair of cresteds (about four months old) and am having some trouble feeding them. In the rep store thay were supposedly eating well but as soon as i got them home they took no interest in the crickets. admittadely, they were probably a bit bigger than they were used to but on the first day home, i put both gex in a large box with two of the crickets and they ate them. Since then they've had no interest. i tried leaving a couple of crix in the tall enclosure but they eventually escaped after a day or two and ended up over my bed or on my dresser or something. Since, i have had to get babyfood and mix in nutrobal and sometimes reptivite and basically spoon feed them. How can i get them to start to feed for themselves. i don't want to leave them without food/calcium for long because one of them has an almost 90 degree bend in the tail that im hoping isn't a sign of MBD. It could just as easily be a birth defect or the result of a fall but i can't know for sure and i won't take any chances with the little fella. My enclosure is quite tall (six foot tall x i foot square around). it has a three foot devils ivy plant in there so maybe they couldn't find the crickets but i've seen the guys walk right on top of the crickets and not even notice. Crickets were sitting on their backs and all and still nothing. i was telling them that they were an embarrassment to their species and that the cricket world was laughing at them but even that had no effect. If i keep "spoon feeding" them will they become dependant on me. I may also change the layout of the enclosure to facilitate better visibility for them but aside of that i can't think of anything.
any help would be greatly appreciated, especially if it works!

The 90 degree tail bend is most likely "floppy tail syndrome" a condition cresteds get from spending too much time on glass rather than branches and whatnot. It doesn't harm the animal and you shouldn't worry about it. If the cresteds are 4 months old, it might be the enclosure is a bit too large for them at this time--but if theyre blatantly ignoring the food like you say, it might be you are putting too many crickets in at once, and they should be no larger than the space between the crested's eyes. Crickets alone aren't really adequate for cresteds, you might want to try the crested gecko diet from sandfire. Mine eats it like crazy, and i give her crickets every third feeding or so.
BTW, how is it the crickets are escaping? Don't ever leave any live food in an enclosure for extended periods. It will stress your animal out.

OK Wig, I know that I have asked you this before and I still have not gotten a straight answer on it. When you say "Devil's Ivy" what in the hell are you talking about. DO me the favor and take a picture and send it to me so I can see what kind of plant you have in there. Cause if it is actually devil's ivy (Epipremnum aureum), then more than likely, it is causing some problems in your tank. I can not provide any other help until I know for sure about this plant - which may be the culpret.

Charlie

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Charlies Geckos

I think its also known as golden pothos, which people on this site were raving on about, in a positive way. i don't have a dig camera but ill try to get a phone cam pic up soon. It bought the gex from a really good reptile shop in dublin and he always uses it with no ill effects. Is the plant poisonous from contact or just ingestion? they seem to like it because the large leaves provide them with loads of shelter for sleepies etc.
Yes, i did leave three crickets in there with them for a day or two just to see if they'd eat them in their own time and on their own terms. i have since sealed the enclosure properly though. I was thinking of getting the cgd and trying to supplement it with some form of worm (meal worm or something) just to see how they take to that. if that doesn't work then ill have to get smaller crix and change the layout of the enclosure so as to give them a better view of the ground and the prey.
Also, here in Ireland as i'm sure you know, it's no tropical paradise but the temps have been a steady 71/72 by day and down to about 62/64 by night. Is this okay?
Also a good potting soil as substrate (for the ivy) but maybe ill cover it with moss or something.
Thanks for the advice
Brian