Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently bought a powdered Gecko diet by T-rex, Most of you know what it is. The only problem is that neither of my geckos will touch it. I switched them over directly from crickets to the powder becuse I am sick of going to the pet store once a week. How long will it take them to start eating it? Both of my geckos haven't eaten in five days and even though the food is in their cages they are still trying to hunt for crickets. I tried to hand feed them but they keep running away from it. I don't blame them though, since the stuff smells like Metamucil

someone awhile back mentioned using a nectar or 100% fruit juice instead of water. or using a mixture of both. i'm currently using 1 part apricot juice:1part water :1 part cgd. my adults that have never eaten cgd and hated it the first time i tried it were literally biting it off of my fingers.

So I should mix fruit juice or nectar in with the cgd? It's that simple???

One trick that worked for me was to dust crickets with the gecko meal powder to get them used to the flavor. Even adult hold-outs took to the meal powder after just a few servings of CGD-dusted crix. I also agree with the person who said to keep feeding them crickets, too. Up to 1 year of age, my geckos still get crix once per week, although my adults are thriving solely on CGD. I believe the youngsters grow better with supplemental crix, and watching them hunt is pure entertainment! I haven't tried the fruit juice trick yet, haven't had to, but watch that the fruit juice isn't just all corn syrup or other empty-calorie sugar water.
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Terri
4:8:4 crested geckos: Popcorn, Goldfish, Harley, Bear, Big Red, Olive, Smudge, Blackie, Belle, Brilliant, Tina, Brick, Toni(y), Kermit, ChiliPepper & Spot

its not a good idea to take them off crickets completely, so as much as you hate it you are still going to need to get them crickets at least once a week, you cant take away what comes naturally to them. in the wild they dont have bowls of CGD waiting for them, they go after insects.

you will have to make a very slow transition over to the CGD too, most of the geckos wont just come out and eat it, most people mix a little in with the baby food and gradually increase the amount over a month or so until the geckos have accepted just the CGD.

i still know of people that will only mix it in with baby food because there geckos wont touch it by itself. others mix it with water and have great results. babies are usually the easiest to get eating it, once they are hooked on baby food and crickets it takes a while to get them to switch over, but it can happen if you take the time to gradually change them over to it.

also, please make sure that you continue to give them crickets, i cant stress that enough, it is very important that they still feed on insects even while using CGD, several breeders use this same method. crickets once a week or so, and CGD on alternate days.

I had the same opions as you two years ago when I got these pets but They are full grown now and I don't have time to drive 45 minutes to the pet store once a week and feed the every other night. I'm emtpying my pockets out and I need a cheaper, quicker way to feed them.

even with the crested gecko diet you have to change it out every day or two. i will no longer leave it in for more than 1 day due to the fact that it starts to mold in the set up i have. if you don't have the time to care for them then you should get rid of them before they become abused/mistreated.

Bassetts is my source.

http://www.bcrcricket.com/

They do boxes of 250.

There is a reason why this company has a website posted on kingsnake.com Now you don't have to drive 45 minutes out of your way to get crickets for geckos you don't want to take care of.

cheers,
boy

As the previous post said, buy in bulk. Crix are real easy to keep alive. I keep mine in sterilite 6qt/12qt tubs (depending on # and size) with egg cartons as hiding places. Feed cricket gutload, fish flakes, fresh veggies, and fruits. Remember - the better you feed your crix - the more nutrition your animals get out of them. How nutritional do you think the ones at the pet store eating cardboard are?

I wasn't exactly going for buy in bulk. I was saying there is no excuse. Don't own them if you aren't going to take care of them.

here is an alternative for crickets, silkworms are better for them too, and safer.

also i think there is another silkworm farm called, well, the silkworm farm
mulberry farms silkworms

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1.1 Gargoyle geckos
0.0.1 asian golden tree frog
1.0 oriental firebelly toad
0.1 european firebelly toad
1.0 albino betta
1.0 orange tabby
0.0.1 asian painted frog
1.0 broad headed skink
0.0.1 fowlers toad
0.1 red eyed tree frog
1.1 red eared sliders
476.769.47 feeder crickets

if you dont want to make a drive to properly care for your animals then maybe you should sell them.

it isnt right to take away an animals natural instinct. what if everything you ate was taken away and all you were allowed to eat was a powder mixed with water for your whole life, how much would you enjoy that?

geckos NEED to feed on insects, it is their natural instinct, they dont eat CGD in the wild, it doesnt exist in the wild, even very reputable breeders acknowledge that they still feed insects in combination.

either order in bulk and keep them at your house, which is cheap and effective, or make the drive every week, but dont give up on crickets just because you dont want to drive, that isnt a very good reason.

i agree with what you posted. however cgd is designed to be an entire meal.
with that being said.
"geckos NEED to feed on insects, it is their natural instinct, they dont eat CGD in the wild, it doesnt exist in the wild, even very reputable breeders acknowledge that they still feed insects in combination. "
are crested geckos born in little plastic containers and kept in 10-20 gallon aquariums ( or equivalent ) on paper towels or egg cartons?
things change, people get lazy and need something as an alternative. the geckos could live exclusively on cgd which is my point here. however i do agree with you that they should be supplemented with live food every now and then.

no they do not live in those types of setups but i go the extra mile to setup them up appropriately to ensure they are healthy and that their setup mimics a natural environment as close as possible. i wouldnt put my animals health in front of the fact that i dont want to drive, i do a lot for my animals regardless of what it is.

i know CGD is supposed to be a meal replacement but live insects cannot be replaced in my opinion. even reputable breeders use both because they acknowledge that you shouldnt remove what comes naturally to the animal.

is watching them hunt and dive bomb crickets. I aint given it up. A couple times a week I fall asleep to the sound of cricket diving geckos Thump! Thump! Thump! Thats what I m talking about

. . . sorry, but there is no basis in fact or research that rhacs NEED crickets to survive. That just isn't true.

The CGD gives them all they need to flourish and be healthy. I don't think they feel happy nor sad because they don't have crickets.

I know you feel passionately about this subject, but to bash this fellow for not wanting to buy crickets is extremely pejorative and smacking of sanctimony.

For the person who wanted to know how to switch their geckos over to CGD. Just give them time - they will eat it. A friend of mine uses Gerber's Mixed Fruit Yogurt baby food - and I've found that this encourages them to eat the food. I mix 1/2 tsp. in with the diet (although I mix up 2 oz worth of diet for my feeding needs). Then I add water to finish the mix. They really scarf that up.

Again - I totally object to this bashing because he doesn't want to use crickets. Plus, I don't like the sudden nasty tone this forum is taking.

I think it's time to get back to civil conversation - so we can all enjoy this great hobby of raising and keeping rhacs.
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Monte Meyer
Powergeckos
Email

dislectics off tha wrold untie!!

nobody is bashing anyone, at least im not, but many people agree that "i dont want to drive" isnt a really good reason to avoid feeding them.

overal buying CGD is going to be more expensive in the long run then crickets, especially if you bulk order crickets and keep them at your house, which is really easy to do.

this would also save the drive that is such a problem.

they were just suggestions and opinions, nobody is bashing anyone. they are his/her geckos, and he/she can do what he/she wants.

But you're wrong on the expense too.

I spent 60 bucks on CGD and GGD - and that lasts me 6 months and I'm feeding 11 adults and 14 juvies. I feed every other day.

Crickets are 15 bucks a thousand where I come from. That's not including shipping.

You do the math . . . It takes almost a 1K of crix a month just to feed the adults, if you only give them 5 crickets every other day.

But then I have to have smaller crix for the babies. Plus I have the expense of the calcium and vitamins.

You know, every time I start thinking about buying a few crix for variety - threads like this come up and strengthen my resolve. LOL

I'll stick to CGD, thank you very much.
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Monte Meyer
Powergeckos
Email

dislectics off tha wrold untie!!

Amen, and it's a complete diet, not like crix or mealies, and miles from baby food, unless you like getting them hooked on sugar.
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Terri
4:8:4 crested geckos: Popcorn, Goldfish, Harley, Bear, Big Red, Olive, Smudge, Blackie, Belle, Brilliant, Tina, Brick, Toni(y), Kermit, ChiliPepper & Spot

i have to move to gargoyle gecko diet now becase after giving them baby food my 2 gargs wont touch crickets. the baby food isnt enough, i add calcium to it but the protien isnt there.
i know its not the same species, but they are pretty close. mine are just fine without crickets, by thier choice not mine.
i am pretty sure (dont quote me) that sandfire dragon ranch feeds thier rhacs CGD exclusively.
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1.1 Gargoyle geckos
0.0.1 asian golden tree frog
1.0 oriental firebelly toad
0.1 european firebelly toad
1.0 albino betta
1.0 orange tabby
0.0.1 asian painted frog
1.0 broad headed skink
0.0.1 fowlers toad
0.1 red eyed tree frog
1.1 red eared sliders
476.769.47 feeder crickets

in my opinion, i think crickets should still be fed in combination, i gutload all crickets as well before feeding. but to each his own.

i know i wouldnt want to live on a powdered diet my whole life even if it did have everything i needed to survive.

. . . is that you have the brain capacity to actually appreciate and know the difference.

Our friend Crestie just wants a place to eat and sleep.
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Monte Meyer
Powergeckos
Email

an animals natural instinct cannot be taken away, they are insectivores primarily, and feed on fruit/nectar as well, which is how the whole baby food thing got started.

an animal will eat it, because it has to, to survive. does a crested gecko prefer insects to CGD or CGD to insects? that we will never know, but I have read articles of people that just stop feeding their gecko all together until it finally eats the CGD to be able to survive.

i know people that HATE CGD, they think its all just typical junk that is being produced to make more money. I dont feel this way, but I know several who do.

i also know many breeders that refuse to cut out insects all together even while using CGD because they also acknowledge that a crested gecko feeds on insects, and they should still be able to feed on them occasionally even when using CGD.

i am not one of the keepers that feeds fattening wax worms and unhealthy mealworms, i feed gutloaded crickets, and a bit of baby food, i have also considered using CGD, but I personally dont find the need to. my crested geckos are very healthy and active feeders, and they are doing just fine without it.

i dont knock anyone who uses it, what i dont like is people telling me that my opinion is wrong, because opinions cant really be wrong, they are just the personal feelings of the person that is voicing them. IN MY OPINION, i think even while using CGD that insects should also be fed occasionally because it is natural for them.

this all got started because several people felt that not wanting to make a drive wasnt a very legitimate excuse, but hey, if it works for him, more power to him.

as far as brain capacity goes, some times my cresteds wont even eat their baby food when its in there, but crickets they nail every single time, so i wouldnt say that they dont have the capacity to decide what they would rather eat, because im sure they do. even certain leachianus in the wild were found feeding on a type of berry almost exclusively, even with everything that was around them, they fed on that, for some reason that herpetologists aren't quite sure of, so i would DEFINITELY say that these animals have the capacity to decide what they want to eat.

but like i said, to each his own.

I am of the opinion that T-Rex's diets, while definitely having uses as a supplement and are "good enough" to maintain many Rhacs cheaply, are of limited value as far as the overall health, mental and physical of these geckos. I feel their greatest use is because of the pigment enhancing compounds contained.

I have observed the fact that a majority will go for insect prey more readily every time, there are some individuals who do prefer fruit ( I have only heard of a few specimens like this myslf, if anyoen else knows of more please say so, we need a better overview, 10 years and change isn't enough to totally understand these animals. Need I remind everyone that we are still perfecting husbandry techniques for species weve known about for 20 and 30 years. Rhacodatylus geckos hardiness should not force us into a closed minded stance of thinking we already know it all. In fact, I have even noticed a preferance of roaches over crickets, the first time I fed roaches off to my Rhacs they were often grabbing a second and third before fully chewing and swallowing the first. However my ciliatus will not eat superworms or silkworms while my auriculatus and chahoua will. Has anyone noticed anything similar in nature? As mentioned by another poster, many rhacs will have to get to the brink of starvation before accepting a diet of cgd.

This information, along with the fact that every single book (barring 1) I have ever read and every individual not affiliated with T Rex that I have spoken with, disagree that an insectivore or omnivore should be fed exclusively one food source.

finally someone else sees it from my point of view. i really appreciate your input you did a great job.

i have also noticed that my ciliatus will not touch worms of any kind, however they love their crickets, if i can find a source of small roaches i will have to try those as well.

im glad i have someone on my side.

In responce to kozmo02's post

Give me a break, it's 45 min just for ONE way. And although many breeders say not to use it, Allen Repashy, the largest single crested breeder ANYWHERE went through enough trouble to create it. And did I mention that I'm still in high school and too young for a driver's license, and just because my parent's don't want to get off their lazy A**es to drive me 1.5 hours to the pet store doesn't mean that I should get rid of my animals. So LAY OFF!

I wish I could talk to all of you in person because this would be a lot easier. Plus I could defend myself better. And to end on a happy note (since the arguing has been intense), this is the longest group of replies I have ever seen on this sight.

I don't think you have anything to defend against Geckofreak, you are in a particular situation and thats just the way it is, no matter what anyones opinion on the heart of the matter is. My only reason for not buying into the T Rex diet craze is because I think that there is a deficiency somewhere in it. Not only that but the only people who condone its use solely are those who are trying to market it to people who may love reptiles, but hate bugs, I think it is shrewd business and little more.If youve seen pictures of wild ciliatus you will notice subtle differences to recent cb generations mainly in the robustness of form, which I personally think is not only because of selective recessive breeding, but also because of the fact that 98% of the breeding stock in the USA came from one source and that source is breeding successive generations on these diets, which are low protein in comparison to insect supplemented diets. I also believe that an animal that is created to hunt and kill its food should be allowed to exhibit it's full range of natural behaviors for one because they have the mental urge to do so, but also what is the point in bothering to keep them if not to observe there full range of behavior? I respect everyone's opinions and I hope I have not been inflammatory or offensive, there is room for everyone's thoughts and the more people we have discussing and comparing notes the better.

1) i never said that repashy didnt know what he is doing, he is a very reputable breeder, what i said was that i know of breeders that still continue to use insects in combination with the CGD.

2) not wanting to make the drive makes it that much easier for you to mail order, since your parents dont want to drive you, im sure they would be more than happy to help you mail order crickets, you are CHOOSING to stop using crickets.

3) don't be so defensive, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, it is just a standpoint of mine that people who do not have the necessary time, should always consider what is more important when it comes to the animals health, that is all.

4) you can do whatever you want, it is your animal, you are free to make those choices, i did not intend to come off harsh, but i am a very passionate hobbiest and i always voice my opinion when it comes to discussions like this, and this is really all a learning process when all is said and done.

dont take it to the heart, you have to do what works for you, but you should definitely give it some thought, do some research on the subject, and see what you come up with.