Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got home from Petsmart after buying my 2 new (female) juv. geckos. One albino and one tangerine/albino tale - no clue on the morph of the last one. (I was only supposed to get one, but I felt sorry for them as the cage was about 98 with no humid hide and about 1 cubic foot)

But to get to the point, should I put crickets and/or mealworms, when I get them, in in the morning and take them out at night, or visa versa? And with two, one slightly larger than the other, should I put in about 10-14 crickets a day? Loose or in a dish?

Oh dear - I seem to have OD'ed on questions - I'll let it stand at that for now. Thanks!

Hi. I know how you feel, I hate to walk away without rescuing the geckos in the petstore. unfortunatly I have seven of my own, and they take a great chunk out of my income. As for your questions, you can feed them during the day or at night. Night is better because they are more alert. As for how many crix to feed, it depends on the gecko. They vary from feeding to feeding, and from gecko to gecko. One might eat more or less than the other. You want to make sure that they both get enough to eat. If one is bigger than the other, the little on can be intimidated out of eating. I hope this answers your questions, if you have more feel free to ask. I am not on here all the time, but ohters should be able to help.
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7 Leos
Milo(my adult male) Mongo, Raptor,and Spaz
Popeye and Boo(named after Monster's Inc. Character)
and Pumpkin the Patternless (my baby male)

1 2 month old. Female Bearded Dragon. Tequila Sunrise, Tequila for short

1 dog
Baby (Peekapoo)

2 Cats
Mr. Kitty and Shelly (my adopted senior citizen. She's 14!)

I feed mine at night but I don't leave them in until the morning, i wait for them to eat their fill and then take them back out. They usuallly lose interest when they are done. As for the bowl question, crix are pretty hard to keep in a bowl, and so are the mealies. I havn't found a bowl yet that could keep them in. They are selling a new bowl made only for mealies, but I havn't tried it. Hope this helps.
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7 Leos
Milo(my adult male) Mongo, Raptor,and Spaz
Popeye and Boo(named after Monster's Inc. Character)
and Pumpkin the Patternless (my baby male)

1 2 month old. Female Bearded Dragon. Tequila Sunrise, Tequila for short

1 dog
Baby (Peekapoo)

2 Cats
Mr. Kitty and Shelly (my adopted senior citizen. She's 14!)

I'm a firm believer in feeding in a seperate enclosure. By that I mean that you have a Critter Keeper or Tupperware container for each gecko, and they are fed in there. I just place whatever I'm feeding in the container, then place the gecko in. I let them eat their fill, and then place them back in their regular home.

It's not very practical for a breeder who has tons of geckos, but it's no sweat for just 2.

There are many benefits to feeding this way. First, your gecko get used to being handled. Second, you don't have to guess how much they are actually eating. Just count before introducing the gecko, and then see what is left afterwards. Third, it makes it very easy to spot clean, move things around, etc. in their home while they are busy eating...you don't have to stress them out. Fourth, no chasing crickets around the cage and worrying about them making a meal out of your gecko if you miss one. Finally, if you are housing the two together it will go a long way to eliminate competetion for food. Often, one will be more dominate and the other's feeding may suffer because of it.

I think I'll be running down to Walmart for 2 small pet carriers! I've fed them a few crickets twice, but I can't tell who's getting what if anything, as they've spent the entire time I've seen them in the humid hide, especially the smaller albino. Should I put another hide in the feeding cages? I'm afraid they'll ignore the food as they have been and won't come out...

There isn't any need for a hide in the feeding containers. Most likely they will be a bit stressed the first couple times you place them in there...it will look like they want to come out as soon as you put them in there. For at least 2 weeks, I would keep them in the feeding container for 1/2 hour in a quiet place. That will give them time to calm down and see there is food there with them. When I first started, Gilean had no problems, but Aurora didn't eat at all. Don't worry if this happens...they have a fat tail for a reason. Unless they are underweight already, going a couple days without eating won't hurt them. By the second day they were both chowing down.

After a couple days or weeks they will eat immediatly...and once they're full will start to ignore what food is left and start to look for a way out of the carrier. My guys are usually done in 15 mins. If you feed them at the same time every day, they will start to expect it and will even come out to watch you get the food ready for them.

If your guys are young, then they won't be too happy about being picked up at first. Be as gentle as possible, and try to approach them with a flat hand from below the belly. You can bribe them with a mealworm...either hold it with tongs in a spot where they have to walk into your hand to get it, or just place one in your palm. Don't worry if they miss - it won't hurt. I always give them enough time to see my hand and smell/taste it before I pick them up - they will recognise you in time making things much easier. After a month, Gilean walks into my hand of his own accord about 75% of the time with no worm. If the bribe doesn't work...or they steal it without going into your hand (which will happen), then you can gently nudge them from behind with your free hand.

It's more work at first...but well worth the effort!
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Official Leopard Gecko Freak
My husband can barely keep me from bring home every one I see!

1:1 Leopard Geckos - Gilean and Aurora
2:0 Cats - Troi and Mitsu (shhhhh...don't tell them they're neutered!)
1:0 Husband - He's more work then all the others combined! Just about eats me out of house and home...but I love him anyway!

Awesome information - thank you! I got 2 6 liter sterlite containers this morning, and as much as I'd like to put them in now, since I'm overly worried about them not really eating, I'll put them in around 6 tonight.

My bigger tangerine Sappho is already quite personable and will rest her head on my finger. I forsee few problems with her. But my albino is very flighty and spends most of her time glaring at me from the humid hide and kicking moss out when it suits her. I'll try bribing her with a cricket (I can't get mealworms until tomorrow) and see if I can get her to cooperate