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13 month old female 15 grams ???

jjjt4beck Nov 10, 2005 04:12 PM

We got our scale yesterday and weighed our female. She is 15 grams. This seems a little small for her age, but she acts healhty and alert. I feed her about 5 medium size crickets every other day and she gobbles them up. Should I feed her crickets every day? I keep vegetables and fruits in with my crickets and I dust them with vitamins. What else can I do to boost her weight. I want to breed her as soon as she's about 35 grams.
Thanks for the help, Jamie

Replies (7)

Niqui27 Nov 10, 2005 06:06 PM

Are you only feeding her crickets? If so that is a no-no. A Crested Geckos diet should consist of about 50% insects and 50% fruits. Most people use sugar free babyfood, and add T-Rex's Crested Gecko Meal Replacement Powder to it for added vitamins and minerals. If she only gets crickets, that is probably why she doesn't weigh enough. She doesn't have a well balanced diet. If you are feeding her crickets and T-Rex with babyfood, then she is probably just a slow developer. Oh, and there is no saying for sure that she's a female if she is only 15 grams. Some males don't show their bulges until up to 20 grams. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Geckospot Nov 10, 2005 06:23 PM

I agree that she's small for her age. Like niqui said, some develop slower than others. I'd scrap the babyfood and feed her straight crested gecko diet mixed with water per label instructions. It might take her a while to adjust to the less flavorful food but she'll eat it sooner or later. I used to feed the CGD/babyfood mix and I now feed it straight. My animals grow faster and my hatch rate has improved.
Geckospot.com

flamedcrestie Nov 10, 2005 06:44 PM

i would agree with geckospot.
crested gecko diet is the way to go, and i still feed mine crickets once every week or two because they grow a bit fast and just adds some variety. but the CGD can be fed exclusively if desired.

jjjt4beck Nov 10, 2005 10:50 PM

Thanks everyone! I do alternate baby food and crickets, but as you have all suggested I'm going to switch to GCD. We'll see what happens in the next few weeks. Now that I have the scale I can keep track of her weight more accurately.

lzrdldy530 Nov 11, 2005 10:50 AM

Use the gecko diet powder to coat your crickets. They get used to the flavor that way and won't balk at straight diet. If they are too obstinate, mix it in ever increasing quantities with the baby food until they are completely weaned off of it. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
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Terri
8:13:13 crested geckos: Bear, Goldfish, Kermit, Brimstone, WildSpatter-Spots-to-Spare, White Lips, Pouncer, Studley, Big Red, Olive, Smudge, Belle, Brilliant, Tina, Brick, Toni, Beauty, Shine, Randi, Harley, Lady, Stunner, Squeak, Bling, Squeaker, Stripe, Redhead, Speckles, Harrys, Penny, BonusBebe, and 3 unnamed hatchlings.

jjjt4beck Nov 11, 2005 04:11 PM

I didn't realize I could do that. That would be the best of both worlds for her. She LOVES to hunt the crickets. All 5 are gone in almost an hour. This girl is a crazy eater. I think what I'm going to do is offer crickets every other day dusted with GCD, and then on the other days I'll give her babyfood with the GCD. I'll weigh her again next week. Thanks! Jamie

snmreptiles Nov 14, 2005 12:55 PM

Crickets are grain feeders...Oat meal, wheat germ, rice baby cereal, soy flour, wheat bran, bee pollen, etc. I think this is more your problem than anything else. Back in the days before CGD we fed mostly crickets with a little baby food, and had NO problem getting them up to size. Pet stores don't feed their crickets as they should, most don't even feed them, just give them a source of moisture, which is what you are doing by only feeding fruits and veggies. Also stay away from "Gut Load", or "Total diet" that they sell at pet stores, as this couldn't be further from the truth. We have our own "Mix" if you will, and has worked great for the last year or so. I don't believe the CGD will stick to crickets because it's not fine enough! Good luck, and remember you are what you eat!!
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MIKE
snmreptiles.com

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