Ok, so ive got a new heatmat and increased the temp of the geckos viv,now how do i get her to eat more?!?

Question

so i've got a 5month old female leopard gecko and ive got her viv at a higher temp now (around 80 at night) but shes never really been interested in any foods, and i've tried everything, crickets,wax worms, meal worms, but obviously i need something that is going to be nutritionally balanced for her,i always give her calcium and vitamins, fresh water, she is on paper towels as a substrate and is generally not disturbed (handled say 3/4(max)times a week only for about 3/4mins).i saw about the powder meal replacements but dont really see how she will eat those because generally, she is too lazy to chase the crickets and will wait until they come close, and now since eating worms refuses the crickets and only eats the worms if placed infront of her, she wants them, and they wriggle.as far as im aware shes in good health,shedding well,drinking,going the loo every day active at night, so im not sure, just fussy? any info would be great, thank you all!

Answer 1

Are you sure she's not hunting at night? They tend to be nocturnal animals. If she's shedding, she's eating, reptiles only shed when they've out grown their skin, so she's getting nourishment from somewhere. Try putting the meal worms in a dish so you can keep a count of them, and make a note of how many crickets you have put in and see if any aren't there. Mine tend to hunt at night, and by hunt I mean they hid in their caves and wait for their prey to walk in or past the entrance. The wax worms, these are like the chocolate of the reptile world, only feed them as a treat, also reptiles can go through stages of liking different prey. Mine like crickets, then go off those and go on to meal worms and back and forth. It might be worth sprinkling any food you put in with a gecko supplement, this ensures that if they are being fussy eaters they are getting the right balance.

Gut load any food you put in to, special powders are available as well for this and it will ensure that she gets everything she needs.

Contact me if you need to know anything else :)

Answer 2

you could also try hand feeding here with some tongs. Dust the cricket and then put one in front of her and see if she takes it. If she does do a few more and then try to get back to just dropping in the crickets.