OK, I know I'm obsessing, but....

[nellie]

how long can baby leos go without eating normally?
What exactly is normal for a baby to eat?
My 3 baby leos have eaten a combined total of about 5 meaworms and 1 cricket since last Saturday. Should I be worried about this?
I leave a constant supply of mealworms in their cage, but I haven't really offered too many crickets (please see my previous post "Scardy Leos" for explaination).
I do plan to buy some baby wax worms this evening since that was suggested to me.
Any words of wisdom would be appreciated!

[Alicewave]

do you have them all living together? If so what size cage? Also, if so you might want to separate them so you can monitor how much each on is eating and so that none of them take any food away from the others. They could be stressed living together.

[nellie]

Yes. I have them together.
I have them in a 10 gallon aquarium. They are teeny tiny, so I thought that would be fine until they got a little bigger.
That is a good idea though. I will do that.
Should they be eating everyday since they are so young?

[Alicewave]

They should be eating the equivalent of about 5 small mealies a day. More is even better. Definitely separate them til they are like 6 months I'd say. 10 Gallon is way too small, they are probably stressed from that.

[nicola_boulton]

i'm really good glad you took my advice on the wax worms. The thing with baby leos is that they can get scared in big spaces. So if u can try to put them in individual small tanks so they feel more surcure. xxxxxxxxx

[nellie]

Would the little 5 gallon "critter keepers" work to house them individually?

[peregrinefalcon]

As long as you can heat them properly they are fine! They grow fast though, so be prepared to upgrade soon.
Adam

[Alicewave]

I've actually found 5 gallon and even 10 gallon glass tanks to be cheaper than the critter keepers at some places, depends where you go. I think it would be hard to heat a critter keeper. I would be afraid you'd melt the plastic.

[fr0glet]

I have a couple of small lizards housed in kritter keepers, which have UTH's and 1 even has a basking light. The plastic tolerates heat well.

[nellie]

Update...
I moved each baby to his/her own cage. I have been monitoring what each has eaten over a two day period, and will continue to.
Genesis has only eaten 1 wax worm in 2 days. Exodus hasn't eaten anything in 2 days (and I don't think anything at all since last Saturday when i got them!). Leviticus has eaten 4 wax worms in 2 days.
I know on some post there was a mention of baby food. Is this something I should try? If so: What kind? How much? Should I add calcium? Do I just put it in a bowl, or do I have to try to spoon feed them?
Please Help! These darn things are driving me crazy!!! I wake up every morning expecting them to be dead!
Who said that leopard geckos are easy??????????? :-P

[Alicewave]

Try not to feed too many waxies. They have hardly anything but fat. If they are not eating much it's better that they eat well gutloaded mealies or crix. WAxies can also be addicting so watch out for that. Have you had them all tested for parasites yet? You may need to do that.

[nellie]

Alicewave ~ I have not had them tested yet. I guess I should probably do that.

Would anyone suggest baby food?

[Herp guy]

The kritter keepers will work but at least 5 small mealies a day. I dont know anything about baby food though

[fr0glet]

Your lizards won't eat baby food on their own. It is a solution when you are convalescing a sick/starving animal and you have a method for them to ingest it - like a syringe/feeding tube. If it doesn't wiggle and trigger a feeding response, they won't eat it on their own.

Calcium (if it is JUST calcium - no phosporous, no other vits) can be offered at all times in a little lick bowl (I use a jar lid).

Do they have plenty of places to hide? They MUST be stressed with all the moving around lately. Make sure they have plenty of hides and quiet time. Don't make loud noises near their tanks (don't even talk in your normal speaking voice when dealing with stressed lizards). I whisper to mine.

What time of day are you trying to feed them? Geckos are noctournal. I find if I leave a very dim lamp on in my herp room and come in quietly in the evening (9pm - 12am), my leos will all be out and about. If I piss off a mealworm (pinch it's tail) and drop it all wiggly right in front of a lizard, then I hold still so it ignores me........ that often triggers the feeding response and that's all that needs to be done.

Patience and perseverance!! Make sure they at least have shallow water dishes to drink so they have water intake daily. It's more important that they stay hydrated than eat every day.

If you approach 2 weeks with no eating let me know and I'll go over pumping baby food into them with you! :-S

[nellie]

fr0glet~Thanks for the advice...
Yes, they have places to hide. I use terra cotta pots with holes cut in the sides. They also have their humid hides (tupperware containers).
I'm sure they are super stressed. I brought them home last Saturday, scared the hell out of them with crickets, then moved two of them to new enclosures just a couple days later. Plus I am constantly checking on them to make sure they are still alive.
Right now I have them in my bedroom. Maybe a completely secluded room would be better???
I leave 5 meal worms & 5 waxworms in a shallow dish everynight. Of course the damn mealies escape. Each morning, I check to see what has been eaten. I did try to use tweezers to hold onto the meal worms and "hand feed" my babies. It didn't work...
I will give them another 5 or 6 days and then I will contact you if they still aren't eating. Thanks!!!!!

[Samba]

Well, I have a question.... Aren't you the person who JUST got these little babies less than a month ago? If so, it'll take them awhile to get adjusted, not to mention all the moving around and such (although it was a very good idea to separate them). If they are teeny tiny then it's possible that they are still living off their egg yolks. Make sure they are well-heated, and always have a phosphorous-free calcium available (preferably in a shallow dish). As said above, baby food really isn't a good idea unless they are ill and unable to eat on their own. My leos get baby food as occasional treats, and never feed it without calcium suppliments (baby food is high in phosphrous). Contrary to what was said above, Leopard geckos will eat baby food on their own. Leos have been known to eat many things that don't 'wiggle'. Back when I was younger, Basil (the Leopard gecko pictured left on my avatar) would eat almost anything. Macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pies, etc. It really depends on the leo so be sure to observe them carefully. You'll start to notice their individual likes and dislikes. Give them some time and privacy and they should start growing like weeds in no time. If you feel they are ill, or they start losing weight, take them to a vet. You really should have them checked regardless, just to make sure they don't have parasites or anything. I would recommend keeping a 'Feeding Log'. I do this with my Leos on a regular basis. Just keep track of the date, food eaten and quantity. If one of your leos becomes sick (God forbid) then you have a record of your leo's regular eatting habits for reference. Good luck with the babies and keep us posted!

[nellie]

Yup, I just got my babies 2 weekends ago. I guess I didn't realize that they could still be living off the egg yolks. That makes me feel a little better.
Last night, I moved them (yes, yet again) to my spare bedroom. This room has much less traffic. This morning when I went it to check on them, Exodus (the one who hasn't eaten anything) ate a meal worm when I dropped one in his/her cage!!! You wouldnt believe how happy that made me!!!!!
The calcium I have DOES have phosphrous. Is this bad for them? Is this okay to shake my mealies in? Or should i refrain from using this at all?
Thanks for all of your help everyone! I appreciate everyone's suggestions.

[fr0glet]

Samba: WOW!! I am totally impressed about little Basil's eating habits - I had no idea that could happen :) I guess my leos are just really into wiggly stuff, I never see a feeding response on that which doesn't try to escape. I am learning something new every day :)

Nellie, calcium to phosphorus ratios are part of what determines how your herps absorb calcium. If they have too much phosporous in their system, they can't absorb the calcium and so it just gets excreted in their urates. Young leos REALLY need calcium for bone strength so it is vital that they can absorb it.

Most feeder insects (crickets, mealworms, waxworms) have PLENTY of phosphorous on their own. Your leos definately don't need a phosporous supplement, and definately do need a calcium supplement.

A really cheap way to get calcium (without paying pet store vitamin prices) is to buy a piece of cuttlebone for birds. It is usually well under a dollar, and is basically a solid piece of calcium. You can then scrape it with a butter knife and it turns into a nice fine calcium powder, perfect for a lick-dish or even dusting insects.

Good idea giving them a private room, less traffic = less stress. Good luck and let us know how the eating goes! :D

Here's a good article on invertebrates, that includes a table showing calcium to phosporus levels in common feeder insects:
http://www.michaelthorn.com/cfhs/vet/insect1.html

[Samba]

Nellie, I would recommend Rep-Cal for your babies. It is specifically phosphorous-free and comes in a powder form. All you have to do is put a half a spoonfull or so into a shallow bowl or lid of some sort. Froglet: You think YOUR impressed by Basil's eating habits! I was just sitting in his room (the bedroom where they get supervised running-around time) eattin some food when I guess he smelled it. Let me tell you, he marched right up to my plate and helped himself! Man, I miss that lizard... at least he got to be an old man before he went! I've even heard of leopard geckos stuffing themselves on tasty substrate so you really gotta watch these guys.... they'll try to eat just about anything!

[Emily-Fisher]

Aww! That story is so cute! My Smeagol isa pig, eats up to 20 mealies a night, calcium every night, 2-5 crickets everynight, and gets meat baby food through a syringe once a month which has extra vitamins (excluding calcium and d3 for those are in the Rep-cal that he eats.) . Unfortunatly, I've never seen him eat. In the dark, i saw him pecking at the mealworm dish but I never actually saw him eat. I love my Smeagol. Here's a photo of him:<br><img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1248smeagol1.gif"><br><img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/511/1248smeagolvalpostcard.gif"><br>In the first pic, you can see his coloration and pattern but I just love the second one which i took for valentines day. Look at that smile!! :D

[ReptiZone]

man My leo eats right from My hand I can have him in my left and he will eat the mealys and crikets out fo my right my G/F cousins can feed him like that to now it is a blast to have these littel guys I just need a female for him soon.

[Samba]

Adorable gecko! Don't worry if you use a red light you can probably watch your little guy eat! Sounds like he has a very healthy appetite!