Scardy Leos???

nellie · 03-23-03, 08:09 AM

Has anyone heard of leopard geckos that are afraid of cricket???
I brought my 3 babies home yesterday, threw in some crickets, and they all freaked out!!! They were actually backing away from the crickets! They wouldn't settle down until I chased down every cricket.
Any suggestions on getting my little guys to eat?
Thanks!

snakemann87 · 03-23-03, 08:19 AM

how big were the crickets? maybe they are too big, if they arent too big, pinch off the legs of each cricket and place them in a bowl, maybe they will take them like that. Please update

SnowSnake · 03-23-03, 08:38 AM

That is soo funny!! What do you usually feed ur leos? like snakemann said try to get smaller crix or to pinch off the hind legs.

SnowSnake

DragnDrop · 03-23-03, 08:47 AM

They were probably still scared from being moved, and being young, they'd react to it even more. The next thing they know there's these crawly things all over the place, and they freak out. They might never even have seen a cricket, depends on what they'd been fed before, that's two scary things in a short time. Just add one cricket per gecko at a time, wait until they've been eaten, and add more. Or try mealwoms in a dish for the time being.

03-23-03, 09:10 AM

My baby leo loved the tiny meal worms the first day I got her! She would have ate the whole cup if I let her! I say get some small meal worms and put them in a bowl, or drop them infront of the leos face.

depressor86 · 03-23-03, 11:03 PM

my leo has never hesitated in ripping apart a cricket, even if shes not hungry. but mealworms are different, the first time i put in some mealworms atlas raced over to see what they were, put her nose to it and when i moved she jumped straight in the air! next thing i knew she zipped to her hide and wouldnt come out.

actually today was the first day she actually ate mealworms. only took a month to get her used to them ;p

Samba · 03-24-03, 01:33 AM

I agree with you guys. Wait for the babies to settle down before feeding, then offer small crickets in small amounts. Maybe, 3 or 4 at a time. Mealworms are a really good item to offer new baby leos, because they are basically harmless to them. Just make sure they are well-heated to digest the chitin. Good Luck!

nellie · 03-24-03, 08:47 AM

Thanks for all the help you guys!
Last night I left 3 meal worms and 2 crickets in a bowl for them. This morning all of the mealworms and 1 cricket were gone!
I know leos are mainly noctural. Would I do best to feed at night?

Samba · 03-24-03, 10:23 AM

That's good! Not to burst your bubble, but to make sure they're eating you might wanna check the substrate (or under the paper towels if your using them). If it turns out they didn't eat, they won't have to starve! most geckos would probably prefer you fed them at night, but it's never made a difference to mine in the past. Have fun with your new babies, I know I am! I just got a 6 week old baby 2 days ago and already she's (I hope it's a she LOL) already an aggressive feeder. About an hour after she settled down I put some Rep-Cal and mealworms in her bowl and she ate 5 of them! This tiny little thing eats more than my 8 month old! Well, let us know how they're adjusting.

nellie · 03-24-03, 02:15 PM

Samba~ I'm so jealous! I hope mine start eating that well!

nicola_boulton · 03-24-03, 02:22 PM

try baby baby baby wax worms, they love them

SnowSnake · 03-24-03, 04:14 PM

for the light thing I just recently observed that my male (blizzard morph) prefers to eat when it's darker. My female prefers to eat when i'm not around, lol like if she didnt want me to see her like a pig. I should take a picture of her with her two front feet on the side of the bowl!

cya,
SnowSnake

matt_winter · 04-22-03, 06:26 PM

They are probably just getting use to the new enviroment. it should prooly tkae some time before they will start