Leopard Gecko In VERY BAD DANGER !!?

Question

My friends gecko wont eat mealworms because he gave him a waxworm but that was last night so he just ate yesterday so itys not really bad.
how do he get him to eat!!help!!

How Do I Get Him to Eat His MealWorms And Crickets Again?

http://www.cricketfood.com/superworms.php?osCsid=100db98ece0ce50b25cd0468a0f088bc


go to this site steve art' and go to bottom of page mealworms and superworms eating thorugh stomach is a total MYTH !!! it is IMPOSSIBLE THE STOMACHACIDS WOULD KILL IT!!

Best Wishes,
Mike

i have everything for him but i will list anyways for whoever asks.

20 gallon Long
calium
vitamins
food
substarte(tile)
lighting
heat
4 hides (3 dry 1 humid)
temps about 88 hot side 75 cool side.
Everything is CORRECT.

Answer 1

first off, a mealworm cannot eat its way out of the geckos stomach.
okay on to your question...the gecko will probably eat mealies after a while, but if not you can try other food items. feeding mealies or crickets is like feeding an empty pill capsule...they're only as good as the food they eat. waxworms are a bit better, they are fatty, but they have a lower ash content than mealies and are more nutritionally complete.
good items of food to try are:
superworms (be careful as these can bite the gecko, but this happens outside the body...it cannot eat its way out of the belly)
goliath worms (aka hornworms)
butterworms (these are very high in calcium *good for breeding females)

geckos can go a LONG time without food and still live...as long their tail is 1/2 the thickness of their body, they are in good shape...if the tail is the size of a pencil you may need to consider force feeding...
if you are bent on getting the gecko back on mealies...try cutting off a mealworm's head and squeezing the juice into the geckos mouth (this sometimes makes them want to eat again)

if the gecko is in really bad shape you could try repta-aid (be careful when using this...if the gecko doesn't pass stools and it's belly swells up you need to stop immediately...if this happens you can try a drop of mineral oil to get the gecko to pass the food)

the best thing to do with forcefeeding is to make a bug slurrie (mix some ensure or yogurt with some bugs in a blender-preferable an unused blender- and feed it to the gecko)

to get a leo to open its mouth, lightly trace the tip of the syringe (or worm or your fingertip) from the back of its mouth to the nose...the gecko should open its mouth up nice and wide for you to feed the food. be careful to not drown the gecko while doing this...

don't forcefeed unless you absolutely have to!!!

Answer 2

As long as he ate them before, he'll eat them again. They can go a while without food, so he's in no danger, he's just being picky. When it's hungry again, it'll eat.

About the superworms, while I do think the myth is blown out of proportion, it IS true. Superworms, and to a lesser extent mealworms, have a very tough exoskeleton, and it can be VERY hard to digest. If animals don't kill it on the way down, they can survive. I personally have seen a hingeback tortoise eat several mealworms, only to crap them out later STILL ALIVE. Even the source you listed conceded that it may be possible for animals like chameleons, and you have to remember that the site is trying to SELL superworms, so they are very biased.

Answer 3

The gecko won't eat because he probably feels "full". Waxworms have a high fat content and should only be used occassionally. Of the three macromolecules eaten (protein, carbohydrate, lipids/fats), the fats have over double the caloric content of the other two and take the longest to digest & absorb.

Depending on the gecko's size it may be ready for it's next meal in a day or so.

It's good to see that you are trying to vary your gecko's diet - no animals should be expected to thrive on a single food type! Variety will give a more balanced vitamin & mineral base, but be sure to dust the food with calcium & vitamin supplements occassionally.

Answer 4

Well... The gecko probably won't starve to death, you'll be amazed how long they can go without food. I also wouldn't suggest feeding something like a mealworm to a gecko. They'll just sit in the stomach and eventually chew their way out, geckos and frogs lack the ability to fully chew them. I'd try crickets instead. Not only are they safe and a more appropriate food item for a gecko but they'll engage him more and he'll most likely take more interest them. It also reduces his risk of indgesting substrate when he eats.

Answer 5

You shouldn't be given him to many mealworms they have a hard outer shell that can impact your gecko, instead feed him crickets(crickets should be gut loaded first) along with occasional waxworms and mealworms. Adult geckos can also be fed an occasional pinkie mouse(rarely). Juveniles can be feed every day and adults every other day. How big of a cage is he in and what is the temperature? Also do you have a UVB light?

http://www.anapsid.org/leopardgek.html

Answer 6

if it is on sand, please get it off it. calcium sand has been proven to cause impaction and kill geckos. try raiseing the temps a little. aim for 92 degrees on the warm side of the tank and 86 on the cool side. Leopard geckos need a high temperature to digest food properly. wax worms should not be fed as a staple diet. Only twice a week at most. They are incredibly fattening. the gecko may also be in the "winter cool down" many geckos will go into a small burmination period and stop eating for weeks on end. as long as she doesnt loose weight she will be fine. If the behavior continues, please contact a vet.

Answer 7

try crikets but only but one or two in at a time as they can bite your lizard also make sure they are small or medium depending on the size of your lizard. wax worms are good but are high in fat so alternate them. leopard geckos are nocternal so they genreally feed at night.

Answer 8

how many of the other worms did u give him he might of got hooked and the 1s u said u gave him is like chocolate , ice cream, cookies to us {sweets} very fattting ur only supposed to give themm like 1 once a wk

Answer 9

I would not feed meal worms to a leopard gecko, they can eat there way out of the lizards stomach if they are not killed when eaten. Wax worms or brown crickets are the best for these gentle lizards.
Try warming up the vivarium to encourage him to eat, if the geckos tail is nice and fat he may not be hungry so give him a couple days fasting to encourage him to eat. If he is emaciated you may have to hand feed it until it recovers.
Care sheets are free on my web site.
http://www.artsaquaticsandanimals.co.uk
I sell these worms in my store and I would not reccomend them to Gecko owners. The site you quote is a business whose sole way in life is to sell live food to you so they are bound to be biased.
I have seen bearded dragons killed by morio worms(super worms)and leopard geckos kiled by meal worms and I would sooner believe my own eyes than a site trying to sell these worms,

Answer 10

put the geco in a different cage with nothing but food and water dont worie he wont starve he is just not hungry right now i mean you dont eat 1st thing in the mornig .