Hello,
I recently got my first gecko (and reptile) and have been loving it. He is about 6 months old and 9 grams. I have named the little guy Ronald, and he has been living in my planted jungle tank. He will not eat from his feeding ledge and I have been feeding him off of my hand. Is this okay? I read somewhere that it was a bad habit. He is about 9 grams as of right now.
6 Likes
I’d say feeding off the hand isn’t a good idea, because then they will only eat off of your hand, so making sure that he will eat on his own is probably a good idea.
Welcome to the forum!
2 Likes
How would I go about doing that?
1 Like
Give him a couple of different food bowls, and see which ones he likes to eat from. If you don’t notice him eating right away, its okay, he’s just adjusting. It can take a bit for them to settle in, but once they do, he should catch on pretty quick. You could also offer bugs, but he doesn’t need them.
2 Likes
Give him a couple of different feeding dishes, make sure his tank has plenty of cover, and then just wait. Leave him alone completely, only interact with him/his tank to mist/water and change food/water. Don’t feed bugs until he’s eating his CGD. It might take a week, or it might take a month, don’t worry about it, it usually takes a while for them to eat when they first arrive, so it’s best to leave them alone for a while until they eat😊
1 Like
So first off, get a lot more branches as there isn’t enough. Without them, Ronald (great name btw) could develop FTS.
One of the biggest things that is often overlooked is making sure that there are branches that they are able to eat from. I also like having ledges with space that they can sit on as it makes eating more comfortable. Without branches leading up to it or a big ledge then they will either be stuck to the glass or in a weird position.
1 Like
Don’t hand feed. Will cause issues in long run.
Put bowl in and leave him to eat on his own.
Also add lots more branches in for him, horizontally too x
1 Like
I agree, he requires more climbing and hiding options, ideally higher up.
Once you’ve added them in, you might find he has a favourite spot (so to speak) I usual put food bowls close to that area