Gecko Terrified/Not Eating - HELP PLEASE!!!

[autumnatmidnite]

I just got a baby/juvenile house gecko from a pet store to help keep the gnats down in my snail tank. I've heard of others who successfully kept small geckos for the same purposes, and did my research beforehand to make sure this species would be compatible with the conditions my snails require - i.e. warm, humid, and nocturnal, so doesn't

Comments

[harliquinnraver]

How long have you had him and how big is he? Geckos (cresteds and gargoyles anyway) can go off their food for a couple weeks when moved into a new habitat. And baby/juvenile geckos do much better in a smaller environment so that they can easily find their food and aren't overwhelmed/scared/nervous with all of the extra space. Geckos also like to hunt so freeze dried meal worms probably aren't too appealing since they aren't moving around. They probably aren't as nutritious as live foods either.

[autumnatmidnite]

I've had him about two days - I didn't expect him to eat that first night, but has no idea they could go off their food for weeks! He's very small, just about 1.5" or slightly larger from head to tail, and on the skinny side. I'll definitely try the live crickets if that might help pick up his appetite...

[harliquinnraver]

Oh wow yeah, that is quite small. I would recommend moving him into a large Kritter Keeper with paper towel as substrate (the paper towel will be easy to replace and easier to spot poop on) and some fake plants and stuff for him to climb on. I bet he is overwhelmed in a 20 gallon tank.

Good luck with him! I'd love to see a picture of the little dude. :)

[neumeindil]

Stick a critter keeper with him in it inside the 20 gal so he's still got access to the gnats that climb in through the top of the keeper. Can this type of snail be a parasite vector to the lizard? I know almost bupkis about snails outside of aquatic apple snails that I used in my freshwater tanks years ago.

In the mean time, he Must have live bugs to hunt besides the gnats. Pinhead crickets (the really teeny ones) and a few fruit flies are all he can probably eat now. He'll be big enough for meal worms in a couple months.

[chaosrah]

I didn't know people kept house geckos.. I usually see them in petstores along with brown anoles used as feeders. I was always told they didn't do very well in captivity.

[autumnatmidnite]

Just wanted to update...

Planning a trip to the pet store tomorrow to get him live crickets, but for now, I moved the baby gecko to the small plastic tank I use for the snails when I clean out their house. It's wide, but not very high, much like this one - Reptile Ranch - and he still seems nervous, but has been more active in that tank. I even caught him with a nice sized chunk of one of the cut up mealworms sticking out of his mouth (!!!), though I don't think he's eaten much more than that. I'm going to try and reintroduce him into the snail tank once he's larger (and fatter!) but if that doesn't work out, I've decided to keep him anyway. What sort of permanent tank/setup would I need for him in that case

[teefers]

You might want to order some Phoenix Worms from online somewhere (I use phoenixworms.com). They don't move nearly as fast as crickets so they should be easy to hunt, but they do wiggle a whole bunch and are VERY appealing to herps. You also don't have to do anything to keep them alive, just leave them in the container they come in for weeks at a time and pull out whichever ones you want to feed. They are also quiet and don't stink like live crickets do ;)

[autumnatmidnite]

Thank you for that suggestion!!! I've never heard of the phoenix worms before, but they sound PERFECT :D

[teefers]

slight correction on my previous comment, i order from phoenixworm.com, not worms with an s
here's a direct link: http://www.phoenixworm.com/servlet/the-12/A.-Introductory-Pack--dsh-/Detail

you're welcome :)