Crested geckos are generally hardy eaters and enjoy crickets, mashed or pureed fruit and can be fed the specially formulated T-Rex Crested Gecko Diet. A crested gecko not eating may be a sign of illness or stress. Pay close attention to other signs associated with illness to rule out any obvious reasons behind their lack of appetite.
A New Environment
If you have just recently acquired a crested gecko, it may take up to a week for the reptile to begin eating. The crested gecko may be stressed from being transported and placed into a new environment. Allow it to acclimate to its new habitat, which normally takes a few days to a week.
When introducing a new crested gecko to an already established collection, you will need to quarantine it for 30 to 45 days. This is to ensure that the new gecko is healthy and will give it time to acclimate. Once it is eating regularly and appears healthy, introduce the new gecko to the existing habitat.
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Many times beginning keepers of the crested gecko become nervous when they think their new pet is not eating. Often though, they actually are eating but it is difficult to tell, especially with young geckos. They do not need a large amount of food in order to survive. One way to ensure that they are eating is to monitor their food to see if it has been touched. You may also want to place a small drop of food on the gecko’s nose and let him lick it off.
Illness
If you notice that your crested gecko is not eating and this is accompanied by other symptoms such as loss of muscle control, twitching and difficulty moving around, it may be suffering from metabolic bone disease (MBD). MDB is caused by a deficiency of calcium in the gecko’s diet.
You can check to see that your crested gecko is receiving the proper amount of calcium by checking its calcium sacs at both sides of the roof of its mouth. Stroke the gecko around the mouth to get it to open up. The calcium sacks should be white and full.
A crested gecko not eating does not necessarily mean it is not healthy. Consider its habitat, if you’ve just acquired it or if it is still very young. Stress may be a contributing factor behind its loss of appetite. If the gecko’s not eating is accompanied by other unusual symptoms, contact your veterinarian to rule out serious illness. Otherwise, just give it time to acclimate and monitor its behavior.
