Followers of mine on Twitter will know that the geckos have had some issues settling in. Specifically, Mokele had not eaten anything since she arrived in her new home. She spent the first three days up the polystyrene wall!
Then on Wednesday morning one shoe dropped - there was gecko skin all over the tank and Mokele was looking a bit dishevelled. She was (and still is!) shedding. As the amount of skin seemed disproportionately small compared to the amount she had lost, we think she must have eaten a little of it.
In any case, the advice for reluctant gourmands seemed to be to get some baby food and mix it up into a slurry. So last night Paul and I went to Tesco and spent a good 15 minutes in the baby food aisle discussing whether 10% chicken was better than 8% beef and which meat tasted most like mealworms (I like to think we worried the other shoppers...).
And tonight - success!
This is Mokele actually taking slurry from the syringe (she did lick up the little bead of food at the corner of her mouth later). You can see where she's still shedding along her flank.
The plan of action is more slurry tomorrow and get them up to full strength before heading back to live food (possibly live food coated in slurry).
As an aside, I have decided that it isn't just dog and cat owners who become obsessed with their pets' bowel movements - Paul and I have had long chats about the consistency of the little lizard poopies we're sieving out of the substrate...
Then on Wednesday morning one shoe dropped - there was gecko skin all over the tank and Mokele was looking a bit dishevelled. She was (and still is!) shedding. As the amount of skin seemed disproportionately small compared to the amount she had lost, we think she must have eaten a little of it.
In any case, the advice for reluctant gourmands seemed to be to get some baby food and mix it up into a slurry. So last night Paul and I went to Tesco and spent a good 15 minutes in the baby food aisle discussing whether 10% chicken was better than 8% beef and which meat tasted most like mealworms (I like to think we worried the other shoppers...).
And tonight - success!
This is Mokele actually taking slurry from the syringe (she did lick up the little bead of food at the corner of her mouth later). You can see where she's still shedding along her flank.
The plan of action is more slurry tomorrow and get them up to full strength before heading back to live food (possibly live food coated in slurry).
As an aside, I have decided that it isn't just dog and cat owners who become obsessed with their pets' bowel movements - Paul and I have had long chats about the consistency of the little lizard poopies we're sieving out of the substrate...
All lizards and snakes, to my knowledge, stop eating for a few days before they shed. Mine certainly do. And yes, they eat their skin. It's gross, but I guess nutritious?
ReplyDeleteHey, I used to eat my fingernails, so that's all fine with me. Now rabbits on the other hand - all that eating their poop and stuff? Ew.
ReplyDeleteShe's finally found the moist hide, so I think that's going to help things but I'll keep an eye out.
Funnily enough I don't seem to be very popular when I comment that they're cuter than human babies though...
But they ARE.
ReplyDeleteReally cute, but the title intrigued me.
ReplyDelete