So I added a dish of calcium to Moka's enclosure...

[Phantom240]

Within seconds, she came out of her hide, wanting to know what was now sitting next to her temporary worm dish. She started lapping it up like it was a precious commodity... makes me wonder if she was borderline deficient. She's been on a diet of mealworms pretty much her whole life, and the guy I got her from was a younger fellow, maybe 20 - 23 years old.

Then she just started making a mess of it and eating it off the paper towels... which I'm going to change tomorrow.

 

[Phoenix1115]

Hahah mine do the same every time I refill it. I swear they think it's a candy sandbox!

 

[Olympus]

Perhaps her diet is deficient. Mealworms, even if you gutload them, can't possibly meet 100% of nutritional needs. Mixing in other bugs (even if it's just crickets and/or roaches) all well gutloaded would help fill in any gaps. What do you gutload with currently?

 

[Phantom240]

I got her Saturday, so I can't comment on what all she's been fed. Since I've had her, she's eaten a few Dubia roaches, which I feed bananas, apples, kale, and fruit based baby food with a little vitamin powder mixed in. They also have some dog food for protein, but they much prefer the fruits. She's also eaten a couple of mealies that I keep on oats and fed carrots and veggies. She'll be on the same diet as Eris, which is a staple of Dubia and sometimes crickets or mealworms. Eris won't touch Phoenix worms, so I won't try them with Moka. Eris gets three waxworms once every two weeks, but Moka doesn't like them. Aside from that, I'm looking into raising silkworms as well, to be used side by side with Dubia.

 

[kingkung]

I get confused on this. I hear different answers. Is it recommended to keep a dish of calcium without d3 in the tank 24/7? I have been since i got my geckos, but i never see them eat it and they always spill it everywhere and i always have to clean it up.

 

[Phantom240]

lol. General consensus is yes, a dish without D3 should be provided. My adult never even approaches the dish. Then again, she never approaches her water either. I think she's either dumb or has terrible vision lol. Moka will lick it once in a blue moon now, though she seems much more content trying to lay on top of it like a really messy bed. Silly gecko, you don't absorb Calcium through osmosis.

 

[indyana]

Haha, my gecko totally makes messes like that with the calcium too every so often. I much prefer it when he just eats a dainty little scoop.

I'd say she definitely felt like she needed a bunch of calcium. Hopefully, that behavior will taper off with a well-balanced and appropriately-supplemented diet. <3

 

[Phantom240]

Lately, she just rests her head on the calcium. I dust her crickets and dubia with Repashy Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus.

 

[kingkung]

I need to get some 3m double sided tape and tape the calcium bottle cap container down to the tile, Lol

Sent from my HTCONE

 

[Phantom240]

Look at this smug little turd. I put her calcium container back in today, in the corner of the warm side since it's been out while I rearranged the cage... note where it sits now.

Look at that, if that isn't what smug looks like, then I don't know what does.

Took her out so I could put her hides back in after feeding earlier this evening. She notices the crickets in the keeper. The water gels look terrible because some vitamin powder got spilled in there by accident.

She's starting to get a bit more orange color to her. I'm liking it.