My baby blizzard Violet is not eating at all now,

ive had her 2 weeks and she started to eat but now has refused all foods.

Had a poop sample and all came up clear and no problems.

But she isnt eating! im worried cuz she is so thin and only 19g.

Any ideas?

thanks!

HAve you tried offering different food items? Crickets will usually get them going....

mmhmm, i offer daily:

Locusts
Crickets
Dubia Roaches
CockRoaches
Hissing Roaches
Mealworms
Waxworms

Nothing will she take! im very worried as she is so thin as it is.

I am at a loss then....

me to. I am going to order some more locusts and roaches see if i can at least tempt her. maybe try a waxie again.

All I can say is to double check the temps, hides (moist and dry)....something is up....

If she's 19 grams she was must have been eating something. I would try to find out from the breeder/dealer exactly what she was eating before you got her and offer that.

I wouldnt offer all those food items *daily*. You might be freaking her out. I dont know how you're doing it but if there are all sorts of bugs hopping and crawling around in there that could be why she is timid. I would remove any live insects from the cage and let her rest a day. Then I would offer some mealworms in a very shallow bowl or whatever food item she used to eat. But you dont want to get into the habit of shoving food in her face every time you pass the cage.

She be a little shy and not want to eat in front of you. Might have to leave the food over night.

And as JC mentioned check the temps, make sure she has some good snug, hides etc.

Temps in the hot side is 88F-92F.
Cool side is 72f-75F.
Hot hide is not too hot.
Cool hide is not too cold.
Moist hide is moist.
Substrate is paper towel.
She also has a fake plant in there.

SO everything is rather fine as far as im aware.

She use to eat crickets, locusts and mealworms.

I supply mealies every day. I toss in bugs but not all different ones in the same day. I put locusts one day, if uneaten take out and put crix if uneaten take out and put roaches. Nothing is interesting her.

Shall i not feed her for a couple of days then feed her see if that works?

Hold off on trying to feed her for about 2 days, but keep her water dish full. If in two days she doesn't turn around there is always hand feeding, but I would only do this as a last ditch effort.

hand feeding? i.e force feed?

Don't force feed your gecko. This is absolutely a last resort unless you really have some experience with this.
Do you have a photo of the gecko? How does the tail look?
Have there been any changes to the temps or the setup?
One thing you can try as a can't miss food is waxworms. I have never had healthy leopard ignore waxworms. Only give a couple as they are pretty fatty and the leos can become addicted.

I agree with the waxies, they seem to like those best. I had a picky eater and waxies got her going. Try using a small tong or tweezers hold right in front of her. My new trempers don't seem to eat alot out of their bowl but will pig out if I tong feed:dunno:

Good luck!

Force feeding is a little different from what I call hand feeding. You take the gecko in one hand and rub the mealworm or whatever prey item on the sides of the mouth of the gecko in hand. Usually what will happen is you will get either a aggression bite or the gecko will leave it's mouth wide open. Place part of the prey item inside the mouth and let the gecko bite down (don't just shove the item in its throat). At this point two things will either happen. The gecko will continue chewing and swallow the item or the gecko will spit it back out. If the gecko takes the prey item and swallows. Wait a few minutes and do the same process over. If the gecko immediately spit the item then DO NOT attempt again. This is a little invasive, but in no means the same as prying the mouth open and shoving the item in without any chance of the gecko having a choice of eating or spitting it back. I have never in my 10 plus years of keeping geckos needed to do a full blown force feeding. The method I described above has worked for me in the past, but as I said before please exhaust all other outlets before doing any assisted feeding.

There is a slurry mix that you can make and give to them and it works great. I got it from a breeder friend of mine. I would give it a try and see how it works for ya. I have had great luck with it when one of mine stopped eating. here it is


This recipe was developed to provide anorexic carnivorous and insectivorous geckos with life sustaining nutrition while they convalescing, and to help produce a stool for a veterinary fecal test. It is NOT medicine, and it will NOT cure anything.

In a blender, combine:

1 small can Hill's A/D pet food (available at most vets)
¼ cup Ensure (not chocolate)
1 jar baby food squash or pumpkin
¼ cup Pedialite
*2 tabs or contents of 2 capsules milk thistle (herbal supplement, liver purifier, found at most drug stores).
*2 tabs or contents of 2 capsules of Acidophilus (GI system probiotic, found at most drug stores).
1 tsp. calcium powder w/Vitamin D3
1/2 tsp. herp vitamin powder
2-4 X-large handful of mealworms, added slowly while mixture is blending until it is about the consistency of a milkshake.

*optional ingredients

Puree all ingredients until completely smooth. Pour into ice cube tray(s) and freeze. Store cubes in zip-lock bag in the freezer until ready to use, then thaw out 1 cube at a time and store in fridge for 2-3 days. You can use the empty baby food jar for this purpose, washing it thoroughly after each use.

Using this mixture, draw a full 1ml dropper (eye dropper type) and place a drop on the gecko's nose, being careful not to plug the nostrils. Be patient and do not force-feed! The gecko will lick it of its nose, and as it does, slowly squeeze out a little at a time. Most geckos love this food, and will lap it up.

~ NEVER tell anyone you put mealworms in the blender! ~

You take the gecko in one hand and rub the mealworm or whatever prey item on the sides of the mouth of the gecko

I had to do that for my old gecko...she was blind and the vet said to rub the worm or live prey against the side of her mouth and she should either bite it or open her mouth if so place the prey inside her mouth.

Great info bro! Especially this part! ~ NEVER tell anyone you put mealworms in the blender! ~ :lmao:

Ok, done it. But she spat all the worm out again.

Im getting worried, ive been to the vets twice and they say shes fine just her eating habits.

Cant do anything!

Did you try the wax worms?

i was told not to cuz they get addicted??

If its still not eating try em. Just don't feed them all the time (they are like candy to them). It's ok to give them a couple like twice a week or so. But I would use them to get her feeding again.

If its still not eating try em. Just don't feed them all the time (they are like candy to them). It's ok to give them a couple like twice a week or so. But I would use them to get her feeding again.

will she be ok until friday/saturday?

I live out in the village, so cant get into town until friday/saturday.

Hard to say, the weaker she gets the less likely she will feed for you.

I would really think about trying that slurry recipe that I put on here. Even if you dont have all the stuff to make it you can blend up what you do have and give it to your leo. If it is on the tip of her nose she will lap it up and eat it.

I would try the waxworms first but the slurry recipe is a great suggestion if she doesn't take the worms after a couple of days.

Well, i tried her on locusts again today, and she took 7 of them! YAY!

hope she keeps it up.

That is good news!