hi,

if carmen is thin still and will only eat crix, then maybe it would be best for you to feed her crix. just until she gets beefed up a bit. you could try to hand feed her the mealies (or use forceps) too, but right now her main diet should probably be crickets until she is healthy. if you try to make her eat stuff she is not really used to, she might get upset and confused.

if you are stressing her out by trying to get her to eat mealworms, then that might make her not trust you. no offense, but you are probably scaring the poo out of her every time you try to make her eat. it is important to teach her to accept you and feel comfortable when you put your hand in her cage. then try to hand feed her. probably constant waving of mealies will have an adverse reaction, i wouldn't recommend it.

about the food bowl; you definitely need a bowl that is a little deeper so that the mealies can't climb out. for my gex, i have a bowl with some calcium dust and I just put mealies in there, and I refill when they are gone (or pick them out if the morph or die.) you should make sure you put the mealies in there when your leo is hungry and the mealies should be really lively--if you keep them in the fridge, then take them out before for a while so they warm up a bit. maybe you should use the forceps and show her the squirming mealie first to catch her interest, then show her that there are others squirming in the bowl.

wow, i just realized I was rambling...hope I helped,

lola

I use a clear glass ashtray from Walmarts, I think it was $ .50.

Mealies can't get out. At night I put a small piece of carrot or potato and some gutload with about 20-30 mealies. The gutload and moisture source keeps them pretty active. In the morning I remove the mealies and they go back to being gutloaded. At night I do it again.

I do not leave mealies out 24/7 until they die or morph.

Just my routine

HAHA I'm still the king of rambling,

Micro, if your really concerned for weight and proper health to grow a healthier way, silkworms are the healthiest common feeder out there. They are expensive at times but are full of a great HEALTHY amount of protein, no chittin shell, full of great nutrients and are overall very healthy and very recomended. Just my opinion. I my self have just rescued a year and a half old leo that is quite underweight and am feeding silkies to him.

SEE- RAMBLING

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The more you whine, the worse it will get.

good idea, moldypotatoe, i never think of silkworms, but they are great. i don't really like to touch them, though, i'm afraid i'm going to squish them. they are sooo soft!!! i've gotten some before and let them turn into moths, and my Bearded Dragons love it! i don't know how nutritional they are then, but they love to chase them around and leap at them.

and bitten: i have my own mealworm breeding colony, so for the most part when I put them in there and they morph, then they were getting ready to anyway. and when they die, i I think that they are suffocated by the calcium maybe? i have picked them out before they have died and after they have been in the calcium and sometimes they die anyway.

but I personally wouldn't take them out every morning and replace them every night. my geckos usually eat them right up anyway. i just thought that carmen might benefit from not having her surroundings disturbed so much until she is more comfortable being there.

we all have our own routines. yours is great! keep up the good work.

again, rambling...

...lola

Just for clarification it's wax worms and she does take them from me, as well as meal worms and supers, she just doesn't take them if they are in a bowl or crawling around on the floor. I was using a plastic cap from a vitamin bottle (well washed of course) that is dark green for a dish. Additionally she likes to watch me and she has learned to dance when she wants food, she just doesn't like me to move quick when I'm near her. I'm not getting her any silk worms because the other fussy gecko refuses to eat them. I've tried letting her eat a few from the forceps then showing her the dish but she doesn't get it and tends to step in the bowl etc.

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"A BOA CONSTRICTOR IS A Boa constrictor!"

I believe back in Feb of '04 I posted something about my Leopard Geckos refusing to eat from their food dish and only eating hand fed or food placed in front of them. The I had to go on a week vacation and realized I won't be able to feed them myself. I noticed if the Leopard Geckos gets hungry enough they'll discover the food dish. I started them out by allowing them to following my finger to the food dish and holding my finger still while the movement of the mealworms attracted them. They're a number of solution I just think you should wait until Leopard Geckos discover the bowl and try not to let them become attached to your hand feeding method just in case you have to leave unexpectantly for a number of reasons.

Anatasia