Crestie is terrified of crickets

[Ashleigh91]

So, I have a crested gecko who's about 4 years old, and like the subject says, he's terrified of crickets.

I've tried getting different sizes, putting him in different containers to eat them, turning the lights out so it's more dusk-ish.. nada. He eats maybe 2 and then just sits there petrified.

I still try every few months, because I feel kind of bad that he lives solely on Repashy and it seems like that must get super boring.

Anyone else ever encounter this, or have any ideas to give this boy some variety to his diet?

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[tttaylorrr]

@zina10 would be who to ask

but just know a varied diet is not a requirement nor is it really recommended to vary it too much/too often; if anything bugs are supposed to be an occasional treat and not a staple of their diet.

^{_{(i am very new to keeping so if i've shared any wrong info i'll be happy to listen to more info)}}

[Bogertophis]

Maybe it's not fear....maybe they don't taste good, like if they weren't fed on decent food prior to offering. I would try keeping the crickets for a few days or a week & feeding well before offering....see if that makes a difference. (I think crickets will eat most anything, & if you're offering them straight from the pet
store, maybe they aren't feeding them quality food. They might be eating newspaper for all you know?)

If I'm not mistaken, don't cresties also like Dubia roaches? That's another option...

[Ashleigh91]

We can't buy roaches here at all lol

Maybe he just doesn't like them, that's true I've tried getting them from different stores to no avail.

Oh well! He's gotten by this long on crested gecko diet lol I'm sure he'll continue

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[Bogertophis]

We can't buy roaches here at all lol....

Not sure where you are, but I think you can order them online & have shipped, like they do with waxworms & crickets, etc.
The only trouble is you don't need that many, especially just to try out. You need to find someone nearby who feeds them & can
spare a couple...try asking at vets offices, many vet techs keep all sorts of things, & know others doing so.

[Ashleigh91]

I'm in Ontario, fairly sure roaches are bylawed/illegal here lol.

Thanks though! I'll see what I can find in the area for options.

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[Stewart_Reptiles]

Well the good news is they do not have to have cricket or bugs in general, cresties will do just fine on CGD again they don't have to have bugs.

In captivity IMO some become lazy do not want to chase and don't like the jumpy type of bugs, lot of thing are illegal in Canada so you might not find Dubia, you can offer Phoenix work but go easy on that they are very fatty.

Basically if your crestie does not want cricket and you can't find dubias (which you should feed in a dish 4x3 dish) the best thing is just to feed CGD.

[bagnew]

I have the opposite issue. My crested loves crickets and ignores CGD. I offer it regularly but he seems to never eat it. I have occasionally placed a small amount on the tip of his mouth and he licks it off but no real interest. I do make sure the crickets are dusted and on occasion have dipped them in the CGD. Hey seems to be other wise doing well

[Bogertophis]

I have the opposite issue. My crested loves crickets and ignores CGD. I offer it regularly but he seems to never eat it. I have occasionally placed a small amount on the tip of his mouth and he licks it off but no real interest. I do make sure the crickets are dusted and on occasion have dipped them in the CGD. Hey seems to be other wise doing well

I guess you could "gut-load" the crickets on CGD...?

[tttaylorrr]

I have the opposite issue. My crested loves crickets and ignores CGD. I offer it regularly but he seems to never eat it. I have occasionally placed a small amount on the tip of his mouth and he licks it off but no real interest. I do make sure the crickets are dusted and on occasion have dipped them in the CGD. Hey seems to be other wise doing well

have you tried other flavors?