African fat tailed geckos have seen a spike in their popularity recently and although they are still far from being as popular as the more commonly kept pet reptiles, there are a ton of people out there who are new to keeping fat tailed geckos.
This has resulted in a large number of people reaching out and asking various questions with more and more people asking about their pet African fat tailed gecko not eating their food.
In some situations, it can be totally normal for your pet fat tailed gecko to not eat with this usually being when added to a new vivarium or during the winter.
This is normal and to be expected with fat tailed geckos but if your fat tailed gecko is not eating during the warmer months in a vivarium that it has lived in for more than a month then there may be a health problem causing the issue.
Please keep in mind that it is totally normal for a fat tailed gecko that is less than one year old not to slow its eating pace due to it needing the energy to grow as quickly as possible.
This can throw many people new to keeping fat tailed geckos off as they think that just because their fat tailed geckos eating pace did not slow in its first year means that there is something wrong in its second year when it starts its brumation phase but this is natural.
If you do think that there is something wrong with your pet fat tailed gecko then we would highly recommend that you book a video call with a trained veterinarian to have them check your fat tailed gecko over.
Why Won’t My African Fat Tailed Gecko Not Eat?
Depending on the time of year and if your African fat tailed gecko is new to its vivarium, it could be totally normal for it to consume less food with it being totally natural for African fat tailed geckos, especially males to eat less food in the winter.
There are a number of health problems that can cause your African fat tailed gecko to eat less though so it can still be a good idea to have a vet check your pet over if it consistently refuses to eat or looks unhealthy.
Another thing that commonly catches people out who are new to keeping African fat tailed geckos is that they are naturally a nocturnal animal so may not eat much during the day as their instinct is to hunt at night.
On top of this, we have noticed people trying to feed their African fat tailed gecko an unsuitable diet so try to make sure that the diet of your African fat tailed gecko is based around insects such as crickets and various larval insects such as mealworms, waxworms, and for older African fat tailed geckos hornworms.
Although rare, some African fat tailed geckos may eat less while shedding due to slight problems with their shed phase that are often easy to fix.
If you do suspect that the problem is due to your African fat tailed gecko shedding then there are various steps you are able to take to help it shed without issue such as rest a wet paper towel over your African fat tailed gecko for a short period of time to moisten the shed to help it come off your gecko.
How Do I Get My Fat-Tailed Gecko To Eat?
If your African fat tailed gecko is not eating due to being in its brumation phase or due to being in a new vivarium, it will usually start to eat of its own accord over the coming weeks.
If your African fat tailed gecko is eating due to a health issue then you will usually have to look into fixing the underlying cause of the lack of appetite is essential and this will often require an inspection from a veterinarian.
As we mentioned earlier in the article, if you do suspect any serious problems causing the lack of eating in your pet African fat tailed gecko then we would highly recommend that you book a video call with a veterinarian to have them check your pet African fat tailed gecko over via the camera on your smartphone while asking you a couple of questions.
These video calls often workout to be considerably cheaper than a trip to your local veterinarians while also offering the exact same advice due to you speaking to a fully trained veterinarian.
Another thing that we mentioned earlier is that many people new to African fat tailed gecko keeping may offer their pet an unsuitable diet.
This is more common than many people initially realize too as they pick up a generic “reptile food” product that may be designed for omnivorous reptiles such as bearded dragons, blue tongue skinks or green iguanas but the bulk of your African fat tailed geckos diet should be based around insects.
Switching to a suitable food for carnivorous or insectivore reptiles can often be a quick and easy fix if you are offering them a food designed for omnivorous reptiles.
What Do I Do If My African Fat Tailed Gecko Won’t Eat?
If your African fat tailed gecko is not eating then the first thing that you should check is if there is an natural, expected reason that it may not be eating due to reaching the brumation period of the cycle as this is natural and doesn’t require any action to be taken from you.
If you suspect that your African fat tailed gecko is not eating due to a health issue then seeking medication from a vet is the best path forward.
We have covered a number of quick and easy fixes that you are able to do earlier in the article such as making sure that the food you are offering your African fat tailed gecko is suitable for its needs as well as helping it during its shed to reduce the chances of any issues coming from that too.
You will often find that a simple thing can cause a lack of appetite in reptiles and that it is not a serious issue with your African fat tailed gecko being totally fine after a couple of days.
In some vivarium setups, the temperature and humidity may cause your African fat tailed gecko to go off its food so looking to correct these issues as soon as possible can also be a quick and easy fix.
This is more common during the colder winter months when most African fat tailed geckos will be looking to start their brumation phase and may require their vivarium temperature to be slightly lower than usual.
That said, it can be common for your African fat tailed gecko to have a lack of appetite at this time of the year anyway but it is something to keep in mind.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over why your pet African fat tailed gecko is not eating to an end. We hope that we have been able to help you better understand the main reason why your African fat tailed gecko may refuse to eat its food as well as how to fix it. For the most part, this is an easy issue to fix and should not result in any long term health problems with your African fat tailed gecko.
