Crested gecko owners-CGD problems?

[bekers71]

I wanted to discuss this here with the owners, past or present, of crested geckos. This topic was brought up on a different web site, but the thread was locked. So no further comments were able to be made. At one point, 2 months ago, I posted this my concerns on that same site. A couple people showed they had the same issue. But other than one person, no one else would comment or offer advice. What concerns me is this is a matter that should be discussed for the health of our geckos. This is my personal experience and one I have heard others have concern with. I would like to know if there are others with the same problem.

In recent months the crested gecko diet (cgd) that I had been using successfully had a change in it's formula. Now, this change was indeed done for the better health of the geckos and many have had no issues with it. But, also with this change came geckos that did have issues. Out of 4 gargoyles and 13 cresteds, roughly 3 or 4 would touch the new formula. I tried mixing it with the old version and they still refused. The newer formula draws fruit flies with in hours and begins to mold overnight. I do not attribute this to too much humidity due to the fact I do not mist my cages every day. Our humidity stays around 50-60% naturally. My cages vary in style and ventilation but this tends to happen in every cage. I have had the geckos skip a day or two on feeding to see if this would "force" them to eat it. Nothing. The results, since this diet has been changed, is a lot of my geckos have lost weight and calcium. A few weeks ago I started using calcium powder and dusting dubia roaches to feed the geckos. The bad thing is, not all of my geckos like bugs.

On the other site a few people mentioned a different company that makes cgd. People stated their opinions on the positive and negatives of this other diet and after a few post the thread was locked. A couple people did mentioned though that they mix the two diets together and their geckos are healthy and eating well. So with that in mind, I ordered the other cgd. I mixed it 1/2 and 1/2 with the diet I already own and fed it to all of my geckos. On the second day 2/3 of the bowls were licked clean. The other 1/3 were half empty but those were bowls of smaller/baby geckos. The left over mixture did not have flies nor mold. The geckos have been feeding solely off of this mixture for almost two weeks now. They are more active and their calcium sacs are back to almost what they should be.

I want to know if you have concerns or issues. What do you do or have done to remedy your problem?

 

[ZoologyGirl]

Is this just with the cgd, the formula change? or the seperate base/flavor meals as well?

I am using the seperate base/flavor stuff for my gargoyles, but I may have gotten it before the formula change anyway.

 

[bekers71]

This is just with the cgd not the 2 part diet. I have the 2 part diet as well and honestly it's sort of a pain. Some geckos like one flavor and others like a different flavor. Just too much to keep up with for me. So I don't use it very often.

 

[ZoologyGirl]

I hear ya, I'm probably going to switch to the one part diet after mine runs out, if only for simplicity sake. I'm interested in what you find out about the formula change issues though.

 

[susang]

I know very little about cresties, but I had one for around 18 months. He would only eat CGD dry, which helped with fruit flys it just seemed wierd. He went to a young to man to use as a breeder and is doing great.

 

[ssssinful-1]

I was feeding the old CGD until a month ago. I purchased the 2 part diet in Mango and Passionfruit and all seem to be doing well.

I have heard the same problem that there are quite a few Cresties out there that do not like the new diet. You have probably read the same threads, but some keepers have been resorting to mixing it with baby food with good results. I have not had to go that route. :shrugs:

I am curious about the other brand of CGD- what is it called?

 

[bekers71]

I was feeding the old CGD until a month ago. I purchased the 2 part diet in Mango and Passionfruit and all seem to be doing well.

I have heard the same problem that there are quite a few Cresties out there that do not like the new diet. You have probably read the same threads, but some keepers have been resorting to mixing it with baby food with good results. I have not had to go that route. :shrugs:

I am curious about the other brand of CGD- what is it called?

The 2 part diet is different than the regular diet. It's the regular diet that had a change.

Most breeders warn against using baby food. But I have resorted to using the mango every once in a while for the ones that don't eat bugs. But I add calcium to eat and only offer it once a week.

The other diet is Clarks diet.

 

[Nanci]

I just have the one garg. She eats the one-part CGD. It's about to run out. I tried that different, new brand- the grainy yellow stuff. She hates it. I have a new bag of CGD but I don't know it it's the old kind or the new kind. How can you tell?

 

[bekers71]

I just have the one garg. She eats the one-part CGD. It's about to run out. I tried that different, new brand- the grainy yellow stuff. She hates it. I have a new bag of CGD but I don't know it it's the old kind or the new kind. How can you tell?

Pangea changed part of it's ingredients in their CGD about 2-3 months ago. So the bag looks the same just the diet looks and smells a little different. Some animals have no issue with this change. So your gargoyle may not mind at all. The Clarks diet has been around for a long time so it's not really new. Matter of fact, the ingredients aren't that much different than Pangeas. So it's odd as to why some geckos don't like the new way Pangea makes their diet. :shrugs:

 

[darkmorning1]

I HATE the new change and so do my crested geckos, Changing the diet is good if it gives up healthy happier geckos...but not if the geckos dont eat it!! i had to switch off to 2 part rose and cherry they seem to really love it. but still. now i have to pay even more just for my geckos to eat because the 100% diet isn't very yummy. (you try smelling it now. Yuck!)

 

[bekers71]

I HATE the new change and so do my crested geckos, Changing the diet is good if it gives up healthy happier geckos...but not if the geckos dont eat it!! i had to switch off to 2 part rose and cherry they seem to really love it. but still. now i have to pay even more just for my geckos to eat because the 100% diet isn't very yummy. (you try smelling it now. Yuck!)

It doesn't smell as good as the previous blend. It used to smell like fruit and not I'm not sure what it smells like now. Have you tried the Clarks diet or bugs?

 

[darkmorning1]

i Orders clarks diet, MANY people say its bad for the geckos however they eat it. and For me this diet seems to have been around a long time i have seen new about it back from (2005), there was some talk of it "killing" someone gecko, however even though there is Many people stating this, Many more say the geckos Go NUTS for it and Has always been good for them. I did order some and its not here yet, And i cant say Bad things or good things Until i try it. everyone i have talk to said it didn't take ANY work to get the geckos to eat it, In fact even newborn crested geckos go nuts for it...

I will be getting my order in tomorrow if not today, seeing how it goes with everyone, Once i get some more crested geckos hatched out, am thinking about doing a Side by side test, (1-2 months from now) when i have Alot more crested gecko babies, 2 New hatched baby's One only gets the "complete CGD and the other only Complete clarks diet " and beable to see what really happens.

 

[bekers71]

Ok..here is what I see. I am by far no expert on ingredients or mixtures. But what I see different between the two CGD companies is the fruit that's added or not added. Just my opinion, but if an animal is a nectar eating animal wouldn't you want to include fruit into their diet?

I have copied and pasted directly from both companies the ingrediants they list on their websites to show the differences in their diet. It seems as though clarks includes apricot which may be why geckos tend to like it more.

Pangea:
Ingredients:
Honey Powder, HempSeed Meal, Bee Pollen, Whey Protein Isolate, Fig Powder, Wheat Germ Meal, Alfalfa Leaf Meal, Brewers Yeast, , Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Yeast Culture, Spirulina Algae, RoseHips powder, Kelp meal, Haemotococcus Algae, Marigold Extract, Rosemary Extract, Yucca Extract, Natural Mixed Tocopherols (as a preservative), Vitamin A acetate, D-Activated Animal Sterol (Source of Vitamin D-3) ,Vitamin Premix, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Probiotic Premix.


Clarks:
Ingredients on The Complete Formula:
PASTEURIZED EGG WHITE (AVIDIN DENATURED BY PASTEURIZATION), PASTEURIZED EGG YOLK (AVIDIN DENATURED BY PASTEURIZATION), AIR DRIED FIG POWDER, AIR DRIED APRICOT POWDER (AIR DRYING RETAINS ALL NUTRITION), BEE POLLEN (AUSTRALIAN, JARRAH TREE), RICE FLOUR, BANANA FLAKES, TRI-AND DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SOY OIL-LECITHIN, MIXED TOCOPHEROLS (TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS), ELECTROLYTICIRON, ZINC SULFATE, ALPHA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE (VITAMINE E), NIACINAMIDE (A B VITAMIN), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6) , THIAMIN MONONITRATE (VITAMINB1) FOLIC ACID (A B VITAMIN) VITAMIN B-12 (CYANOCOBALAMIN). VACUUM DRIED RAWHONEY (RETAINS ALL ANTIBIOTIC / NUTRITION / PRESERVATIVE QUALITIES) MINER-ALL , SPIRULINA / CHLORELLA(100% PURE, BROKEN CELL WALL FOR EFFICIENT ABSORPTION OF NUTRIENTS, VITAMIN D-3 (400 iu per pound

 

[darkmorning1]

Also the 100% complete crested gecko diet the old version smelt like Banana some what
this New 100% complete version 3.0 is NASTY! and its not just me, Many crested geckos owners are like "Wow that's pretty bad!" lol

2 part diet base smells even worst, However the flavors of Rose smell like real roses, not for long after you mix it up with the base...rotten roses but i must say it seems all but the babies ate it..

 

[Nanci]

The old Pangea diet tastes good to me...I can't remember if I tasted the Clarks.

 

[darkmorning1]

bekers71 one of the reasons people started this whole Mess is because clarks adds Baby cereal, Now now, dont run away from the idea just yet, i mean lets think this diet has been out since 2005, One guy says 1 of his geckos diet from it. which there was NO prove. Another added point is there isn't much Calcium in fact its very low. this is the classic diet By the way, and the company even Stated it wasn't a Complete diet. However now they do make a Complete diet, so i wonder if they added more calcium but i know the baby cereal is still in there, if i remember it right its Gerber's apple something but they sometimes change it to Gerber's fruit mix Cereal...but remember alot of people use this stuff and have healthy, happy, EATING geckos and i heard almost everyone in Canada Uses this stuff. Am willing to give it a shot.

 

[bekers71]

The old Pangea diet tastes good to me...I can't remember if I tasted the Clarks.

LOL I thought about tasting it. But then I figured the kids would catch me and think I had lost my mind.

bekers71 one of the reasons people started this whole Mess is because clarks adds Baby cereal, Now now, dont run away from the idea just yet, i mean lets think this diet has been out since 2005, One guy says 1 of his geckos diet from it. which there was NO prove. Another added point is there isn't much Calcium in fact its very low. this is the classic diet By the way, and the company even Stated it wasn't a Complete diet. However now they do make a Complete diet, so i wonder if they added more calcium but i know the baby cereal is still in there, if i remember it right its Gerber's apple something but they sometimes change it to Gerber's fruit mix Cereal...but remember alot of people use this stuff and have healthy, happy, EATING geckos and i heard almost everyone in Canada Uses this stuff. Am willing to give it a shot.

I listed the ingredients above from both companies for the complete diet. I'd have to compare a baby food box to know if this was the same thing or not in Clarks. But with a look at what they listed it doesn't appear to be baby cereal. I could be wrong though. I had read that some people were saying their geckos were getting fat from eating clarks. In my opinion geckos are a lot like snakes, none of them grow exactly the same. Some will use up the fat that's in the diet because they are active. Others may be a bit more lazy therefor becoming bigger or fatter. Cage size may play a big role in how overweight your gecko may or may not get. More cage space= more roaming; less cage space= less activity.

 

[darkmorning1]

FAT geckos dont scare me. lol In fact i want that. if it works as good as they say it does but Has low calcium rates, i would use this to fatten them up and then Dust a few feeders. Try to work it out, and i believe it was The company's new owner, that even said that's what is in it.

 

[darkmorning1]

i did have the link with the What happen but i cant find it... what happen was someone was a Lead Dealer of this diet, so they ordered more to sell off at there company, Out of the blue the Owners of clarks diet, told the lady they Changed the Mix from Gerber Apple something, to Gerber fruit mix, just to let them know, Also that they had used this Mix sometimes before hand when they ran out of the Apple, the dealer became very unset with clarks company...Because it was not Analyzed, before when they Had been selling the product and not telling there dealers, So she closed dealership with the clarks line of food, and it seems other dealers did too, Now the new owners of the clarks diet is PMPreptiles, now the diet has a Guaranteed Analysis! so no mistakes here.

 

[bekers71]

i did have the link with the What happen but i cant find it... what happen was someone was a Lead Dealer of this diet, so they ordered more to sell off at there company, Out of the blue the Owners of clarks diet, told the lady they Changed the Mix from Gerber Apple something, to Gerber fruit mix, just to let them know, Also that they had used this Mix sometimes before hand when they ran out of the Apple, the dealer became very unset with clarks company...Because it was not Analyzed, before when they Had been selling the product and not telling there dealers, So she closed dealership with the clarks line of food, and it seems other dealers did too, Now the new owners of the clarks diet is PMPreptiles, now the diet has a Guaranteed Analysis! so no mistakes here.

That is good information to know. Thanks for posting that.

Considering the Clarks diet now has a guranteed analysis, I wonder why some are still against using it? Maybe the same people that opposed it in the beginning might actually be the same people against it now?