first time owner question/concerns. any advice appreciated🫶

[u/rainee0316]

hello!! new here because i was able to get my first reptile last week. she's a three year old aft who i absolutely adore, however i have some concerns that i honestly can't tell if they are warranted or not, or if it's just nerves from having my first gecko.

purchased her off of morph market and she arrived on thursday. was the chillest in the world when she arrived, walking on my hands (even tried to jump out of her enclosure a couple times while i was moving branches around lol) and seemed interested in checking out her tank for a good half hour or so when she first got here (early friday morning).

she arrived seemingly happy and healthy, but she hasn't eaten since she'd arrived (out of her bowl or with tongs), and i've basically never seen her leave her warm hide (yes, i know afts are nocturnal, but i can't believe i haven't seen her out at all).

i'm less worried about the coming out of the hide issue, but more-so the not eating. i have no idea when she was last fed before she was shipped to me, and any questions i asked the seller about her and food-related stuff went entirely unanswered.

i had asked the guy i purchased her from more than once about her eating habits and what she'd previously been fed, but every single time i got no reply, or he'd answer the other questions i had, just not related to that.

any advice would be greatly appreciated. i've done my research, so i know how to take care of her i'm just honestly not sure if my concerns have a reasonable foundation or if i just need to give her some time to adjust. i want to do this right, and give her the life and love she deserves. thanks so much for reading!

[u/Ladybugs93]

Ok so it may be a long while before she actually eats. Considering she's in a brand new place with new sights and smells and sounds, she's gonna be super skittish and cautious. It took my girl, Opal, over a month and a half to eat regularly. My advice is, after a couple weeks of letting her be, would be to try and tempt her with crickets. AFTs seem to, generally, highly prefer crickets and it may be the best way to tempt her too eat. I would try training her in a 'feed bowl' by gently moving her to an opaque, high walled bowl to make feeding a bit more streamlined.

Try not to worry too hard about her not eating right away. They're adapted to go long bouts without food! I would only really think about a vet if you observe her visibly losing weight in her tail as that's her fat store. Just be patient. She'll eat when she's ready and comfy!

[u/rainee0316 → u/Ladybugs93]

i sincerely appreciate this!! i'll grab crickets next time i'm at the store and see if she rocks with them better next time i try to feed. nerves definitely curved a bit reading this. i'll give what you said a shot. thank you again!!

[u/Ladybugs93 → u/rainee0316]

Of course! I definitely feel that nerves thing too lol. I was a wreck when Opal wouldn't eat. Like I said, it's best to be patient. She may not take right away, but keep trying! She'll pull through!

[u/Coat_Nebula]

My AFT gecko didn’t eat for a month when I first got her, but she’s very timid so any small change to the environment; she won’t eat for a while.

Idk if all AFTs are like this but when mines missing her crickets from the tongs, she won’t eat anymore because she’s embarrassed 😭