New Cat Gecko - skinny

windeindoiel · #1 01-23-2009, 08:30 PM

Hello everyone, I would just like to say that this board has been really helpful as pretty much the only good source of information on Cat Geckos out there.

I got a new cat gecko a few weeks ago, I believe she's female. My cage is 18" x 18" x 24". The cage is decorated with a some wide branches for climbing, a coconut hut (which she doesn't use), a live fern (which is where she prefers to hide), a live bromeliad and of course a water dish. I have UV light and a heat lamp, the temp at the bottom is 71.5F and the temp at the top gets up to 88F, though so far she doesn't seem interested in going up there (maybe the high temp is why). I use RO water and dust her crickets about once every two weeks.

I'm worried about her because I think she looks really skinny. I can see the very tips of her hip bones just barely poking up, but they are still visible. Her tail isn't very fat either. In the time I've had her she hasn't appeared to have gained any weight. I work at the store I bought her at and the other cat geckos there look fatter than she is. She also hasn't really appeared to have gained any weight. I feed her about 6 crickets every night and usually I can only find about 3 the next day. I did find some crickets in my basement today though so I'm not sure if she's actually eating them or if a whole lot of them are just escaping.

Any suggestions about what I should do or what I'm potentially doing wrong would be great.

**Riverside Reptiles** · #2 01-23-2009, 10:31 PM

Temps are WAY too high. Ditch the heat lamp all together. Don't feed so often. EOD for the time being. Less once she's fattened up. Make sure you're misting several times per day. Skinny is not a good sign with felinus. If she came from a pet store I'd assume she's wc. Wild caught felinus can be work to acclimate.

windeindoiel · #3 01-24-2009, 12:34 AM

She is indeed WC. The heat lamp is now off and I'll cut back on the feeding. Thank you very much for the advice, I'll update on her progress.

reptivet · #4 01-25-2009, 10:37 AM

Just wondering if feces have been analysed for parasites by an experienced reptile veterinarian.
I would also not feed only crickets, give some small roaches from time to time and mini locusts fed properly. Crickets are very high in fat and cholesterol. I have been breeding many geckos of differents species for years and normally dust with calcium only the insects at every feeding, while using vitamins and minerals every 10 days to 2 weeks. This is also what I advise my clients with lizards, as vet. Many of the people I see overuse vitamins and do not give enough calcium, with possible health risks for their animal.

**Riverside Reptiles** · #5 01-25-2009, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reptivet

Just wondering if feces have been analysed for parasites by an experienced reptile veterinarian.
I would also not feed only crickets, give some small roaches from time to time and mini locusts fed properly. Crickets are very high in fat and cholesterol. I have been breeding many geckos of differents species for years and normally dust with calcium only the insects at every feeding, while using vitamins and minerals every 10 days to 2 weeks. This is also what I advise my clients with lizards, as vet. Many of the people I see overuse vitamins and do not give enough calcium, with possible health risks for their animal.

I agree with having a varied diet. But I wouldn't dust food for felinus with calcium every meal. Once a week or so should be sufficient with this species. Too much with these guys can end up with large calcified urates that can then end up blocking them. I only give adult egg laying females calcium with every meal. All the other felinus get it once a week or less.

reptivet · #6 01-25-2009, 02:39 PM

Nathan, possibly you are right about the low necessity of calcium of this specie, I trust your experience.
I was just pointing out, talking in general, that animals that do not thrive may have medical or management problems or other stressors to be addressed: temperatures, quantity of light, ventilation, hiding places, diet, parasites, other possible diseases.

windeindoiel · #7 01-25-2009, 09:27 PM

She hasn't seen a vet for parasites. Seeing how the others who came in with her are doing fine, I assumed it probably wasn't parasites but was probably an environmental stress.

Unfortunately the city I live in doesn't have roaches... plus the boyfriend doesn't want anything like that in this house. I called around to some pet stores today to see what kinds of food can be found here and the only soft stuff anyone carries are waxworms and hornworms (I don't know what those are but the lady on the phone said they're soft and should be ok). Would these work as a weekly or so substitute for crickets?

All her crickets from last night were gone this morning, hopefully because she ate them and not because they escaped... though I can't find where they'd be getting out. I also found some poop this morning.

I've cut back the time the UV light is on to 6 hours in hopes that reduces any stress she might be having as well.

**Riverside Reptiles** · #8 01-25-2009, 09:58 PM

Cooling her temps will probably result in her regaining her appetite. She needs to be more in the high 60's low 70's. Keep in mind though, they still don't eat every day in general. They're delicate animals. This is not a leopard gecko. And wild caught can be tricky. I suggest to keep reading as much as you can through the old posts here. It's by far the best compilation of felinus info you'll find.

PS I've never had any luck getting them to eat any tpe of worm. Doesn't mean that it can't happen. Just means I haven't had any luck with it.

sarahjane85 · #9 01-26-2009, 10:19 PM

I've cut out most Ca supplementation for my felinus. Instead of dusting w/Ca, I've increased this content in my gutload. I modified it according to urate size and the condition of eggs being laid.

I have fed mine a couple waxworms by hand to see if they'd take them this way (dish initially) -- only the females accepted them. I didn't want to get into the habit of this (I like them wild) -- they get 2 species of roach and the occasional cricket. I seriously just leave them be. They experience some disturbance I'm sure when I'm searching for hatchlings just before dawn but even then, it's just once per month.
In the summer, I've had the temps go as high as 84F and behaviorally they seemed uncomfortable to say the least. I've never had one die from heat stress -- not to say it won't happen. Most keep their felinus much cooler than I do. My herp room does not drop below avg. 68F, even in the winter. Maybe switch out the UV... at least until she's acclimated.

Sarah.

windeindoiel · #10 01-30-2009, 02:05 AM

Good good news! Since turning her heat lamp off she's been eating waaay better. Even if I put 6 crickets in her cage they're all gone the next day, I'm still feeding her every other day though. Also I see her out and about at night, whereas before it didn't matter what time I peeked in her cage, she was always hiding in her fern. So I'm quite happy, thanks for all the advice guys.