My Cat's too skinny!

rhymenocerous113 · #1 10-18-2009, 04:41 PM

Hello all, I'm new to these boards. I just got back into the hobby about 5 months ago, and have begun to amass a nice family (3 Cresties, 1 Uromastyx, and 1 Felinus). I got my Cat Gecko as a birthday present for myself, as I've always wanted one. I did my research and assembled a nice setup. He was a wc, but long term captive I was told. He came to me a little skinny but perfectly alert. I would see him eat every now and then, and would even catch him out on a night stalk, but I haven't seen that in a while. He seems to have stopped eating, and is really too skinny. I keep him in a 20 gallon high, with not too many climbing places (I've never seen him climb), and a lot of leaves and plants for him too hide (all fake). I have one wooden hut for him that he spends all of his time (I never see him leave that hide anymore). The humidity is always at 80% and the temp. is always about 70-72 degrees. I keep him on a coco bark/ moss substrate and also have a large water dish in there for him. I tried to keep 1/4 of the tank fairly open so he would be able to see his food better. I feed him crickets Mon. Wed. and Fri., two at a time, dusted every monday. Does anyone know any tricks to bring him back to life a bit? He's so lethargic, and is clearly not eating; I just want to put some weight back on him. Thank you for reading!

PS - As far as handling goes I DO handle him about once a week for cage maintenance. He never seems stressed, just curious if anything (I may be reading him wrong though). I typically just move him to a temporary enclosure immediately. I like to keep my hands off him as much as I can.

Jan Grathwohl · #2 10-19-2009, 10:34 AM

Could you post a picture of your felinus?

the species in general are looking skinny when healthy - and they are very lethagic. Mine are not moving at all during light on - but are slowly moving around at night.

I keep mine in a well-planted terrarium with lots of hides - and plants for them to climb (they actualy climb a lot at night - but only in total darkness).

rhymenocerous113 · #3 10-19-2009, 12:26 PM

haha, it's funny you say that, because the only time I've ever caught him eating or foraging was when I used to cover his cage, much like a canary, at night to calm him from my families night time activities. Perhaps I should consider that again, or find a calmer room; which I've yet to find in my hectic home. I'll be sure to include some more climbing surfaces. I'll try my best to supply a picture by the end of the day!

rhymenocerous113 · #4 10-20-2009, 01:01 PM

As promised, here are some pictures of Claude, my Felinus. I was going to post them last night, but had some difficulty. I didn't know how to embed them in the post itself, so I attached them, HOPEFULLY it works. Does he look too skinny? I have a couple of full body shots, a shot of his face, and also a shot of his tail. Any idea what species he is? I know there are a few, but I'm no expert. I took your advice, and moved him to a darker place (my room). I moved all my lights out (except for a closet light; I need something to see!), so his cage will darken with the natural day/night cycle. I put a 75 watt night glo bulb atop his cage for viewing, although I'm worried this may detract him from coming out. (will he still come out with this on? I was thinking of switching to a 50 watt to see if it would help. The temp stays about 70-71 with it on). He did not come out last night, but I'm thinking of taping some black construction paper on 3 walls of my cage to block out most of my room for him. Enjoy the pics!