No poop for a week!

[Sweetstrwbrry]

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My leopard gecko is just over 6 years old. She has lived on paper towels her whole life with a rock hide and plant thing. I also have the under the tank heater which I keep on during cold nights (into the 40s outside) but turn off otherwise, I live in Florida. She doesn't like too warm of temps bc she will come out of her rock and try to sleep somewhere else but she absolutely loves her rock as it is her most favorite place. Even in the winter Florida is in the 70s.

She hasn't pooped in over a week! My brothers Leo has three times already. She is still eating, it is just not coming out the other end. Physically she looks great, nothing out of the ordinary. Still eats nothing but crickets and they are dusted in calcium powder. What could be causing this? I have noticed she always poops a bit less than my brothers but this is the longest she has gone without.

[Embrace Calamity]

I can see several things wrong here, but go ahead and fill this out so we don't miss anything:

Gender:
Age:
Weight:
How big was the reptile when you first acquired it?
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner):
Captive bred or wild caught?
Do you handle him? If so how often?

Enclosure:

Cage: type, size:
Substrate provided?
What types of hiding places are provided?
Is there a humidity hide? location?
Please describe any other furnishings:

Lighting:

Artificial lighting?
incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s) ?
fluorescent (tube bulbs)?

Temperature:

Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage? what type?
What is the temperature in the warm part of the cage? under the warm hide? In the coolest part?
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature? hot rock, UTH, heat light, ceramic heater, other:
Are you using a thermostat?
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time?

Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much?

Humidity:

Is the humidity measured? Range:


List other animals that are kept in the same cage:
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months)
Are any of your other pets ill?
List recent changes in the environment, if any:

Diet:

Insects, list type?
Are they “gut loaded”? If so with?
How often do you feed your reptile?
Please list any supplements used. How are they given and how often?
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both?
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without?
Multivitamins?

Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:

If your reptile is sick, please describe the signs and how long your reptile has been showing these signs:
Is your reptile’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased?
Is your reptile’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased?
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight loss, Weight gain
Discharge from the eyes or nose
Increased breathing rate or effort
Change in the droppings
urates white or yellowish
Abnormal skin color or shedding
Parasites on the skin or in the feces
Weakness

Also, pics of her and the enclosure would be very helpful.

~Maggot

[Sweetstrwbrry]

Response filled out

QUOTE=Embrace Calamity;385210]I can see several things wrong here, but go ahead and fill this out so we don't miss anything:

Gender: F
Age: 6 years
Weight: I don't know, normal
How big was the reptile when you first acquired it? Baby
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner): pet store
Captive bred or wild caught? Don't know
Do you handle him? If so how often? Seldom

Enclosure:

Cage: type, size: 10 gallon tank
Substrate provided? Paper towels
What types of hiding places are provided? Rock enclosure
Is there a humidity hide? location? No
Please describe any other furnishings: plant and water bowl

Lighting:

Artificial lighting? Yes
incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s) ? I don't know, reptile lighting from pet store
fluorescent (tube bulbs)?

Temperature:

Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage? what type? Yes but it doesn't work , the temp is generally kept around 80 with heater on
What is the temperature in the warm part of the cage? under the warm hide? In the coolest part?
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature? hot rock, UTH, heat light, ceramic heater, other: heating pad under the cage
Are you using a thermostat? No
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time? In the rock

Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much? Mid 70s

Humidity:

Is the humidity measured? Range: no


List other animals that are kept in the same cage: none
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months)
Are any of your other pets ill? No
List recent changes in the environment, if any: it has been this way her whole life

Diet:

Insects, list type? Crickets
Are they “gut loaded”? If so with? I do not know, from the pet store
How often do you feed your reptile? Every week
Please list any supplements used. How are they given and how often? Calcium
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both? Not sure
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without?
Multivitamins?

Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:

If your reptile is sick, please describe the signs and how long your reptile has been showing these signs:
Is your reptile’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased? Same
Is your reptile’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased? Same
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight loss, Weight gain no
Discharge from the eyes or nose no
Increased breathing rate or effort no
Change in the droppings yes
urates white or yellowish: none of this lately either
Abnormal skin color or shedding: no
Parasites on the skin or in the feces no
Weakness no

Also, pics of her and the enclosure would be very helpful.
I do not have a pic at the moment and I am not home to be able to take one
~Maggot[/QUOTE]

[Embrace Calamity]

Someone should be able to link you to a care sheet, but some specific changes to be made:

1) They need three hides. Bare minimum. There needs to be a hide on the hot side, a humid hide on the hot side/middle, and a cool hide. Always. No exceptions.
2) You need to know the temperatures. You need a digital (not analog/dial) thermometer or an infrared temp gun. And the temps of the warm side need to be 88-93 degrees. Without proper temperatures, she can't digest her food properly, which will decrease her appetite.
3) If you're going to provide a temp drop at night, it still needs to stay above the mid 70's. Definitely shouldn't drop below 80 on the hot side; some people don't even offer a temp drop at all.
4) I would very, very strongly suggest you get a 20 LONG. I believe PetSmart is still having its $1/gallon sale. You can't get a very good temp gradient in an itty bitty 10 gallon, and, frankly, it's just too small for a full-grown leo. Your gecko will be much better off in a 20.
5) Your gecko needs proper supplementation. What does your calcium bottle say exactly? Leos need more than just calcium - they also need vitamin D3 and vitamin A, among other things. Deficiencies in these will also decrease appetite (along with eventually causing a plethora of other issues).
6) I would very strongly suggest you get a thermostat for your under tank heater: Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden That will help keep the temperatures exactly as they should be to keep your gecko as healthy as possible. It will also help prevent it from malfunctioning and getting too hot.

~Maggot

[cricket4u]

Hi,

Just to verify, you have only provided your gecko plain calcium for 6 years? Once you have made all the corrections suggested above, it will be best to have your gecko examined by a vet. What type of reptile lighting is it exactly?

The caresheet:

Leopard Gecko Caresheet (Eublepharis macularius)...demo video & 4 Jan 2013 update

[Sweetstrwbrry]

I put the heating pad back on. However, this whole no pooping thing has come about even with the heating pad on. I know she doesn't like it. I also have an overhead light and I'm wondering if it just too hot. I will get a thermometer soon. I will turn the light off and see how that goes. It has been over 7 days and still no poop, still eating normally. Also I noticed today that she just shed. Can that delay the pooping? I assume since she ate the shed it will speed things up a bit. I do not have a hide on the cool side at the moment. That will have to wait until tomorrow though she does have her plant she could hide behind. She always seems to like the cool side and is always spending her time there. That is why I stopped bothering with the heating pad b/c with it on she just goes directly to the other side and the heating pad takes up the majority of the size of the tank (about 2/3rds). I also soaked her in a warm dish of water for about 15 mins I hope that speeds things up!

[Embrace Calamity]

I put the heating pad back on. However, this whole no pooping thing has come about even with the heating pad on. I know she doesn't like it. I also have an overhead light and I'm wondering if it just too hot. I will get a thermometer soon. I will turn the light off and see how that goes. It has been over 7 days and still no poop, still eating normally. Also I noticed today that she just shed. Can that delay the pooping? I assume since she ate the shed it will speed things up a bit. I do not have a hide on the cool side at the moment. That will have to wait until tomorrow though she does have her plant she could hide behind. She always seems to like the cool side and is always spending her time there. That is why I stopped bothering with the heating pad b/c with it on she just goes directly to the other side and the heating pad takes up the majority of the size of the tank (about 2/3rds). I also soaked her in a warm dish of water for about 15 mins I hope that speeds things up!

The heating pad shouldn't take up more than 1/3 of the enclosure. If your gecko is staying away from it, I'm willing to bet the 80 degrees you gave is wrong. Combining a light with a too-large UTH will likely make it too hot, and if she's in a little 10 gallon, she can't really proper escape it. Again, I strongly suggest you get a 20 long. Then you can use that UTH and probably the light as well.

~Maggot

[Sweetstrwbrry]

I will look into buying a smaller heating pad then too. I don't have any room for a larger / longer tank. My brother has a Leo as well and his pad is much smaller. For now, is it best to leave the pad on or off? The light will remain off so hopefully that will help.

[Embrace Calamity]

I will look into buying a smaller heating pad then too. I don't have any room for a larger / longer tank. My brother has a Leo as well and his pad is much smaller. For now, is it best to leave the pad on or off? The light will remain off so hopefully that will help.

Probably off, though it's hard to say without knowing the temperatures. Proper temps are of absolutely vital importance to a leo's health, but if you have no way of monitoring them, then there's no hope of doing it properly. But the tank's so tiny and the UTH is unregulated by a thermostat, if it gets too hot, your leo has nowhere to escape it (think of someone putting you in a dog kennel outside in hot weather with nowhere to cool down). And, of course, the other changes need to be made as well. I'd strongly suggest you move some things around so that you can provide a proper enclosure for your leo. Most dressers, short book cases, tables, etc. could fit a 20 long.

~Maggot

[Elizabeth Freer]

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I will look into buying a smaller heating pad then too. I don't have any room for a larger / longer tank. My brother has a Leo as well and his pad is much smaller. For now, is it best to leave the pad on or off? The light will remain off so hopefully that will help.

I'd like to repeat what has been said above by Embrace Calamity and cricket4u.

It is impossible to achieve a proper temperature differential from the hot side to the cool side in a 10 gallon tank.

A 20 gallon LONG tank measures: 30 in x 12.5 in x 12.5 in. Please consider one for the longterm health of your leo.

Click on the YouTube title not the link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmWmvT1d_TQ