Are these signs of puberty?

[Nox_the_gecko]

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This is my first post so I hope I've placed this in the right place and have the right information.

I got my first leopard gecko around 8 months ago and she's been doing great up until just about 3 weeks ago.
She's been refusing to eat anything and has been a lot more active during the day then usual. She wall surfs, climbs on her environment and just seems to want to walk around more often.
Nothing has changed in her tank or anything that could add stress so I'm a little at a loss on why she is acting this way.
I weigh her every month and since last month (She was 58g) she has lost 3 grams and is now down to 55g. I'll be weighing her everyday now to make sure she doesn't lose anymore weight.

The only thing I could find that semi-resembles what could be the issue is that she could be going through puberty? But I wasn't able to find any information saying that female leopard geckos change in behavior like this.

Here is her info;
She's about 8 1/2 inches long and doesn't have a thin body or tail.

I have her in a 20g tank by herself and the temperature is on hot side is about 82 F, and cold side is 76 F. There is slate tile in her tank to keep heat on the bottom.
I know that these temperatures are on the colder side of normal; but I know that this sudden change in behavior is not down to this. I originally had her with the hotter temperature, but she often would stay only in her cold side and was showing signs of stress. When I put the temperature lower to what it is now, she seemed a lot more happier with her set up.

I've had these temperatures for quite a while and have not seen any problems.
Her diet usually consisted of crickets and the very occasional hornworm/waxworm . I used to give her mealworms but that caused a lot of digestion problems so I don't feed them to her anymore. I also dust her food about two times a week.
She's always been a bit of a picky eater, but never would go this long without eating.

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to make sure I listed all the information that could help. Could this new behavior just be puberty?
If so, how long does puberty last for?

[acpart]

At about a year old and about this time of the year female leos ovulate, so I guess you could call it "puberty". If you look at her abdomen, you will see small pinkish spheres around mid-abdomen. These are the developing eggs. If no male is there for mating, nearly all geckos absorb the developing eggs and nothing gets laid. A few females do lay eggs which are infertile. It's not uncommon for them to stop eating for awhile. They may lose a few grams. They'll get back to eating soon, so keep offering.

Aliza

[Nox_the_gecko]

Thank you for the information!
I tried to look under her for the pinkish spheres but I can't seem to find anything that looks like that...I'll keep checking periodically just in case I missed it earlier.
I'll keep offering food and hopefully she'll eat soon

[Sg612]

side is about 82 F, and cold side is 76 F

What type of thermometer do you have?
Are these air or ground?
Heating source? Uth or lamp or both?
Humidity?
Thermostat?

A picture of the enclosure would be most helpful.

[Nox_the_gecko]

Here is a photo of her enclosure; [Sorry that the photo is upside-down, i'm unsure how to fix it...]
nox.jpg


I use a infrared thermometer on the ground temperature.
I have a uth and basking lamp, but she never used to uth so at the moment it's not being used. I also use a che at night.
Humidity is usually about 30-40 and I don't use a thermostat.

[acpart]

If you mean by "she never used the UTH" that when it was on she never went on the hot side, it is likely because without a thermostat it was too hot. I highly recommend a thermostat and UTH as the best heating method so she has head 24/7.

Aliza

[Sg612]

You will also need a thermometer with a probe to check the air temp, especially when are using overhead heating. You will have to dangle it in the air. An infrared thermometer only test surface temps.

[Nox_the_gecko]

Thank you, I do have a digital thermometer as well that checks the ambient temperature. When I did use the uth and checked the temperature with the infrared thermometer and it didn't appear to be too hot but she still didn't use it.

She seems to like the slate tile, it keeps the heat in very well. How would I use a thermostat for a under the tank heater? I have one but it checks the ambient temperature so I'm unsure how that would work for a UTH.

However nothing has changed in her environment from when she was acting normal and eating well to now.

[Sg612]

Thank you, I do have a digital thermometer as well that checks the ambient temperature. When I did use the uth and checked the temperature with the infrared thermometer and it didn't appear to be too hot but she still didn't use it.

She seems to like the slate tile, it keeps the heat in very well. How would I use a thermostat for a under the tank heater? I have one but it checks the ambient temperature so I'm unsure how that would work for a UTH.

However nothing has changed in her environment from when she was acting normal and eating well to now.

Problems such as digestive can be slow to develop. When I did use the uth and checked the temperature with the infrared thermometer and it didn't appear to be too hot

Only she knows what temp is too hot or cold. You have to make adjustments based on her behavior.

There’s a lot of missing information:

1.You said she likes the slate tile- Was she housed on this all along? If not what was she housed on prior?

2.Last bowel movement? Did it appear normal up until she stopped eating?

3.Basking bulb- what type? Wattage? Is this new or since day 1? Air temp while it’s on? Warm side? Cool side?

4.CHE on at night- air temp at night? Cool side? Warm side?

5.What supplements do you use? How often?

6.I only see 2 hides. No humid hide? It helps with hydration aside from shedding.

A thermostat is very important in order to maintain a temperature she is comfortable with. This will be a great start.

[Nox_the_gecko]

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Sorry for the late reply, I got her a uth along with a thermostat attached to around 85-90 degrees.
I also bought her another hide, specifically moist.

To answer your questions;

1. She was originally housed on reptile carpet before moving to slate.
2. Around 6 days ago, it looked normal just a little small but the colors were fine.
3. The warm side is around 82 degrees and cold about 76-77.
4. CHE is about 74, but I have the new uth on all the time for her.
5.I have a little bowl of normal calcium for her in the tank and dust her food twice a week with d3.
6. I have just recently got a proper humid hide for her, before then I would use a wet small towel when I noticed she would shed.

Even with these changes like the uth, she is still not eating and acting strange.
She has lost some more weight through the week; down to 51 grams.