[Thesam120]

Hello all I am a first time leopard gecko owner and in need of some advice. I recently adopted a 4 year old gecko and I believe she might be impacted.
For the first week I had her everything has been business as usual but for the past couple days she hasn't pooped and has been a little more lazy than usual. The person I got her from has been feeding her a strict diet of crickets (as far as I know) and she has ground english walnut shell as the bedding. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it either but she just finished shedding yesterday. Like I said, I'm a first time owner so any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Elizabeth Freer]

Thesam120 ~

A hearty welcome to Geckos Unlimited!

Ground walnut shell is NOT the proper substrate for a leo and could easily lead to impaction! Replace it with paper towels immediately and consider getting slate tiles.

Are you placing her crickets in a shallow feeding dish and dusting them with phosphorus-free calcium with D3? 100% pure calcium should be left in her tank 24/7.

Here are my recs for leos: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/commu...11-update.html

[Yoshi'smom]

Something else to consider is that right before and after leopard geckos shed they tend to not eat and become a little sluggish. This could be part of why your leo started acting strangely.
I do also agree with Elizabeth on this one too! Read over her care sheet! It's the best one I've seen!

[Thesam120]

Thanks for the advice! She managed to poop yesterday and has been a lot more active since. I'm not sure if she was impacted or if it was due to the shedding but I'm not going to take any chances. The crickets are and have been dusted with the calcium but the lady I got her from used to just drop the crickets into the tank all at once. I've only been putting a few of them in at a time while the rest are kept in a tupperware container with air holes, a food source, and a wet sponge.

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hi Thesam120 ~

Hooray for the poop!

Dropping a few crickets in the tank, her evening meal, is much better! Loose crickets can stress a gecko.

Ya gotta make sure that the calcium you ARE using is a phosphorus-free calcium with D3 and only lightly dust 2-3x per week max. Phosphorus interferes with the absorption of calcium. That is the reason I'm asking. 100% calcium goes in the tank in a small dish or lid 24/7. That way there are not D3 overdoses which can be as bad as too little D3.

Here are some other ideas for keeping your excess crickets alive prior to consumption:

Feeding crickets and roaches
Feed crickets/roaches food that provides no more than 20% protein and no more than 5% crude fat. Some choices are:
Chicken Laying Mash (from feed store): The label reads 16-18% minimum protein and 3% minimum fat.
Fluker Farms High Calcium Cricket Feed -- dry mix, controversial food
***Dry oatmeal -- Am rethinking this recommendation due to the phosphorous content......
Alfalfa hay --for the 3 wo and older crix
Collard greens -- especially recommended for high calcium-to-low phosphorous ratio & high lutein
Carrots -- natural source of beta carotene
Whole grain TOTAL -- General Mills dry cereal
Winter squash

To check out almost any ingredient, thanks to Maurice Pudlo, click here: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

A 6 ounce glass Pyrex (or competing model) custard cup makes an excellent feeding dish for teeny to small roaches. Medium dubia will escape. Try containers with perpendicular sides. For leos, use a 1 inch high x 3 inch diameter stepping stone for ease of access to this dish as well as to stabilize it.

For more information feeding the feeders, go to Maurice Pudlo's sticky in the Geckos Unlimited Feeders, Food & Nutrition subforum: Feeder Insect Diets & Gutload

Cricket Care
If you can find Acheta domestica, the softer brown cricket, it is highly recommended over Gryllus assimilis, the Jamaican field cricket (Attack of the Feeder Crickets | Gecko Time). For crickets I place an "assortment" of the above-mentioned food on the bottom of an extra large Kritter Keeper or a plastic 56 quart Sterilite container, add the crickets, add two layers of egg flats, and top with a paper towel. Keep these crickets at room temperature. Spray the paper towel about every other day for moisture or more frequently if the room is hot. Using these methods it is easy to keep crickets alive for a month or so post purchase.

[Yoshi'smom]

This is good news! Poops are a good thing!

[Thesam120]

Ok, the calcium I've been giving her is the phosphorus free with D3. Just so I know what I'm looking for, is the 100% calcium a powder as well? Sorry for all the questions lol.

[Yoshi'smom]

Usually all of the calcium powders are 100% calcium (check the label to be sure).

You need:
Calcium powder without D3 (a little cap full in the tank at all times)
Calcium powder with D3 (to dust feeders about 2-3 times a week)
Multivitamin powder (to also dust feeders- I typically do once a week)

Some people will say that the Multivitamin isn't necessary. I guess I'd rather be safe than sorry. Hope this clarifies any confusion.

[Riverside Reptiles]

Do make sure to get rid of the walnut shell. It's entirely inappropriate and will almost for certain cause issues down the road. Paper towel, newspaper, slate, textured ceramic tile, etc are all a much more acceptable alternative.