Jengo on hunger strike...

agibsonky · #1 01-01-2012, 10:18 PM

Jengo's now about 6 months old... He's definately a he... He shedded about 8 days ago... Had some issues... I just got the last of the stuck shed off today. He hasnt eaten much at all since this last shed. Only 3 worms yesterday. Any ideas??? He is kept on carpet, temps are same as always, eats only worms... Won't touch a cricket...I've tried numerous times and he just won't. He did poo yesterday, and he's acting fine except he's mad at me for taking a qtip to him this morning...

cricket4u · #2 01-01-2012, 11:27 PM

Can you provide us with more information? temps, setup, ect. a picture will be great if possible.

agibsonky · #3 01-02-2012, 10:57 AM

10 gallon tank. I have bought a 20 gallon, but then he started to shed and I waited... On carpet, has a moist hide and a dry hide, both small so there's still floor space in the tank, a food dish, water dish, and calcium bowl. I have an under tank heater and a heat emitter bulb. The warm side stays right around 90, can't figure out how to get it any warmer, cool side is about 80. He hangs out under the heat emitter most of the time. I keep it in a corner to provide as much room for a gradient as possible. None of this has changed recently. I turned on the heat emitter since the house got cooler in the winter, but that's been a couple of mOnths now. I do feed the worms cricket gut load and dust them with reptile vitamins alternated with calcium with d3, the calcium in his dish is plain.

cricket4u · #4 01-02-2012, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agibsonky

10 gallon tank. I have bought a 20 gallon, but then he started to shed and I waited... On carpet, has a moist hide and a dry hide, both small so there's still floor space in the tank, a food dish, water dish, and calcium bowl. I have an under tank heater and a heat emitter bulb. The warm side stays right around 90, can't figure out how to get it any warmer, cool side is about 80. He hangs out under the heat emitter most of the time. I keep it in a corner to provide as much room for a gradient as possible. None of this has changed recently. I turned on the heat emitter since the house got cooler in the winter, but that's been a couple of mOnths now. I do feed the worms cricket gut load and dust them with reptile vitamins alternated with calcium with d3, the calcium in his dish is plain.

I am not sure why your not able to achieve temps between 92-95 over the heat mat area. Maybe you need a larger heat mat? Are you using a thermometer with a probe to measure the temp over the heat mat correctly?
Without the proper temps they cannot digest efficiently and it will effect their appetite.
I would definately upgrade to a 20 gallon so that he has space for 2 hides which is absolute minimum. He must have a hide on each side so that he can thermoregulate and not chose hiding over temperatures.

If you have not looked over this websites great and detailed caresheet please do so.

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/commu...tml#post340036

agibsonky · #5 01-05-2012, 09:56 PM

Ok...he finally ate today. It was warm outside, so the ambient temp in the room he's in was warmer, therefore his tank was warmer. I checked his UTH and it seems to be functioning fine...the floor of the tank feels warm, the heat emitter bulb is emitting heat. I am going to the pet store tomorrow... What other ideas do you folks have for getting the temps up in his tank? The temp measured at the floor usually runs about 10-15 degrees higher than room temp, so on those blustery cold days, I bet his tank is struggling to reach even 90. What else can I add to elevate the temps further? The UTH covers right at half his tank right now.

Mardy · #6 01-06-2012, 02:55 AM

Leopard geckos generally feed less during winter time, so if you live somewhere that's cold, it's almost natural for them to eat less.

If you want to raise your ambient temperature, best way is to get a ceramic heat emitter. These heat lamps emit heat without light, so they can be left on 24/7 if you need to supplement their heating needs. They heat up ambient temperature as well as raise the ground temperature a bit.

If you want to raise the ground temperature you can try a substrate that conducts heat better, such as ceramic tiles. You should find the ground temperature up a bit if you swap out the carpet with tiles.

agibsonky · #7 01-06-2012, 06:26 PM

I have decided... Pet stores don't know crap! I went to a reputable pet store...not a chain...and they tried to sell me a bright basking lamp! I ended up with a ceramic heat emitter and am trying to convince my son that jengo would be happy on tile, even though it isn't as soft as carpet. I told him we'd put the heat emitter bulb on and if temps still weren't high enough, we'd have to go with tile even though it isn't as soft...lol...

Mardy · #8 01-06-2012, 07:22 PM

You can still lay paper towel or carpet on tiles. I use paper towel on a section of the tank where the cool hide is. Lay them under a hide, and you can still provide a soft spot for them to lay on.

I used to use repti carpet, but like with any carpet, they get dirty fast, they are not easy to clean, and they trap bacterial especially if your gecko defecate on the carpet. Ceramic tiles for the win in my opinion