Freaking out

[Karijaemin]

Hello, my little girl shes 12 got 2 female leopard geckos for christmas we named them Isshi (ish E) and Aja (ah jah) they both came christmas eve and at first i wouldnt go near the tank. i have never been a reptile person. so ayways to the point Isshi the albino one was smaller than Aja we just figured she was younger. now i am very much so a reptile person thanks to that sweet little girl she likes to snuggle in the pouch of my hoodies or lay on my computer as i play on it like she is right now. my problem is shes very very underweight i ca get her to eat pureed mealies but she seems to not want that anymore she was under weight to begin with as i said but now its just scary i have repti aid coming from online since no one near here sells it i have been feeding her water with vitamins in it her pep is dwindling. also she has issues shedding but we found out bathing in pedialtye and warm water helps i dare not pull the pieces off her eyes fear of hurting her so we just keep it moist shes such a beautiful girl her sister is kind of a LEAVE ME ALONE type so its a nice contrast someone tell me this repti aid works the nearest vet for her is 6 hours away the shedding one is Aja our little chubby and our poor isshi




oh and we only used sand for the first 2 months then i read the horror stories and switched to a couple pieces of slate tile we got at home depot

 

[Corwin's Keeper]

Isshi looks dangerously thin! She probably needs to see a vet ASAP. Have you read through the Leopard Gecko Caresheet and checked your husbandry against it? I have pulled a few tips below:

In emergency situations during which a leo has been off food for extended periods of time and is losing weight, REHYDRATE FIRST for a couple days!!!

Rehydration Information
"As for the Pedialyte it must be unflavored. No more than 1.0 ml within 24 hours and not all at once. Break up the 1.0 ml into 3 doses. Hopefully your gecko will lick up a good amount." (thanks cricket4u)

Recovery Foods
***Fluker's Repta+Boost is very good for leos off food.

***Oxbow Carnivore Care premium recovery powdered food is even better, but only available through a vet. Oxbow Animal Health | Carnivore Care

***In a pinch, use Mazuri's Mazuri Shopping Cart - Insectivorous Lizards


VERY TEMPORARY RECOVERY FOODS
***Turkey baby food is better than chicken baby food. (Note addenda to this care sheet...scroll down.) Placing the baby food directly on the lips will provide safe nutrition. If your assist feeding is more than just very temporary, turkey (or chicken) baby food should be mixed 1:1 with unflavored Pedialyte! Sprinkle a little calcium with D3 into the chicken baby food 2-3x per week. If additional calcium is necessary use a liquid supplement called Calcium Glubionate.

Please fill out the form below so someone here can help you:

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

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

Previous illnesses or problems:

 

[Karijaemin]

I never got a chance to update the repta boost was due to come tommorow about 20 minutes ago i went to go give Isshi her feed of water and pedialyte and she was gone my poor little baby i grew up hating reptiles and losing one god i tried everything the vet said that i called even all the tips here her sister looked so sad she watched me even licked me when i took her out i noticed her tummy was almost sunk in and black and now it makes sense the sand everyone at petco told me was a must could have been the thing that killed her
RIP ISSHI <3 Gramma will miss you very much // god now i need to tell my little girl her friend is gone i will keep everyone updated

 

[Corwin's Keeper]

I'm so sorry for your loss!! RIP Isshi!

 

[Karijaemin]

UPDATE~~~

I buried my little one this morning I cried so hard but i wrapped her in her baby snuggy (gramma made it from a washcloth) and put her to rest my poor little Isshi. Now we got isshi and aja at petco my brother got the as a xmas gift for my daughter. he went there and raised holy hell with them because they put no effort into assisting us. Well come to find out the batch isshi was from total of 25 they got 13 are now gone including our little baby due to parasites and impactions. so my brother went off and said why werent owners notified its not fair this creature had to die due to you hiring people who have no clue about herps. so they called in the store manager AT HOME and he met my brother at the store and gave us 2 female geckos a huge bale of coconut fiber paper for the floor a floor mat crickets and mealies all for free and the next 6 months of mealies and cricks are free as well as coconut fibers. the manager was mortified when he was shown pictures of isshi and said he will also contact a private herp vet to check aja and the twins we just got long 2 days still miss my girl the new girls are in thier own tank for now we got a 60 gallon for the three of them but AJa the older one seems to like them all females and the appt is monday both twins have eaten pooped and drink water and are very friendly i just hope Aja calms down shes been so sad without her sissy she runs when we come near her.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I'm glad you guys went and got something done about it. Those two looks too young to positively sex though. =/

~Maggot

 

[cricket4u]

It would be best to keep the 2 apart from the other one indefinitely. They can carry things like crypto without showing symptoms for a long time, until they are under severe stress or poor conditions. It's really not worth the risk. Aja does not feel sad, what she notices is a change which may make her feel a little nervous. She will get over it very soon.

 

[Karijaemin]

It would be best to keep the 2 apart from the other one indefinitely. They can carry things like crypto without showing symptoms for a long time, until they are under severe stress or poor conditions. It's really not worth the risk. Aja does not feel sad, what she notices is a change which may make her feel a little nervous. She will get over it very soon.

yes which is why we have them in 2 tanks aja just went thro a big change and i want to give her time im just worried shes not gonna be letting us handle her like the others is there a way to get her used to being touched?

 

[Karijaemin]

I'm glad you guys went and got something done about it. Those two looks too young to positively sex though. =/

~Maggot

i agree with the positive sex thing
but i guess call it mothers intution lol

 

[Embrace Calamity]

i agree with the positive sex thing
but i guess call it mothers intution lol

Yeah, no, that's not a good method of verifying their sex.

yes which is why we have them in 2 tanks aja just went thro a big change and i want to give her time im just worried shes not gonna be letting us handle her like the others is there a way to get her used to being touched?

I think Cricket meant keep these two new ones separate as well, so all three are in their own individual tanks.

~Maggot

 

[Karijaemin]

Yeah, no, that's not a good method of verifying their sex.
I think Cricket meant keep these two new ones separate as well, so all three are in their own individual tanks.

~Maggot

the mothers intution was a joke and they were in the same tank at the pet place so chances are if they are carrying they both have it correct?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

the mothers intution was a joke and they were in the same tank at the pet place so chances are if they are carrying they both have it correct?

No way to know. Maybe, maybe not. Even so, juveniles of unverified sex shouldn't really be housed together. They'll know what genders they are before you do, and they're not gonna wait for you to figure it out to start acting on it.

~Maggot

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

UPDATE~~~

I buried my little one this morning I cried so hard but i wrapped her in her baby snuggy (gramma made it from a washcloth) and put her to rest my poor little Isshi. Now we got isshi and aja at petco my brother got the as a xmas gift for my daughter. he went there and raised holy hell with them because they put no effort into assisting us. Well come to find out the batch isshi was from total of 25 they got 13 are now gone including our little baby due to parasites and impactions. so my brother went off and said why werent owners notified its not fair this creature had to die due to you hiring people who have no clue about herps. so they called in the store manager AT HOME and he met my brother at the store and gave us 2 female geckos a huge bale of coconut fiber paper for the floor a floor mat crickets and mealies all for free and the next 6 months of mealies and cricks are free as well as coconut fibers. the manager was mortified when he was shown pictures of isshi and said he will also contact a private herp vet to check aja and the twins we just got long 2 days still miss my girl the new girls are in thier own tank for now we got a 60 gallon for the three of them but AJa the older one seems to like them all females and the appt is monday both twins have eaten pooped and drink water and are very friendly i just hope Aja calms down shes been so sad without her sissy she runs when we come near her.View attachment 21376

Thanks for sharing Isshi's story. May she rest in peace.

May I ask what you are using for the substrate of the cage? Just a bit concerned cuz you have mentioned "a huge bale of coconut fiber paper for the floor a floor mat".

 

[Karijaemin]

Thanks for sharing Isshi's story. May she rest in peace.

May I ask what you are using for the substrate of the cage? Just a bit concerned cuz you have mentioned "a huge bale of coconut fiber paper for the floor a floor mat".

Mianhae (sorry i forget sometimes im back in the US) for not getting back faster
I will link each item we went out and got fresh for them so that way no more wondering


we now have 3 tanks each one has thier own

Exo Terra Natural Terrarium
http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...ferralID=a7286187-8b09-11e2-a969-001b2166c2c0
2 Dome Lights One in Black Light (or purple whichever you call it) and a daylight one for viewing mostly
the flooring is at first we tried the coconut fier expandable flooring it was not nice so we give them all now Eco Carpet for Reptiles
each have a thermometer and hygrometer properly balanced the humidity in each tank is set to stay at 40-45
they each have a water dish that has a cricket guard on it works very nicely sick of picking them out of thier water
Fluker's Repta-Waterer with Cricket Guard Filter Screen at PETCO
and thier food dishes glow in the dark
Conceptual Creations Glow Bowl Reptile Dish at PETCO


the twins the two new ones Athena and Acacia eat the small mealies about 60lbs a day so i know they are hungry they make waste well and are begininng to start a shed
Our big baby Aja I still say (and you can agree or disagree) she misses her sissy but shes gotten used to me handling her it is nice


crickets we do each one gets a handful a week and i also am giving them each 2 wax worm a week i know they are like candy so i dont want them to be overfed and thier food is also dusted with Herptivite

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Lucky leos! What size Exo-Terra tanks did you buy?

Good to hear Aja lets you hold her now.

Black lights may not be good for their eyes. Suggest Ceramic Heat Emitters instead.

Have you under tank heaters on all the tanks? Temps?

Suggest Zoo Med's Reptivite with D3/vitamin A acetate. There is some question whether leopard geckos can utilize the beta carotene found in Herptivite.

Try hornworms instead of waxworms. Leos love them.

For many details click the Leo Caresheet below.

 

[Karijaemin]

Lucky leos! What size Exo-Terra tanks did you buy?

Good to hear Aja lets you hold her now.

Black lights may not be good for their eyes. Suggest Ceramic Heat Emitters instead.

Have you under tank heaters on all the tanks? Temps?

Suggest Zoo Med's Reptivite with D3/vitamin A acetate. There is some question whether leopard geckos can utilize the beta carotene found in Herptivite.

Try hornworms instead of waxworms. Leos love them.

For many details click the Leo Caresheet below.

are hornworms the same as waxwoms fat wise and i will switch out the herp powder as soon as possible yes i do have under tank heaters hot side is steady between 85-88 and cool side is 73-75 they seem to love it and now that you mention it when the black light is on they tend to keep thier eyes closed i will remedy that asap

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

are hornworms the same as waxwoms fat wise and i will switch out the herp powder as soon as possible yes i do have under tank heaters hot side is steady between 85-88 and cool side is 73-75 they seem to love it and now that you mention it when the black light is on they tend to keep thier eyes closed i will remedy that asap

Good to switch to ZM Reptivite with D3. Be sure and get the type with the D3 cuz it comes both ways.

Nope, hornworms have much less fat than do waxworms. Check out posts #33 and 47 immediately following my Leo Caresheet for more info on hornworms and how to keep them alive.

Have you tried upping the warm ground temps to 88-93? Just do it gradually.

 

[Karijaemin]

Good to switch to ZM Reptivite with D3. Be sure and get the type with the D3 cuz it comes both ways.

Nope, hornworms have much less fat than do waxworms. Check out posts #33 and 47 immediately following my Leo Caresheet for more info on hornworms and how to keep them alive.

Have you tried upping the warm ground temps to 88-93? Just do it gradually.

yes i just worry its gonna get too hot so we are doing it slowly humidity wise those 45 is ok right?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

yes i just worry its gonna get too hot so we are doing it slowly humidity wise those 45 is ok right?

45% is fine for the humidity of the tank in general. The humid hide should be more humid.

Strongly recommend getting a thermostat. The Hydrofarm MTPRTC thermostat is very good and can be purchased from Amazon for $25. It has a small metal probe and a digital readout. Recommend 2 thermostats, 1 for the UTH and the 2nd for the overhead dome.

 

[Karijaemin]

Update on Our Three Gecks

Aja is doing well shes become quite the strange leo the cages are side by side they can see each other and she stares at them alot its like a mother watching her young its rather cute. shes eating very well and is due up for another shed anyday now as her cloudy skin is starting. I have dubbed her chubby baby due to her well to be honest shes a chub *giggle*


Athena our middle child is prospering we took all 3 to a vet i found hidden in a town over (which makes me happy and sad wish i had known for Isshi) and he said that she indeed is a female as for her morph he wa stumped on her and the baby Aja he said is moreso standard Athena eats VERY well shes filling out quite nicely and loves her paper towel roll



Acacia the baby shes the tiniest of the three not sure why but none the less a healthy girl her tail i was concerned wasnt fattening up and the vet said shes still growing and with her being active it happens just keep her well supplied and she will do just fine


I just wanted to ask a couple questions


I want to make new hides for them out of tupperware (ziploc) storage containers but i worry about the edges any ideas how to dull them other than a soldering iron.

Aja sleeps on my lap for a couple hours a day and 3 days ago she was interested in the mango i was eating is it safe for her to try (and how about bananas apples or straw berries and grape)



as soon as i get a new camera i will take better pictures only ones i have at the moment are from the week we got them

(and they are no longer in one tank all have thier own setup a mention in a few posts back)


(any ideas on the new ones morphs i notices on Acacia her back is almost a figure 8)