Leopard gecko: Help... how often should a healthy Leopard Gecko Poop?

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krazykoleen

krazykoleen

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Hi, I have a 6 to 7 month old Leopard Gecko that was raised totally on mealworms by the breader. We got her 2-1/2 weeks ago and I've been following suit with what the breader recommended by feeding mealworms also. She is warming up to us nicely and eating well but she is not pooping like the books state. The books I've read say juveniles poop about every 2 to 3 days. Well... ours has pooped once! I've had concern of intestinal blockage and soaked her in lukewarm water and all. Her belly is soft and she is active and happy when handled... and sleeps well in her warm93-95*F hide daily! Any concerns, ideas, thoughts, suggestions, anything?

:feedback:

Thanks so much!
Colleen
 
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panthergecko

panthergecko

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first off not to sound mean theres a leopard geckos forum
my juvenile leopard geckos poop either daily or EOD-every other day
sounds like impaction or its poop is hidden what substrate do you use?
 
krazykoleen

krazykoleen

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Sorry... I didn't realize this should have been posted under the Leopard Gecko Thread. I thought it would relate to food & nutrition. She has aspen bedding made for leopard geckos and she has not ingested any of it as her tank is in my home office and I see her all day. And no I have inspected the tank thoroughly and there is no other signs of waste.

If someone could instruct a newbie how to move this post... I'd be glad to put it under Leopard Geckos so it is under the correct header. Little help please?
 
panthergecko

panthergecko

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switch to slate tile or paper towel or carpet your choice
also meal worms as staple diet? not good
in the leopard geckos forum their is an article on meal worms it says meal worms are too fatty and the calcium to phosphorus is bad
phosphorus does not let leopard geckos process calcium
also aspen bedding is for snake

too see if she will eat feed her crickets and meal worms as a dessert
also dubia roach i hear works
2 1/2 weeks is still not a lot of time to adapt give her 3 days or more alone with food and water if you want to see if she eats leave crickets in a meal worm bowl with the crickets' back jumper legs amputated at the knees
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

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krazykoleen said:
Sorry... I didn't realize this should have been posted under the Leopard Gecko Thread. I thought it would relate to food & nutrition. She has aspen bedding made for leopard geckos and she has not ingested any of it as her tank is in my home office and I see her all day. And no I have inspected the tank thoroughly and there is no other signs of waste.

If someone could instruct a newbie how to move this post... I'd be glad to put it under Leopard Geckos so it is under the correct header. Little help please?
Click to expand...

Just moved your post to the leopard gecko subforum. Thanks for asking.
 
bwoodfield

bwoodfield

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Hey Colleen. If you haven't read it yet there is a Leopard Gecko Care Recommendations in a Nutshell put together by Elizabeth. It is definitely a recommended read. As well Ethan posted a link to the Pros and Con's of Meal Worms. Another good read when it comes to picking food for you're leo.

Aspen bedding, being wood shavings, tends to hold on to moisture and bacteria. The leopard geckos natural environment is rocky, hard pack clays in the middle east (Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc). They really aren't made to move around in loose substrate like wood shavings, cocao fiber or sand. As well an excess of humidity can cause respiratory issues in leopard geckos. As panthergecko mentioned, it's suggested that you use a substrate like stone (slate) tile, paper towel or reptile carpet. Again there is a whole discussion regarding the substrates people use. I believe it's somewhere around 50 pages now :roll:. Before you start getting concerned about impaction I would suggest changing out the substrate in the tank and keep an eye on her. Geckos will usually use the same area as a bathroom all the time so finding it after changing the tank wouldn't be an issue.

And as a correction, a body needs calcium to digest phosphorus. If there is too much phosphorus to the amount of calcium present in the food they eat, the body will leach calcium from other areas available. Over time this can lead to MBD (metabolic bone disease) that causes weak, spongy bones that break easily. Think of it like osteoporosis. This isn't unique to reptiles, people can get MBD as well, it's just captive reptiles are more prone to due to the available food.
 
panthergecko

panthergecko

Active member
yeah lol i could not say it better myself the article i was referring to was the pros and cons of meal worms but the leopard geckos care in a nutshell is also important to read i myself read it when im stumped
 
krazykoleen

krazykoleen

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Hey... thanks guys for the info. I've read a lot of the ones you already mentioned and then some. I have found, like in all subjects, there are a lot of differing opinions. I just got Ron Tremper's book and his opinion is different from a lot of what I find here. I will be changing out the bedding 4 sure even though this one states in big bold print it's for leopard geckos on the bag! But then a lot of these supplies just want to sell us more and more "supplies" so we buy them! I do think she is still getting used to her new surroundings. They ARE a lot different then a pint size togo container! ;-) If you know what I mean. That's what she came home in from the show we got her at. She did poo again this morning and, as I said, she seems really happy and comes out to see us and all. My daughter and I are gonna keep a close watch on her and maybe just give her a little more time. Thanks again for the input! :)
 
bwoodfield

bwoodfield

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krazykoleen said:
... I will be changing out the bedding 4 sure even though this one states in big bold print it's for leopard geckos on the bag! ..
Click to expand...

Thats why we're all here. To help when we can and get help when we need it.

You have to be careful even if the packaging states that it's for leopard geckos. You can buy calci-sand that states it's 'good' for leopard geckos because then they can eat the sand to get extra calcium. What they don't tell you is that the sand doesn't fully digest (it's ground stone after all) and can start building up in the leo's intestine and cause impaction. Even pet-shop employees aren't always the best source of information. When my step-son got Buffy the person helping him also sold him a UV light and a 10' heat cable for a 10gal tank.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
bwoodfield said:
Thats why we're all here. To help when we can and get help when we need it.

You have to be careful even if the packaging states that it's for leopard geckos. You can buy calci-sand that states it's 'good' for leopard geckos because then they can eat the sand to get extra calcium. What they don't tell you is that the sand doesn't fully digest (it's ground stone after all) and can start building up in the leo's intestine and cause impaction. Even pet-shop employees aren't always the best source of information. When my step-son got Buffy the person helping him also sold him a UV light and a 10' heat cable for a 10gal tank.
Click to expand...

Sharing gecko help is excellent!

@ Buffy's setup: Oops...selling a UV light for a leopard gecko was big mistake. Hope the employee knows better now.
 
C

CalypsosHeart

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Even though this is eight years later - just because it has leopard gecko on the box doesn't mean its right. Always do your research before buying something and never trust just one source. I don't mean to be mean I'm sure you mean the best!
 
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