Leopard gecko: Picard likes to dig...

[emilykay405]

Last night I found Picard between the background and tank wall of her enclosure. And again today she was trying to get back there, digging away at the sand (yes, I use sand, no, I'm not changing it)

We have one of those Exo Terra backgrounds and she's going through the access holes that are cut at the bottom to allow for tubing, etc.

It's on the hot side, so I checked the temp, it's fine at 90 (all the lights just kicked on so in a couple of hours it will get to 92-93). I cleaned last night, so that's not the problem. I checked to see if somehow she is gravid (which wouldn't make sense because I'm fairly sure her roommate is a female...).


Any ideas?

 

[Hilde]

It's quite natural for leopards to dig, so that wouldn't worry me. If you're sure she's not gravid, then it's probably just the natural tendency to dig a burrow or the like. You could play it safe and put a laying box in with her 'just in case'.

 

[TheOneBlueGecko]

I had my previous female gecko in sand. She would dig under her water dish (always worrying me that she would crush herself). I always assumed that she was trying to get somewhere cooler or moister, so I would adjust the temp a bit as a result and check on the humid hide. I always just assumed it was something they did sometimes.

 

[Mardy]

Females ovulate and can lay eggs without a male fertilizing them. How old is the female? And I agree with the advice above, provide a laybox just in case.

 

[Lenewen]

Do you have a moist hide? My Leos like to dig in their moist hide, which is full of spagnum moss. They will be using it as a laying box when they are ready to mate. Provide something like that and maybe your gecko will leave the sand alone.

I know your adamant about keeping sand but there are better naturalistic substrates out there. Less dusty, easier to clean, etc. For example; slate tiles. Wouldn't want your gecko inhaling all that dust while its digging =]

 

[TheOneBlueGecko]

I wanted to second the sand thing. I had sand almost the whole time I had my last gecko, never had a problem with impaction or anything. With my new one I am using reptile carpet, I don't like the look as much and you can't kind of bury tank items into it the same way, but I find it way easier to keep clean.

 

[emilykay405]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I do have two moist hides in the terrarium...one for her and her cage mate. I double checked the hides and moistened them a bit. I will definitely get a lay box for her in the event that she does ovulate.

As for the sand...eventually they will be going to a larger terrarium and that's when I will decide what I'm going to use for substrate. Before I do that though I have to find a suitable enclosure.