Leopard gecko baby: What does a skinnier tail mean?

A

Amrgecko71

New member
Hello everyone!
I am worried about my brand new baby leopard gecko:( I got him a week ago and he was very vibrant and had a bushy tail, but now he looks different. It is hardly noticeable, but my sister and I happened to notice that his colors were a bit duller and his tail looked a little skinnier. I feed him daily and he eats daily, but he eats bit less than he is supposed to. I also just figured out that he might not have been able to reach his water dish, so I put in a much more shallow one. Do you think that that has something to do with it?
Thanks!
 
Pokeefe88

Pokeefe88

New member
A skinnier tail means that he is not eating enough so that his body is taking the fat stored from his tail. Not a good sign. His dull colors could be that he is about to shed soon. Before a shed he wont eat.

How old is he?
Pictures could help as well if you can :)

Is your tank in a room with sunlight and how do you heat it? A Light? An under tank heat pad? (UTH)

A few setup questions:

1) How are you monitoring the temps? Analog or Digital? (I recommend digital as analog can be up to 10 degrees off or more.
Also Leopard Geckos need belly heat not air which is what analogs take the temp of (the air)

2)What are the temps of the hot/cold side of the tank? The hot side needs to be roughly 90-95 and the cool side 80s/70s

3) Do you change the water daily to avoid bacteria build up?

4) Do you have a pure calcium dish? Do you dust with Calcium, Calcium with D3 2x a week and also with the Mulitvit 2x as well a week?

5) Do you gut-load your gecko? How nutritious your crickets/worms are is how healthy your gecko is.

6) What do you feed your gecko? Crickets, mealworms, superworms, silkworms, waxworms, butterworms, or Dubia ****roaches?

7) How often do you fed your gecko and how long is the food left in there. Ie mealworms in a bowl everyday. Crickets left in over night. Crickets in a bowl with hind legs at knee amputated so they cant get out.

Hope that wasnt too much. I think all of that will help everyone help you help your gecko the best! :)

Edit:Note: Leopard geckos store fat in their tails so a healthy leo will have a fat tail. They store fat in their tails in case they cant get to a food source.

I hope you dont mind all the questions but I feel those are require to help you help your gecko out!

***
Trish
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Amrgecko71 said:
Hello everyone!
I am worried about my brand new baby leopard gecko:( I got him a week ago and he was very vibrant and had a bushy tail, but now he looks different. It is hardly noticeable, but my sister and I happened to notice that his colors were a bit duller and his tail looked a little skinnier. I feed him daily and he eats daily, but he eats bit less than he is supposed to. I also just figured out that he might not have been able to reach his water dish, so I put in a much more shallow one. Do you think that that has something to do with it?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Pictures please.

Have you read this: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...pard-gecko-care-recommendations-nutshell.html
 
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A

Amrgecko71

New member
Wow, Thank you so much for responding! This is very helpful! I will try to answer all of them! I couldn't find out how to attatch pics but he is about 5 in. not a spot on him just stripes.
The tank is 20g, I heat it with a side mounted heater, and the tank is in the corner of my room next to a window. I also have 2 lights in my room.
1) I use an analog thermometer and humidity monitor in the center of the tank, as directed.
2) Well, I don't use 2 different thermometers, but in the center it reads 78 (keep in mind it is night time)
3) Yes, I do.
4)I do not have a pure calcium dish but I do put calcium dust in his food dish. I only use leopard gecko calcium plus daily.
5) I started giving his food dry oats to eat.
6) I feed him crickets and mealworms, but lately just mealworms.(To night he refused to eat)
7) Some one told me to feed him however much he will eat in 15min. 3 times a day so I feed him 5 crickets and/or mealworms 3times a day. I leave the food in there all day but usually he wouldnt eat out of the bowl he would wait for me to put it in front of him but now he is learning. He usually eats all of his crickets too.
I would like to thank you again!
~Aedan
 
panthergecko

panthergecko

Active member
A few setup questions
1) How are you monitoring the setup temps? Analog or Digital? (I recommend temp guns.
Leopard Geckos use belly heat to process food and air temp. to warm themselves
2)What are the temps of the hot/cold side of the tank?
hot side floor temp. should be 88-95-thermomstats help control temp
 
A

Amrgecko71

New member
Thank you for responding! I was wondering if since I got a heating pad and side mounted it if it would give it enought belly heat.
1) I measure it analog
2) My thermostat is in the center of the tank and it measures 76
Thanks Again!
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Amrgecko71 said:
How do I download pictures because multiple people have asked me for them?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

I'm not a good person to explain that...only done it once or twice. Check at the top of the leo subforum under Graham_s's FAQ about leos. Think there are directions there?
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Amrgecko71 said:
Thank you for responding! I was wondering if since I got a heating pad and side mounted it if it would give it enought belly heat.
1) I measure it analog
2) My thermostat is in the center of the tank and it measures 76
Thanks Again!
Click to expand...


You want to get a digital thermometer at least. A temp gun is nice if you can afford both. Radio Shack's brand is good. Analog (dial-types) can be really inaccuratel.

Please read my link thoroughly. It will answer many of your ?s.

100% pure calcium should be in the tank 24/7. Phosphorous-free calcium with D3 and Herptivite should be mixed and lightly dusted on your feeders 2-3x per week. I like the Rep-Cal brand.

Crickets and dubia roaches are more nutritious than mealworms. Crickets can be kept alive about a month post purchase if you follow the simple guidelines on my link.
 
K

K&B Pet's

New member
fatten up the gecko

Amrgecko71 said:
Hello everyone!
I am worried about my brand new baby leopard gecko:( I got him a week ago and he was very vibrant and had a bushy tail, but now he looks different. It is hardly noticeable, but my sister and I happened to notice that his colors were a bit duller and his tail looked a little skinnier. I feed him daily and he eats daily, but he eats bit less than he is supposed to. I also just figured out that he might not have been able to reach his water dish, so I put in a much more shallow one. Do you think that that has something to do with it?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

a small tail is a sign of not alot of nutrients so fatten it up its not life threatening but if ur wanting to breed it latr ur going to want to fatten it up:lol:
 
TheOneBlueGecko

TheOneBlueGecko

New member
K&B Pet's said:
a small tail is a sign of not alot of nutrients so fatten it up its not life threatening but if ur wanting to breed it latr ur going to want to fatten it up:lol:
Click to expand...

For a young leopard gecko a particularly thin tail can be a sign of something potentially life threatening like an illness or parasites.

If you up the food provided and check all your settings and the gecko's does not seem to get better I would go to the vet. When the gecko is really small they have so little fat stored in their tail in the first place that even short term issues (as you have seen) can really visibly change how thin your gecko's tail is.

I would move the heating pad to the bottom of the tank, on the side will help warm it, but you are right, it probably does not give enough belly heat. Also, is the thermometer at the top of the tank or against the floor? As the gecko stays one the ground it really is this bottom ground temperature not the air temperature that matters for him.
 
Yoshi'smom

Yoshi'smom

New member
I agree with the one blue gecko on that one. He looks to be a healthy size for his age. His tail really isn't that thin. And he is eating so I wouldn't get too worried over nothing. Just keep feeding him what he'll eat in a 15 min time period about once a day and he should thrive.
 
thehotchik1000

thehotchik1000

New member
I've always fed my babies daily. They don't have 3 meals like we do. It takes them a while to digest that. For hatchlings up to 1 yr of age I feed 1x daily. Over 1 year every other day. Something you do need to figure out is how warm is it during the day. He needs a hotside basking zone of at least 90.f. That's a really good temp for them to digest at. Keep in mind he needs belly heat at that temp. Do you have an uth (under tank heater) is that what's on the side of the tank? If it is I'd move it to the bottom. It's totally useless on the side. The cool end should be 80-85. Ceramic heat emitters are greAt to keep up the ambient temps and to create good gradients but both the Che and uth should be on a thermostat. A decently priced and reliable one is a Hydrofarm.
This will turn off and on the heat according to what temp you have it set on. It also prevents burns and potential deaths from accidental overheats.
Also a really good and cheap way to do the pure ca dish is to get a bottle of tums. Crush one up and powder it and leave it in the cage at all times. It's the same thing as the calcium without d3 ( but still dust food with the d3 cal) at 1/8th of the price.
Everything else sounds pretty good.
Hope this helps!
Morgan


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com
 
A

Amrgecko71

New member
I'm happy to say that my gecko is eating a lot again, so his tail has fattened up. He also shed for the first time last night!
 
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