Oh Noezz! Leopard Geckos wont use ANY moist hides!

[Lenewen]

Hi Everyone,

I have 6 leopard geckos and have been caring for them long enough to understand how important moist hides are for shedding and laying eggs. Three of my leopard geckos will NOT use ANY moist hide EVER anymore! They used to use a small coconut with moss in it, but they are wayy too big for it! So I took the old moss out, mixed it with fresh moss, and tried the standard "climb in" method with a plastic container w/hole in the top. Even with ramps for the short distance (and the fact that they love to climb) they wouldnt use it! I tried a sideways tupperware, which they could walk right into from ground level and they won't use it, even with the same moss! I tried sheet moss too! (i typically use Spagnum moss) and they still wont touch it!

At this point, ive tried different hides, different moss, paper towels (no luck) and for some reason, they will not use them. They hide in the regular hides on both sides, all temps are perfect (92 on hot, 78 on cool in 40gal tank). I keep my moist hides on the warm side for obvious reasons, but I did try putting one on the cool side and they still wont use it!

As a last resort, I even put a thin layer of moss under their favorite hide and they would not go back in!

Im concerned! 2 of them are in the middle of shedding! Id hate to have to give baths everyday! Ive got too many geckos for that!!

help??

 

[Pokeefe88]

My gecko wasnt going in her moist hide that I could see when she was shedding, she only goes in there after eating, lol. However I would mist the tank until it was about 40-45% humity especially in/near her favorite hide. I also have slate tiles so they wouldnt cause stress cracks from the misting over the UTH.

I hope that helps,

Good Luck!

 

[Lenewen]

I do spray in and around her favorite hides daily Thing is, if you put moss or paper towels in her favorite hide, they do not want to go in there anymore.

Things were going sooo good, and now suddenly they just like...wont use them!

Im at a loss on what is going wrong here :?

 

[Mardy]

Just mist the tank lightly until the sheds are done, they'll be fine. Also sometimes they roam about when we're sleeping, being nocturnal and all. So it's possible they go in there when you aren't looking. Sneaky buggers. I myself have yet to witness a shed because they are always done by the time I get up lol.

So I'd suggest leave the moist hide there. I find them using the moist hide more if you cut the hole on the side rather than the top. There's always a chance that due to hotter weather we've been getting lately, that humidity is high enough, that they just don't feel like using them.

 

[M&S-328]

Just be persistant.
Id suggest having 2 moist hides with the top 2 substrates you know they are more fond of (perhaps one with spagnum moss and a second with coconut fiber or vermiculate?).
Also, see if you cant make them a new moist hide with a bigger coconut shell. As you said they outgrew the last moist hide which was a small coconut, maybe they'll be more fond of a bigger version of that? One type of hide I found one of my geckos to be particularly find of is an overturned terracotta planting pot. Just carefully chisel in an opening at the "new bottom" to make an entrance (you may want to have a few pots handy in case they shatter or crack too much while you are making the new doorway).
And as was said by Mardy, they might be using them every so often at night while you sleep.
But unless you see any of them retaining their old sheds or their skin looking to be ultra dry, then I wouldnt worry too much. Typically geckos can tell for themselves when they need to moisten up =]

Good Luck!

 

[Lenewen]

One of them is now using it, but the other two still will not go in there. I have 2 hides in there now with spagnum moss. I gave up on the sheet moss with them. Only one of my geckos, in another tank, likes it so I'll only use it for her. Ill give the other two time to start using it.

I suffer from insomnia and I like to watch them while I try to fall asleep. As far as I know, definitely not using it.

God they are all so pickyyyy!!!!!

I'm rescuing a seventh by the way. I have no idea if its going to be healthy or not though. Its free, tank and all. The owner just doesnt want it. Sad, all these poor abandoned leopard geckos

 

[Pokeefe88]

Im glad that two of your geckos like the different humid hides.

I hate hearing about owners that just don't want a leopard gecko, I wish there was a test that you had to take to be able to be an owner so that the breeder/store would know that you are capable and willing to be a good owner for your new pet.

 

[Lenewen]

I hate hearing about owners that just don't want a leopard gecko, I wish there was a test that you had to take to be able to be an owner so that the breeder/store would know that you are capable and willing to be a good owner for your new pet.

The real problem is the overbreeding of these fellas. Theres not enough people out there who actually want them, and a good majority of "bad owners" are just children. I waited til I was an adult to have a reptile because I heard they are a lot of work. I am so glad I chose Leopard Geckos. I even have a collage of their pics of my geckos at work for the patients to look at while they wait for the Doctor. They look pretty and impulse buyers think they want them. but seriously, do we adopt kids because they look pretty? No.:fight: The same should go for any other domestic animal in the world!!

 

[Pokeefe88]

Yeah, thats true however if thats the case then the parents should be researching more with their child instead of assuming the child will understand everything they have read.

The over-breeding sucks but a lot of people want to try their hand at it when they get their gecko but they should also make sure that they have buyers lined up for their babies.

 

[Mardy]

Over breeding and muddy waters, where people are just mixing everything they think may make "cool" looking geckos. There are still hobbyists that don't know mixing 3 strains of albinos is a no no. Or mixing 2 enigmas together can create super retarded geckos that you'll most likely have to cull. But you see it done all the time, and it's just sad.

One of the worst is seeing someone who just got a leopard gecko yesterday wanting to breed tomorrow. That also happens all the time, and these folks have no idea how to care for leopard geckos, let alone caring for the eggs and hatchlings. I have absolutely no problems with hobbyists that want to experiencing the breeding aspect of geckos. It's a very fun and educational experience. But my gosh, at least learn how to care for them first, and understand their needs, the unexpected vet costs, etc..

Like me, I'm going to be doing small scale breeding. But I haven't yet because I'm still getting things ready, planning things, learning new things about leopard geckos, etc..

 

[eliquidmatt]

Im glad that two of your geckos like the different humid hides.

I hate hearing about owners that just don't want a leopard gecko, I wish there was a test that you had to take to be able to be an owner so that the breeder/store would know that you are capable and willing to be a good owner for your new pet.

Funny you should mention that.. the laws around pet sales here in the UK seem quite strict in comparison to the states and other countries. One store we have over here in particular has always impressed me with the way they deal with potential buyers... Pets At Home will ask you a series of open ended questions like "what size enclosure do you have?", "how will you provide correct heat/light for this animal?" and "how many hides do you have?", "what substrate are you using?"

If you trip up on any of the questions they put the animal back and simply refuse to serve you until you can prove you know your stuff. They are very clever too because they don't give ANYTHING away, they just say "Yea thats fine, come on over to the checkout" or "We're not going to sell this animal to you right now, please do more research and come back when you are prepared"

Every pet store should be run this way in my opinion!