A few concerns with my new leopard gecko

[The Geckoman]

I recently got a new female leo who is around 5 or 6 years old I think. She was not taken well care of by her previous owners at all. I feed her mealworms everyday or every other day and they are always dusted with a calcium/vitamin dust. My #1 concern is she is not pooping very much. She's pooped maybe 4 or 5 times since I got her and that was a few weeks ago. When she does it its never very much. It seems rather odd she poops so little when I feed her 2 or 3 big mealworms on days she eats. I read veg. oil is like a laxative for them so I've dipped my finger in it and let her lick it off twice now, I'm not sure if this is helping though.

A fine-grade calci-sand is her substrate. She doesn't seem to be having trouble with it but the other day she opened her mouth and I noticed 2 tiny grains of sand on her tongue. (She opened wide a few times then lightly bit my finger so I'm thinking she might be stressed.)

I also have a light on in her cage all the time, no heating pad though. Could this pose a problem? The light isn't very hot when I touch it.

She seems less active. She just goes into her little house and just lays there. I rarely ever see her come out.

 

[Debbie7054]

They need belly heat so you need to get a UHT asap. If you look in the leopard gecko forum there is a really good care sheet that will explain exactly what you need to do to have a happy healthy gecko. Geckos don't like light esp very bright lights on them as they are nocturnal.

 

[Mardy]

You don't want to use calci sand, they will eat it in an attempt to get calcium. Which could eventually cause an impaction and get their belly/intestines filled up with the sand. First thing you want to do is to swap that out with tiles or paper towels.

Secondly, geckos don't always poop every day. My larger ones usually go once every 2-3 days, sometimes 4 days. So depending on your situation, it may be normal but I don't know if your gecko has other issues or not.

You say you feed 2-3 mealworms per serving, are they regular sized mealworms? If so that's not a lot of food. Adult leopard geckos when they eat, they usually eat like 1-2 superworms or a dubia roach, or if feeding mealworms they should eat 5-10 per serving. So if you are feeding it 2-3 standard sized mealworms per serving, that would explain why she isn't going often and why when she goes, there isn't much to push out.

Some pictures of the gecko, the tank setup, and the belly of the gecko might help us understand your situation better.

 

[M&S-328]

You absolutely must read the gecko care sheets! You mentioned she was not well taken care of, so now its your turn to do things right for her! Please dont think im trying to insult you or be rude - I think you could be a great leo owner, but make sure you make things right for her health

First off, right away you need to go out and buy a UTH (Under Tank Heater) you can buy these at petco/petsmart, buy them offline at their sites, or other reptile supply sites/stores. Make sure you follow the directions closely, and be sure to stick it underneath the tank (not on any sides) all the way to one side. Leopard geckos need a UTH because they need belly heat to digest their food.
Also,turn off and remove the light! Bright lights can cause leos extreme stress. The UTH should be enough to heat the tank correctly. If not, you can purchase a ceramic heat emitter bulb - these are more expensive then light bulbs, but are much better for leopard geckos and will last much much longer then regular light bulbs.
To know if your temps are correct, you need to get a thermometer with a probe. They can be bought for about $7 - $20. The temperature on the hot side (the side you use the UTH on) needs to reach about 93-98, and on the cool side the temp should be around 70-77.
Also, pour out all the sand and use paper towels or tiles instead. If she gets impacted from the sand (as you can see shes been ingesting some) that could be really bad for her. To supplement her calcium needs you gotta have a small dish (bottle caps work) filled with pure calcium powder for her to lick out of.
As for her "little house" - what is that? You should have at least 2 hides (but its best if you have 3-5). And one must be a moist hide.

#1 thing you need to do if read the leopard gecko caresheets on this sites or other sites if you wish..just get the information and be sure to follow it.

Good luck and please let us know how shes doing!

 

[Lenewen]

I rescue and breed leopard geckos as a hobby. this is part of my everyday routine. And not to be rude, but sand, regardless of that supposed digestible calcium crap causes impaction, which can be fatal. Ive rescued several from owners who kept them on sand, and three of them, i had to spend days giving hot baths and rubbing their tummies to try to get it out. Luckily I was successful. Thick gravel and rocks seem to be a common choice too and I use a little of that, but not fine grain and dont make the whole tank a rock substrate. Maybe do half tile/paper towel, half rock to achieve the naturalistic look.

 

[Saskia]

As everyone has stated before:
1) Get rid of the sand ASAP
2) Get a UTH ASAP
3) 2-3 mealworms a day is nothing for an adult gecko, mine eat (when I give them mealworms) at least 10, usually I give them 2-3 roaches, or 5 grasshoppers (adults), perhaps the little poop is just due to little food.
4) read the leopard gecko care sheet, you'll find usefull information there!!

Good luck

 

[Lenewen]

@Saskia,

Always good advice =]



I also recommend those care sheets! Theyre written by people who love leos as much as we do!!