Adopted Golden Gecko PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[KML585]

So my boyfriend and i adopted this poor abused golden gecko from a family this past saturday. The poor girl had moss in her tank and a log home that was filled with moss so she couldn't even get into it. We decided to save her and take care of her since we have previous gecko experience. We currently have 2 crested geckos, a leopard gecko, and 5 ft ball python and are stumped by the beautiful girl. We cleaned her tank and changed the moss that was full of cat hair and what looked like mold to coconut bedding and we put paper towels in the tank just to make sure she was using the bathroom. We threw out everything that was in her tank and gave her a new wood hut, we got tree branches from my uncles yard and baked them properly to get rid of all outside things that might harm her and put 2 vines with leaves (plastic) as a start for her. we also replaced the terribly cracked metal dish they had for her with a mealworm dish and a corner rock dish for water. we have been putting food in her tank every night and she will not eat for us and that is the problem. we don't know if we shocked her with new smells and surrounding for the bareness of her tank she had for a little over a year or if she is still acclimating. what if we are just not doing things right? If someone could please help us figure out what is wrong with our young girl or tell us we are just worrying to much, I would massively appreciate the help.

 

[PassPort]

Most geckos won't eat for a few days after being introduced to a new habitat, some calmer species like leos or cresteds can adjust quicker though. Goldens need heat too. What are the temps?

 

[KML585]

her temps always vary from 75 to 80 and this is just with a lamp. we have a heat pad but we didnt install it because we didnt know if she needed it. the lamp is 75 watts and we switch from the day to black light night bulbs that are made just for reptiles. we had the day light on all day to keep optimum temperature for her and we now have the black light on to keep it steady we dont know how big of a temp drop she can handle and she sticks to sitting right in the corner where her lamp shines in the cage we still need a proper poll so we can fit the lamp and have it shine from the top of her tank instead of the side.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Your temps need to be higher. A thermostat will help keep the temps consistent. Make sure she has plenty of vertical hiding places. Remember, these are arboreal animals that don't tend to spend time on the ground unless they have to. Also, it's almost guaranteed that she's a wild caught animal and is loaded with parasites. So, a trip to the vet for a fecal exam and treatment is likely in order. In my experience, goldens are not big on eating mealworms. They tend to like things that move more. Try crickets, tropical roaches, etc. And, as Kevin already mentioned, it can often take a while for them to acclimate. So, the less stress the better. Don't stare at her, poke her, tap on the glass, etc. Give her lots of hiding places (bamboo tubes, pvc tubes, paper towel tubes, plants to hide behind, etc). And just leave her alone as much as possible. Also, make sure to mist her a couple of times per day as hydration is very important.

 

[PassPort]

Bingo. To add to what Ethan said ambient air temps need to be up around 78-84F with a 90-95F basking spot. These are hardy geckos, but come from a VERY tropical area, so higher temps and humidity are pretty crucial to their long term well being.

Do it up!

 

[KML585]

i think we need to buy higher watt light because we have the 75 watt light on 24 hrs a day and the highest the temp will get is 80. we have both a thermostat and a humidity gauge we can get a proper humidity that she needs but we cannot get the temp up to 85 we can only keep it at a steady 80. for the time being we have a heat pad on the top right side of the tank near the basking light not underneath the tank so that she can easily warm herself though it is not ideal for the time being it seems like an ok fix. she seems to enjoy sitting on the glass where the heat pad is and under the light at the same time. we cannot raise the temp of the whole room because we have the leo cresties and the ball python in the same room so we cannot raise the room temp to what she needs for all the other reptiles will suffer and that is not fair to let 4 reptiles suffer so one can be happy. this weekend we are going to get a better light and remove the heat pad so maybe we can regulate the tank to the optimum temperature that she needs.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Instead of getting a heat lamp, my suggestion would be a CHE (ceramic heat element). They last a lot longer than any bulb, and they put off heat with no light. This allows you to have it on 24 hours/day. Remember, these geckos are nocturnal and don't need any added light. Here's some good examples: Reptile Ceramic Heat Emitters, Heating Elements and Bulbs

Also, don't overlook the other advice that's been mentioned. Heat alone is likely not the issue. It's often a combination of factors that lead to an animal going off food (or being otherwise unhealthy). One of the first things that I would do is have a fecal exam for parasites and stick a few vertical hides in to help with stress issues.

 

[PassPort]

we cannot raise the temp of the whole room because we have the leo cresties and the ball python in the same room so we cannot raise the room temp to what she needs for all the other reptiles will suffer and that is not fair to let 4 reptiles suffer so one can be happy.

Actually, those ambient temps are perfect for the leopard gecko and the ball python and they should also have hot spots in the mid 90F range. The crested gecko is the odd one out with needing temps in the 72-80F range.

Also all of your species would be comfortable from a 4-6 degree night time temp drop.

 

[MauricesExoticPets]

I get 120°F basking spot temps with 75w halogen reflector type bulbs (monitors), and have no issue creating thermal gradients from 90°F down to ambient room temperature with 11" 20w per foot flexwatt.

You have excessive airflow issues. Fix that and your temperature issues will be simple to fix.

Fake or live plants are a must. Most Holden's are shy and don't like being seen.

Maurice Pudlo

 

[KML585]

thank you guys so much for the help we are going to fix many of these things and check on her to make sure she doesnt have paracites we just checked with petco to see if they have the heat emitter and we will also get more hiding places for her so she is more comfy. as i said her tank when we got her was empty and now she has a nice house and 3 giant sticks and 2 vines but we will fill her tank up with a lot more stuff on friday when we get paid. so once again guys than you, you were a lot of help.

 

[PassPort]

Petco hoses you on supplies. Depending on where you're at you'd probably be better off ordering online from a place like LLL Reptile or somewhere similar.

 

[daggekko]

Another added thought/question- How much are you feeding the new gecko? Some geckos won't eat with people moving around in the room. Maybe you have way overfed this gecko and it just isn't hungry?

Your temperature gauge. I am assuming it is analog? It could be broken as well. I use a temp gun and/or a digital thermometer. These are much more accurate.

Another idea is, if the tank is big enough, to get 2 heat lamps and use slightly smaller watt bulbs(maybe 2x 50 watt vs. 1x75 watt.) If you have one REALLY hot bulb it can cause issues for some animals(I had a monitor lizard get burned from basking under one hot lamp). 2 smaller bulbs will put out more heat over the entire enclosure, where 1 larger bulb tends to heat one area a lot more.

Just some ideas/suggestions. What works for some people might not work for everyone. Hope this is helpful to you as well!

 

[KML585]

thank you both passport and daggecko we got another vine with leaves and 60 watt ceramic heat emitter ( we are planning on getting a new thermostat for her and i will make sure it is digital) and i didnt know about the 20 lower watt lamps until now and. we have only fed her the superworms that she has been only eating from the previous owner ( he did not feed her any other food sources that we know of) the night we got her (this past saturday) and last night she did not eat a single on because we count them to make sure we know she is eating. on tuesday we put repticaled crickets in her tank dave put 7 in there and we think they are all under the paper towel but we cannot se any in there. we are too afraid to open her tank and move all of her stuff around in case we stress her out. its already hard with us moving around because we keep her in our bedroom and had to blockade the dresser and desk because we found out cat sitting on the tank last night. i have been thinking about taking a piece of paper and putting it over the side of her home so we cannot see into it. do you guys have ideas for more hiding places for her? like i want to take plastic cups and tape them to the sides of the tank in different directions so she has more places to hide from us. is that ok or do you guys have better solutions. i will take pictures in a little bit and show you guys what her tank looks like so you can get a better idea of what we have and what we dont have. once again thank you guys for giving me all this advice and helping me with this golden beauty

 

[daggekko]

Hey, I would avoid using tape in the enclosure. You don't want to deal with a stuck gecko. PVC pipe would work well. Slant it diagonally across the enclosure.

Are you using paper towels as the substrate? I'd go get some cypress mulch.

As far as buying supplies, you can go to home depot or lowes(or a hardware store of your choice) and get the cypress mulch for about $2 a huge bag. The digital thermometer can be bought from the garden section for about $10.

I go to dollar tree and buy fake tropical flowers and vines fr $1 each piece! Just make sure they dont have glitter on them( some Of them do)

If you want more natural decor, you can get cork bark tubes from petsmart/petco or mOst reptile specialty shops. Or go on craigslist.com and find someone that has bamboo. Fresh bamboo is better than stuff that has been cut and is piled on the ground.

Oh, and that is one of the many reasons I HATE cats.

I honestly wouldn't block the view of the enclosure to make the gecko less stressed. They typically are very easy to take care of. Superworms or really too big for them to be eating also. Crickets are a much better choice. Someone said they like more active food( using my phone to reply so I can't go see who said this), which is very true and the mealworms/ superworms just don't move around a lot.

 

[DCH]

Katie asked me to join so I could post as well, the Golden Gecko hasn't eaten since we got her unless she ate the crickets while we were sleeping, most likely because I haven't seen them at all since, though super-worms are generally too large, she's over a year old, and almost fully grown. About 8 inches from head to tail, she is very fat. As for substrate she's on paper towels, with coconut fiber underneath, I've found this helps keep the humidity in the tank up. I took a wash cloth and put it over 50% of the top of the tank and keep in moist almost all day, it keeps the humidity from dropping in her tank very well, the heat pad on the upper right side of the tank was replaced with a heat emitter today , the ambient temp on the far side" away from the emitter is about 80 so I would speculate that the emitter side is in the 90's she seems to love the warm side. I assume she never had a warm side before. The branches also cross there in three places and there's two vines near them so she seems most comfortable on that side. Although it is not necessary she will get a small dish of CGD in her tank tonight incase she wants something on the fruity side. I've read that Gekko Ulikoskii enjoy mango's and fruit as well. On a side note I'm planning on getting a taller terrarium for her, as her current one does not satisfy my own personal standards for gecko care, but I'm going to spend some time fabricating it first. If I wanted to "fix" pvc pipe to the sides in various spots, what would be a good medium to adhere it with? I want her to have vertical hides but even if I were to "Great Stuff" around the glue/caulk etc, I wouldn't want to use a caulk like aquarium caulk because it will eventually leech toxins into the tank due to the anti-mildew component? Any vivarium fabricators have any suggestions?

~Dave~

 

[KML585]

here are the pictures i promised couldnt get any nice ones of her tank but i had a few good pictures of her so you guys can determine her health. we think she is pretty healthy right now but we dont want things to continue the way they are going

 

[daggekko]

Hey, thanks for the pictures.

I personally would do away with the paper towel. I never had any issues with gekko catching insects on a mulch substrate. The towel on top is a great idea!

The tank looks empty to me. If you go to a dollar store in your area you could get more vines and/or flowers. They aren't going to be plastic like the ones you already have but will be a softer material that is plastic/nylon-ish( no clue what the material actual is:biggrin. I have used these in many enclosures and they hold up well and will fill a lot of space quickly!

I don't think silicone will stick to the PVC pipe, but dart frog people use great stuff and silicone all the time and never have issues with it. I would not worry about toxins leaching out. Besides, the tanks you can buy at the Petstore that the majority of people use to house fish/ reptiles are sealed with silicone. With bamboo in my enclosures I use paper towels to jamb the poles horizontally. If you dont use enough the piece falls and too much you crack the tank(lovely problem!)

I honestly believe that if yOu decorate the tank a bit more and give it a few weeks the gecko will become less shy!

Your gecko looks very healthy though! And if I read it correctly, it is apparently eating crickets while your not watching!

 

[KML585]

lol thank you ill go to the dollar store tmr an get her some stuff and the papertowl thing is temporary (at least in my eyes) so we can see when she uses the bathroom because that is the only way we can figure out if she is eating properly. its what we were told to do for our crested geckos on the repashy reptile forum plus we were misled to thinking woodchips were ok substrate for the little babies so we are covering the woodchips up until we can handle them and get them used to us being in the cage (our hands of course). but i will try to get the papertowls out of the tank asap and maybe add some more coconut fiber and the ceramic heat emitter seems to be doing a lot better job than the lights although the tank is still like 3 degrees cooler than we want it. it just makes me wonder what she thinks of her tank now since all she had in it before we got her was moss and a wood hut that was covered by the moss. no thermostats or anything else. someone on the repashy forum said that she might be stress because we changed everything in her tank down to the way it smells and that might be adding to the way she is reacting and could possibly be adding to her stress level.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

A new home always adds to the stress level. She'll acclimate though. It just takes time. And goldens simply are not a very social species. Keep in mind that these are not crested geckos. Here's a quick easy pvc tube project that I posted a while ago that'll make cheap pvc pipe look a bit more naturalistic: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/do-yourself-diy/53388-diy-quick-easy-pvc-tubes.html
Bamboo works well also. I just lean my tubes up against the walls. I don't fasten them with anything. Wood chips (depending on what type of wood) should be fine. But the idea of using a paper towel until you get a fecal sample is a good one. Take the fecal sample to the vet and have it checked for parasites. If you want to know for sure that she's eating the crickets, you can cut off their back legs and feed them in a bowl. Chances are that she's out and about a lot more than you think she is at night though. And I imagine that she's hunting the crickets if you aren't able to find them the next day.

 

[KML585]

Hey guys sorry it has been awhile for an update but we have been very busy getting a bigger, more natural, and much more covered tank for our golden which we have renamed courage. she is eating fine now so we are not too worried about her at the moment. we are getting a second heat emitter bulb at a slightly higher watt, we have gotten her a digital thermometer, and a clamp for the other light. the tank we bought her is a 30 gallon it has organic baked soil with all rocks and branches taken out of it mixed with coconut fiber that we took all of the chunks out of. in a few days we are getting spaghum moss to top off the tank for maximum humidity. we took the advice and have gotten many plants from the dollar stor and are currently doing a mock up of the new tank. we have more vines and tree branches for her to hang out on. we also got her a cork bark hide with a vine so that she has more than one place to hide in. all this stuff does not include what she already has in her tank. all of that will be transferred into the new one when we relocate her in a few weeks. the tank also came with a nice back round so that if she feels the need to she can blend in with it as well. more on just her she has acclimated to the tank she is in now quite nicely and sits on the the branches we have, under the vines ( we got a few more and put them in the tank) and on top and also in the wood hut we have in the pictures. when the finalization of her tank is finished and we have relocated her i will post pictures and i am sure you guys will be very pleased with the changes and amount of hiding spots we have made for her. i will update you guys asap.