Need help w/ Leopard Gecko

[KritterKeeper]

Hi everyone this is my first post here. I picked up 2 leopard geckos last week on tues(the 3rd) and was told they were being kept in the same tank and were both male. The smallest one has been eating crickets with no problem from day one. The larger one however wouldnt eat at all. Over the weekend i divided what i believe is a 30gal tank in half so they cant see eachother hoping that would help as the little one seemed to be intimidating the bigger one. The smaller one is still doing great however the larger one still wont touch crickets(which is what they were being fed before i got them or so i was told). Since this past monday the large one has only eaten 7 mealworms which from reading on this site is apparently not a good food choice but thats the only thing it would eat. I just got in an order of phoenix worms for my bearded dragon so ill be using those instead. Also ive seen no poop since sunday from the one who wont eat although if you dont eat you dont really poop i guess. The one thats not eating also looks about ready to shed. I also learned today that both of my 'boys' are in fact girls which were being kept w/ a larger gecko before i got them which may have actually been a male. On tues when i got them the larger one which is almost 9in weighed 62grams, monday it was 61grams and today it was 65grams which seems not right since it hasnt been eating which makes me afraid that it could be pregnant.
Heres my set up..30gal divided tank w/ a red heat bulb in the middle so it hits both sides. I use paper towels on the bottom of the tank w/ pieces of slate under the heat light. Each side has a dry hide, humid hide and water bowl. The temp on the slate is 90-94 and the cool side is 74(using a PE2 temp gun). Ill try to post a pic i took today of the gecko in question.
Any help or advice would be appreciated!

 

[cricket4u]

Hello,

Before assuming there is a problem I would work on making sure all their needs are met. Splitting in half will not allow enough room for all their needs. You will need to buy another tank so that they both have a minimum of 3 hides. 1 on the warm end, 1 on the cool side and a humidity hide closer to the warm side.They should both have a UTH placed on one side with floor temps of 90-95. Cool side 75- warm side air temp 80-85

 

[KritterKeeper]

The previous owner used only a heat rock for heat which obviously is a bad idea but from what ive been reading(on other sites b4 i came here) i thought the red bulb would be fine as far as heat goes. It will have to wait til friday but ill look into the uth. Is half of a 55gal tank still too small?

 

[cricket4u]

The previous owner used only a heat rock for heat which obviously is a bad idea but from what ive been reading(on other sites b4 i came here) i thought the red bulb would be fine as far as heat goes. It will have to wait til friday but ill look into the uth. Is half of a 55gal tank still too small?

If you can fit everything and get a good temp gradient, than I guess it should be fine.

 

[acpart]

Most people do use a UTH to provide the proper heat. If you can maintain floor temps in the low 90's with a red heat light, then you can do it that way. Some people do. It's not unusual for an adult gecko to take even up to a few weeks to feel comfortable in a new place and eat. A gecko about to go into shed frequently doesn't eat for awhile and an ovulating female will also not eat. I've had geckos not eat for months and do fine and barely lose weight. I think it's good to have separated them based on the behavior you observed, and not a big deal if it takes one a little longer to start eating, especially once you've got the living conditions optimal.

Aliza

 

[cricket4u]

The previous owner used only a heat rock for heat which obviously is a bad idea but from what ive been reading(on other sites b4 i came here) i thought the red bulb would be fine as far as heat goes. It will have to wait til friday but ill look into the uth. Is half of a 55gal tank still too small?

Just a heads up on the red bulbs. I have had to switch to ceramic heat emitter for night heating due to the fact that some geckos are bothered by the red bulbs. Some will stay hidden when it's on so they will fail to digest their food if they have to come out their hides to get belly heat. If they are very reclusive it can also become a problem as well.