Two month old Leopard Gecko not eating regularly. Help?

[MichaelPollard_]

Hello everyone.
I first apologize if there is already a post like this, I'm very new and have no idea what I'm doing.

I've had my Leo since March 10th 2013 and he/she is rarely eating.
I don't know the gender yet since I've never handled.
He/she has eaten 1 cricket in the past 3 days and is starting to look skinny.
He/she is also extremely scared of me, if she/he ever sees me it runs right back into it's hide.

Temps:
Warm Side - 84-90 F depending on the day
Cool Side - 70-75 F depending on the day
Humidity is 30%

Any help is greatly accepted!
Thanks.
~Michael

 

[miss katie]

can you tell me more about your set up like do you have an under the tank heater or what kind of heating you use, do you use any reptile multivitamins or calcium powders?

 

[MichaelPollard_]

I use a 75 watt basking bulb and a UVB bulb, no under tank heater.
I use calcium powder, that's all right now.

 

[miss katie]

does the calcium powder have D3 in it by chance?? it should say like on the front or back..but leopard geckos get heat from their stomachs so you are going to definitely want to get an under the tank heater or even the heating cable you can get them i know at petco and petsmart and they come in a variety of different sizes to fit your tank ( the under the tank heating pad) the cable you just use electrical tape and you can put it wherever you want on the bottom of the tank. And leopard geckos also do not need UV light. It is not going to hurt your gecko some vets even recommend it...it's one of those things that's a huge debate issue....the basking light is good though ...that could be part of the reason why he or she isn't eating, heat helps in digestion and in hunger. I would recommend getting a multi vitamin too otherwise you are going to run into issues like I have with decencies and that just creates all kinds of other issues...I use the zoo med reptivite with d3...this does also have calcium in it and everything else under the sun like vitamin a which is important for eyes...it's a good all in one vitamin you can also get this at petco or petsmart

 

[MichaelPollard_]

Thanks so much!
It does have D3, is this an issue?
See I've been told by petsmart a under tank heater wasn't nessecary.
The top of his rock hide is about 95 F during the day. Could that be a replacement of an under tank heater? I often see signs of her/him on top of the rock.

 

[MichaelPollard_]

Update: I went and checked on him/her. I only see one cricket (there where three) but I'm sure they're hiding somewhere. I did notice a green, clear looking substance on top of his hide. Is this throw up or droppings?
He/she looks really skinny.

 

[miss katie]

not at all i was just curious because d3 helps in appetite...wow petsmart told you that??? where i live i dont have anything put a petco but they sometimes can be sketchy as far as knowing what we reptile keepers need and don't. There are sooo many things that are so to say "debatable" like just feeding meal worms and using sand as a substrate. I just found that you need to find what works for you and your gecko. Some geckos will do great with sand others with eat it and have issues. I mean an under the tank heater will constantly be on and be at constant temperature. I wouldn't strictly stick to the rock hide as a "under the tank heater" what it is is you need a "Cool" side and a "warm" side and the under the tank heater makes that possible and because they do get heat from the ground that essentially provides them with a constant heat source. I would not get one of the plug in rock heaters though those are known to short out and then you will have a fried gecko and they can get way to hot and burn your gecko. I mean he could be on his rock to get that "belly heat" so to say but i would definitely get an under the tank heater. Here here is a website you can get super discounted herp supplies in my opinion at least it is a lot cheaper than a pet store.....HerpSupplies.com - Reptile Supplies, Vivarium, Reptile Accessories, Reptile Habitat, Reptile Lighting, Zoo Med, Reptile Supply, Lizard Supplies, Reptarium, Rep-Cal, Flukers, Reptile Bedding, Fresh-Air Habitat, Reptile Heat Pads they have a ton of various herp supplies like under the tank heaters decorations pretty much everything...hope this helps ya

 

[miss katie]

it very well could be either..i've personally never experienced green, clear droppings usually they are brown or white or both even but doesn't mean they it isn't each gecko is different.

 

[MichaelPollard_]

Thanks so much! You've been very helpful.

 

[Amuna1225]

Most pet store chains are misinformed. I really wish more people would have done research before buying their leopard gecko. They require a lot of time and care. The thing that matters is you're here now. You need a vitamin supplement and a UTH. Get a calcium without D3 in it and leave a bottle cap with some of that in the tank 24/7. Also, Do you have a heat gradient? And what size is your tank? How many hides do you have and do you have a moist hide?

 

[MichaelPollard_]

I did lots of research before buying, maybe I misunderstood something.
I've actually never heard of a heat gradient?
Its a 10 gallon
I have one hide and its moist.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

not at all i was just curious because d3 helps in appetite...,

Not really. D3 allows for the utilization of calcium. I guess you could argue that a gecko with a calcium deficiency might not be very hungry because it's sick, but I wouldn't say D3 is linked to appetite in any way.

I did lots of research before buying, maybe I misunderstood something.
I've actually never heard of a heat gradient?
Its a 10 gallon
I have one hide and its moist.

Okay, it will be best to fill out the questionnaire so we can knock everything out at one time, since this means a lot of things will need to be changed. That way we can make sure your gecko is happy and healthy.

#50---Cricket4u's Gecko Health Questionnaire
GU members: When copying & pasting this questionnaire into your thread, please change only the answers of your reply font to boldface to make your replies easy to read. Don't know whether that is possible. Don't really want the entire reply bold.

General Information
Species of lizard:
Gecko's name:
Morph:
Gender:
Age:
Weight:
Total length:
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it:
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner):
Captive bred or wild caught:

Vivarium
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x heighth):
Cage (type, size):
Substrate provided:
Types of hiding places provided:
Is there a humidity hide? location?
Please describe any other furnishings:
List recent changes in the environment, if any:

Lighting
Artificial lighting
Incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s):
Fluorescent (tube bulbs):

Natural lighting
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window:

Heating
Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage?
What type and brand of thermometer (digital with probe, temperature gun, LCD strip, analog (circle), combo digital thermometer/hygrometer, stainless steel aquarim type, other):
What is the ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide:
What is the air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground:
What is the air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground:
What device(s) are used to heat the tank (Under Tank Heater, heat light, ceramic heat emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other):
Ventilation space for your UTH by elevating the tank above the shelf (some UTHs come with sticky feet for the tank corners):
Are you using a thermostat(s)?
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time?
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much?

Humidity
Is the humidity measured?
Humidity range:

Diet
Insects and worms, list type:
Regular diet fed to the insects and worms:
Are the insects and worms formally “gutloaded” 1-2 days prior to feeding off to your gecko? If so with?
How often do you feed your gecko?
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often?
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both?
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without?
Multivitamins (include brand name)?
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:

General Health
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs:
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased?
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased?
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss or gain):
Discharge from the eyes or nose:
Increased breathing rate or effort:
Change in the droppings:
Urates
---white or yellowish:
---size of urates as compared to size of feces:
Abnormal skin color or shedding:
Parasites on the skin or in the feces:
Weakness:

Previous problems and/or illnesses:

Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household
List other animals that are kept in the same cage:
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months):
Are any of your other pets ill?

Pics of the enclosure and/or the gecko would be helpful as well.

~Maggot

 

[Amuna1225]

::sigh:: dont worry bud we're here to help

 

[miss katie]

well that's news to me i was given liquid d3 by my vet for one of my geckos at one point to help stimulate appetite....but yeah this forum has helped me sooo much i love it

 

[MichaelPollard_]

Species of lizard: Leopard Gecko
Gecko's name: Rico or Loki depending on gender
Morph: N/A
Gender: N/A
Age: 2 months
Weight: N/A
Total length: 4in
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it: 4in
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner): Pet Store
Captive bred or wild caught: Captive Bred

Vivarium
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x heighth):
Cage (type, size): Glass aquarium, 10 gallons
Substrate provided: Reptile carpet
Types of hiding places provided: Large rock
Is there a humidity hide? location? Yes, warm side
Please describe any other furnishings: Rocks on the cool side for hiding and sitting on when hot
List recent changes in the environment, if any: Moved from petstore to home 10 days ago

Lighting
Artificial lighting
Incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): ?
wattage(s): 75 watt both day and night bulbs
Fluorescent (tube bulbs): yes.

Natural lighting
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window: No.

Heating
Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage? yes
What type and brand of thermometer (digital with probe, temperature gun, LCD strip, analog (circle), combo digital thermometer/hygrometer, stainless steel aquarim type, other): temperature gun, analog, thermometer/hygrometer
What is the ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide: 83 F
What is the air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground: 78 - 80 F
What is the air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground: 73 F
What device(s) are used to heat the tank (Under Tank Heater, heat light, ceramic heat emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other): heat light
Ventilation space for your UTH by elevating the tank above the shelf (some UTHs come with sticky feet for the tank corners): No UTH at this time
Are you using a thermostat(s)? ?
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time?: The only one i have, the moist one
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much?: 7 degrees or so depending on how cold my room gets

Humidity
Is the humidity measured?: yes
Humidity range: 30 - 45 %

Diet
Insects and worms, list type: Meal worms and crickets
Regular diet fed to the insects and worms: Meal worms and crickets
Are the insects and worms formally “gutloaded” 1-2 days prior to feeding off to your gecko? If so with?: no
How often do you feed your gecko?: every day, he rarely eats anything though
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often?: N/A
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both?: Without D3 , Repti Calcium
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without? No calcium in the tank
Multivitamins (include brand name)?: N/A
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:N/A

General Health
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs: N/A
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased?: N/A
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased?: decressed
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss or gain): Loss
Discharge from the eyes or nose: N/A
Increased breathing rate or effort: N/A
Change in the droppings:
Urates
---white or yellowish: yes
---size of urates as compared to size of feces:
Abnormal skin color or shedding: N/A
Parasites on the skin or in the feces: N/A
Weakness: N/A

Previous problems and/or illnesses:

Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household: none
List other animals that are kept in the same cage: none
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months): none
Are any of your other pets ill?: this is my only pet


Sorry if I did it wrong.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

1) You need a temperature gradient. This means that you need areas of different temperatures for your gecko to choose from. Since geckos are "cold-blooded," they can't produce their own body heat like mammals can. This means that they body temperatures are based entirely on their surroundings. Your gecko's digestive system runs mostly on warm temperatures, so, in order to stay healthy, digest its food, utilize nutrients, and be overall happy, it needs places of warmer and cooler temperatures so that it can choose to warm or cool its body depending on its needs at the time. After eating, geckos will usually go lay in the warm area to digest their food. If they get too hot, they will go to the cool side to down. The generally accepted temperatures are 88-93 on the warm side and 70-80 on the cool side (depending on who you ask). Nighttime hot side temps shouldn't be allowed to drop below 80.

2) Your gecko needs a minimum of three hides. They need places to hide and feel secure while still being in areas that are of comfortable temperatures, so you need a dry hide on the warm side, a humid hide in the middle/near the warm side, and a dry cool hide. This way your gecko can choose if it wants to be warm, to be cool, or to be in a humid area. If forced to choose between wrong temperatures/humidity and feeling safe, a gecko will usually choose to feel safe, but this is a strain on its body and will eventually result in issues (such as a lack of appetite).

3) The temp gun is good for reading surface temps, but the analogs are notoriously unreliable. I would suggest picking up a digital thermometer or two to check your temperatures with. I assume you checked the temperatures that you gave with the analog, correct?

4) It would be a very good idea to get an undertank heater (make sure to read warnings and instructions). Then place a dry hide on top of it. This will allow your gecko access to belly heat that it will use to digest its food as well as helping to warm the enclosure. Ideally, it should be attached to a thermostat to keep from fluctuating or malfunctioning like this: Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden There are other brands out there. I've not heard good things about the ZooMed or Zilla ones, but I'm sure some people use them without issue. Hydrofarm is just the one I see suggested most often.

5) Your gecko needs vitamins on top of the calcium. D3 allows it to utilize the calcium, vitamin A helps with skin and eye health, etc. I personally always suggest Repashy Calcium Plus. This is an all-in-one supplement that is meant to be used to dust (not left in the enclosure) every feeding. Another all-in-one option is ZooMed's Reptivite, which is meant to be used a few times a week.

6) I would recommend picking up a 20 LONG enclosure. 10 gallons are difficult to achieve good temperatures gradients in, plus I personally feel they're too small for a gecko of adult size (which I realise yours isn't yet, but they grow very quickly). I'm not sure if PetSmart is still having its $1/gallon sale, but if it is, that would be a great place to pick one up. If not, you can look for one at garage sales, Craigslist, eBay classifieds, thrift stores, etc. (just make sure to clean them very well). If you can't find one on sale or second-hand, I don't think they're actually even that expensive at regular price at the store, but they're well worth the money.

Sorry for so much text, by the way. I tend to be long-winded. X)

~Maggot

 

[MichaelPollard_]

I have a temperature gradient, I just have never heard it called that before
How big should the hides be?
So I need:
20 long tank
2 more hides
UTH
Repashy calcium plus

Anything else?
And thank you so much. This is so helpful to me.
My gecko is becoming more interested in me, should I not handle him/her until it starts eating?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I have a temperature gradient, I just have never heard it called that before
How big should the hides be?
So I need:
20 long tank
2 more hides
UTH
Repashy calcium plus

Anything else?
And thank you so much. This is so helpful to me.
My gecko is becoming more interested in me, should I not handle him/her until it starts eating?

I would recommend hides that can fit an adult leopard gecko but not too big so they can still feel safe. It's hard to give an actual size, but something usually about medium-ish is a good bet.

I can't think of anything else, but maybe someone else can come up with something.

I wouldn't recommend handling him/her until eating is normal. Handling is stressful for them, and a gecko that's not eating and losing weight should be kept as stress-free as possible until it's healthy again. Once he/she is eating and has gained weight, then it's fine. Remember that your gecko can live 15-20 years, so there's no need to rush anything.

~Maggot

 

[miss katie]

So I'm really curious now you're only suppose to use the reptivite a few times a week so the other feedings are you just suppose to use calcium with d3 another thing how do you know when a gecko isn't an adult anymore like after awhile it becomes obvious but like it it an age thing or size cuz I have a gecko now that I have had since December and she's huge already I guess I'm just not sure when to classify a gecko as not being a juvenile feeding wise so I know when to not feed everyday

 

[Embrace Calamity]

So I'm really curious now you're only suppose to use the reptivite a few times a week so the other feedings are you just suppose to use calcium with d3

The Reptivite has calcium and D3. As I said, it's an all-in-one.

another thing how do you know when a gecko isn't an adult anymore like after awhile it becomes obvious but like it it an age thing or size cuz I have a gecko now that I have had since December and she's huge already I guess I'm just not sure when to classify a gecko as not being a juvenile feeding wise so I know when to not feed everyday

A year is generally considered when they become adults.

Also, please use punctuation. It's very difficult to read a paragraph that's just one giant sentence.

~Maggot