Fat Tail Rescue

[J.Bosley]

Hello!
I am new to this Forum, so I thought I would show off my new little African Fat Tail, Norman. Not sure if Norman is a boy yet, fingers crossed that he is so I don't have to change the name

Rescued from my work, Petsmart, because he doesn't really eat and HAS to be hand fed. So far anyways! Hoping to get him eating bugs on his own. Right now he eats bug guts mixed with Repashy and he eats it very well! :biggrin:

 

[cricket4u]

Hi,

How are you housing him?
Humidity?
Temps?
Source of heat?
Has he had any bowel movements? Normal?
Why bug guts?

 

[J.Bosley]

I work at Petsmart as a dog trainer, and this little AFT came to us probably 2 months ago. They noticed he/she wasn't eating, so put him/her into quarentine. My little AFT STILL didn't eat, so they started hand feeding, which also didn't work. So off to the vet he/she went! Vet found nothing wrong, also did a fecal to no avail. The AFT was given Carnivore Care and he/she started eating that and gained a bit of weight/fatter tail. Vet suggested weening him/her off of it onto dead food, and then to live. But that didn't work! Also suggested that he/she be adopted out and into a better habitat. So now the AFT is eating "cricket mash" and I recently started doing "cricket mash" + Repashy and he/she seems to really enjoy that! Hoping to be able to ween him/her onto crickets with no head (guts hanging out) tried it last night to no avail, but he/she will gladly slurp up cricket guts + Repashy As long as he/she is eating and gaining weight I am happy! I don't mind mashing crickets haha

Enclosure is 10 gallons, warm side has an under tank heater + 50w Blue Light and sits about 85F during the day and 78F during the night. The cool side is about 82F during the day and 75F at night. Reptile carpet is being used as a substrate. He/she has a hide on the cool side, a hide on the warm side, a branch laid flat to climb on, a water dish on the cool side, and a damp hide that is half on the cool side and half on the warm side.

So far 2 poops, and they look normal to me, although I have never had a AFT before.... :? They don't look runny, but I am not sure what normal is.

Hi,

How are you housing him?
Humidity?
Temps?
Source of heat?
Has he had any bowel movements? Normal?
Why bug guts?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Mind you, I don't know much about AFTs, but I'm surprised "dead" food was suggested. I know that with leos (and most reptiles), live food is much more appealing to them. Many won't even eat anything that's not moving, and some won't even eat things like mealworms because they don't move enough. I would think live crickets would be a better bet than headless ones.

~Maggot

 

[J.Bosley]

I definitely agree with you! But we've tried live. So we're trying everything haha! I definitely plan to keep offering him live with the hopes he will eat

Mind you, I don't know much about AFTs, but I'm surprised "dead" food was suggested. I know that with leos (and most reptiles), live food is much more appealing to them. Many won't even eat anything that's not moving, and some won't even eat things like mealworms because they don't move enough. I would think live crickets would be a better bet than headless ones.

~Maggot

 

[cricket4u]

I definitely agree with you! But we've tried live. So we're trying everything haha! I definitely plan to keep offering him live with the hopes he will eat

A 10 gallon a quite small and it would be best to move him to a larger enclosure, 20 gallon long would allow a better temp gradient. I recommend the following:

A temp gradient of around 70 cool side- 85max warm side air
A UTH on a thermostat set at about 88-92 for ground(belly heat)
One hide cold side, one hide over the UTH, a humidity hide closer to the warm side
Humidity in the enclosure at about 60%-quality hygrometer (no dial type)
Variety of insects- always gutloaded
A digital thermometer with a probe/ temp gun
The CHE should be on a thermostat as well

This can make a huge difference in appetite. There's a good chance this gecko is not well hydrated which can cause poor appetite, therefore the humidity is very important.

 

[J.Bosley]

Right now I cannot do a 20 gallon long as I don't have the funds for it right now... :sad:

He has a moist hide, and he LOVES it! Plus I mist his terrarium daily or every other day. It is about 55%-60%, and he has a water dish. He does have a hide on each side of his terrarium and regularly uses both I will definitely be giving some various insects a try with him!

A 10 gallon a quite small and it would be best to move him to a larger enclosure, 20 gallon long would allow a better temp gradient. I recommend the following:

A temp gradient of around 70 cool side- 85max warm side air
A UTH on a thermostat set at about 88-92 for ground(belly heat)
One hide cold side, one hide over the UTH, a humidity hide closer to the warm side
Humidity in the enclosure at about 60%-quality hygrometer (no dial type)
Variety of insects- always gutloaded
A digital thermometer with a probe/ temp gun
The CHE should be on a thermostat as well

This can make a huge difference in appetite. There's a good chance this gecko is not well hydrated which can cause poor appetite, therefore the humidity is very important.

 

[J.Bosley]

What prevents the mealworms from climbing out of the dish?... I put 2 in this morning, and I checked on her now and they were gone. I removed everything to see if they were hiding, but couldn't find them! So I am hoping that she ate them. I put 2 more in, and saw the one crawl right out of the dish... Im wondering if they managed to get into the damp hide (and hide) or if they got under the reptile carpet....

 

[Embrace Calamity]

They make special dishes for mealworms, but any smooth-sided dish should keep them from climbing out. They'll grab onto anything rough.

~Maggot

 

[J.Bosley]

Thanks! I will have to find something better... ugh

They make special dishes for mealworms, but any smooth-sided dish should keep them from climbing out. They'll grab onto anything rough.

~Maggot

 

[J.Bosley]

I am using a stainless steel, small, low ledged cat dish for the mealworms! It seems to be keeping them in, but Norman hasn't eaten any.... how long should I wait? I dont want him to starve...

 

[cricket4u]

I am using a stainless steel, small, low ledged cat dish for the mealworms! It seems to be keeping them in, but Norman hasn't eaten any.... how long should I wait? I dont want him to starve...

Have you tried crickets? The worms may not be active even enough.

 

[J.Bosley]

I've tried crickets in the past...with no avail! And I have heard not to leave crickets in their tanks for a long period of time.

Have you tried crickets? The worms may not be active even enough.

 

[cricket4u]

Take a look over your husbandry. Posting a picture of your gecko's enclosure will be helpful. Just to remind you...

A 10 gallon a quite small and it would be best to move him to a larger enclosure, 20 gallon long would allow a better temp gradient. I recommend the following:

A temp gradient of around 70 cool side- 85max warm side air
A UTH on a thermostat set at about 88-92 for ground(belly heat)
One hide cold side, one hide over the UTH, a humidity hide closer to the warm side
Humidity in the enclosure at about 60%-quality hygrometer (no dial type)
Variety of insects- always gutloaded
A digital thermometer with a probe/ temp gun
The CHE should be on a thermostat as well

This can make a huge difference in appetite. There's a good chance this gecko is not well hydrated which can cause poor appetite, therefore the humidity is very important.

Have you dusted all the insects you offered? I just want to make sure she/he is not refusing them due to the supplement taste. If you have been, try one insect without the dust just to make sure this isn't the problem.

 

[J.Bosley]

Thanks for the feedback!

I found a VERY cheap 20 gallon tank, so I will be picking that up during the weekend or next week. I will post pictures once I have it setup and ready to go!

Hoping it will help... any ideas on how to get the humidity to stay up?

 

[cricket4u]

Thanks for the feedback!

I found a VERY cheap 20 gallon tank, so I will be picking that up during the weekend or next week. I will post pictures once I have it setup and ready to go!

Hoping it will help... any ideas on how to get the humidity to stay up?

I use a room humidifier, but you can try this suggested by another member. Just be careful with the temperatures. The temps should be on a thermostat to prevent overheating and make sure your humidity gauge is accurate.

#56---Significantly Increasing Ambient Humidity in a Leo Enclosure...GU's ebross67
"If you have a screen lid, then you could use tin foil and cover up the mesh. Leave a hole for the dome CHE/light, and a hole for a moist rag. Place a piece tinfoil over the top of the rag. This will cause the evaporation to be drawn down into the enclosure. The tinfoil traps the humidity in the enclosure, and you don't have to worry about another type of material getting moldy. Also, use a larger water dish like Elizabeth suggested. I live in Colorado and it's been brutally dry. My house is at 5-10% humidity. This method works for me and keeps my humidity around 40%."

......

"I don't find it an issue, because I have my CHE set on a thermostat (83), and the CHE is heat directed. The glass is an excellent heat/cool conductor, so it doesn't trap any heat on the cool side. My cool side ambient air always stays at room temp (72). I cover the entire screen. The foil isn't airtight (so there is O2 access in the tank), but it does trap the evaporation from the rag and large water dish."

I added this above and wanted to make sure you did not miss it.

Have you dusted all the insects you offered? I just want to make sure she/he is not refusing them due to the supplement taste. If you have been, try one insect without the dust just to make sure this isn't the problem.

 

[J.Bosley]

Thanks! I will give it a try

 

[cricket4u]

You mentioned at first he has to be hand fed cricket mash. Why mashed, is he refusing them whole even when hand fed?

Now he is refusing everything hand fed?

Does he react to moving insects at all?

Does he navigate around the enclosure well and without excessive tongue flicking?

 

[J.Bosley]

He has NEVER taken anything from me that was alive, or whole. He's been on cricket mash since week 3 of being at the store so I just kept him on it. I am trying to get him to eat on his own, or at least eat from my hand. But he won't!

He will eat his mash still (cricket guys + repashy) from a syringe.

He doesnt react to moving insects what so ever, I think he may be blind... he moves very slowly, but does not flick his tongue at all when he moves about. He has also had poops as well! They look normal, not runny at all

 

[cricket4u]

He has NEVER taken anything from me that was alive, or whole. He's been on cricket mash since week 3 of being at the store so I just kept him on it. I am trying to get him to eat on his own, or at least eat from my hand. But he won't!

He will eat his mash still (cricket guys + repashy) from a syringe.

He doesnt react to moving insects what so ever, I think he may be blind... he moves very slowly, but does not flick his tongue at all when he moves about. He has also had poops as well! They look normal, not runny at all

I would not add Repashy to every insect feeding(mushed or not). If you are not gutloading with high calcium, maybe a tiny amount of plain calcium would be ideal for the majority of insects fed each feeding, maybe dust only 2 out of 10 with Repashy depending on the total diet. This is only an example and may not be an ideal supplemental schedule for your particular gecko.

The daily intake is unknown which means you can easily over-supplement. You cannot trust the specifications on the bottles when one brand has a higher amount of d3 and vitamins (dust every insect) and another product which has less specifies amount per body weight or twice a week. Obviously there's a problem. Try giving him a warm soak for about 10-15minutes, just once.