AFT refusing to eat, sugestions please??

[Saskia]

I got 3 AFT geckos receintly, a few weeks ago from a trusted friend who bought them over a year ago, one of them is not eating.... she has a regenerated tail, a very fat one, she was housed with 2 other AFT before (one male and another female), but I separated and now she is housed alone... when I got her I only had one extra tank available, so I separated the male first from the females, and a couple of weeks ago I got another tank and I separated the females, I noticed that I had never SEEN her eat, but I was asuming she was eating, because I left food in the enclosure and it was gone the next day, but now I am believing that the other female ate it all....

I have left mealworms in dishes and I pick them all up (I count them) a couple days later, I leave dubia roaches runing around and I pick them up a couple days later, I leave superworms in a dish, and the same happens, and she doesn´t take food from a tong like the other 2 AFTs do, I have offered crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, superworms, dubias, and surinamensis roaches with no luck.

My friend told me she has always had a great apetite (and I believe it since she has a nice fat tail), but I can´t get her to eat, my friend told me she used to eat everything! (He fed mostly crickets, surinamensis roaches and superworms)

I have plenty of experience with leopards but theese are my first AFT, the other 2 are doing great but this girl just won´t touch her food!!

By the way, she poops almost every day, smal poop, but healthy looking.

The person I got her from is very responsible, and I trust him when he says she was eating nicely, I truly doubt she is sick, I believe it has more to do with stress or poor husbandry, so, I am seeking for advice, I really don´t want her to get thin or sick.

Anyone with experience with AFT ????

Thanks

 

[Saskia]

Info that migh help:

General Information
Species of lizard: Hemitheconyx c.
Gecko's name: Doesn´t have one yet
Morph: Wild / normal
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown... 1-2 years
Weight: 45 grames
Total length: Don´t know
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it: the same but haven´t measured her
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner): Previous owner
Captive bred or wild caught: Don´t know

Vivarium
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x heighth): 30 x 16 x 7,5 inches
Cage (type, size): Sterilite type box
Substrate provided: Paper towels
Types of hiding places provided: One cold hide made of rocks, one warm hide, exo terra, one humidity hide
Is there a humidity hide? location? Yes, in the warm side
Please describe any other furnishings: None
List recent changes in the environment, if any: Removed the other AFT that was housed with her

Lighting
Artificial lighting: None
Incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s): None
Fluorescent (tube bulbs): None
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window: Daylight from a window, not direct

Heating
Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage? No
What type and brand of thermometer (digital with probe, temperature gun, LCD strip, analog (circle), combo digital thermometer/hygrometer, stainless steel aquarim type, other): None
Ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide: 93F
Ground temperature right on the substrate under the cool dry hide: 76F
Air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground:
Air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground:
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature (Under Tank Heater, heat light, ceramic heat emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other): Under Tank Heater, Zoo med
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)? No
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time? She uses all 3 hides, I would say she likes the humid a little bit more, but truly she uses all her hides, she is my only gecko that I actually see using her cool hide
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much? Yes, about 5-8 degrees

Humidity
Is the humidity measured? No
Humidity range: 70-80% is the enviromental relative humidity where I live

Diet
Insects and worms, list type: I have offered mealworms, superworms, crickets, grasshoppers, dubia roaches and surinamensis roaches
Regular diet fed to the insects and worms: Fruits, vegetables, rabbit food, bran, bread...
How often do you feed your gecko? I have ofered feeders almost every day, she hasn´t eaten
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often? Zoomed's ReptiCalcium without D3 in a shallow dish inside her viv 24/7
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without? Without
Multivitamins (include brand name)? I have ofered Reptivite whenever I leave mealworms in a dish but she doesn´t touch them
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet: None

General Health
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs: Refusal to eat
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased? Normal
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased? Decreased
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss or gain): No, (if any it hasn´t been significative)
Discharge from the eyes or nose: No
Increased breathing rate or effort: No
Change in the droppings: No
Urates
---white or yellowish: yellowish
---size of urates as compared to size of feces: Smaller
Abnormal skin color or shedding: No
Parasites on the skin or in the feces: No
Weakness: No

Previous problems and/or illnesses:

Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household: She used to be housed with another AFT, now she is alone, in my house there are all the animals listed in my signature, plus 3 fish tanks
List other animals that are kept in the same cage: None
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months): She is the newest
Are any of your other pets ill? No

A couple pictures of her and the enclosure:

 

[cricket4u]

Saskia she looks dehydrated and may be why her urates are yellowish. The problem is you are not controlling her environment. I was going to tell you to lower the belly heat to 90, but you don't have a thermostat to keep it stable. At least my AFT does not like it as hot as most leos. How long have you had her?

 

[Saskia]

I have had her for about 5 weeks, I can actually lower her temps (I have my techniques :coverlaugh: ) , she has a moist hide and (I forgot to mention) that I mist her every other day (the whole viv), have you seen high temps causing an AFT to refuse eating?? Because I can ceirtainly lower her temps, I have always seen that lower temps caused lack of apetite, but had never seen it the other way around, but will for sure try that !!
I am looking for a way to figure out the thermostat deal, do lamp dimers work for this?? I bought a couple digital thermometers (environmental) and am doing a whole file about my geckos' temps, but I have only 2 of those and I have to rotate them in order to keep track of everyone´s environment.
Thanks for the reply!!

 

[cricket4u]

I have had her for about 5 weeks, I can actually lower her temps (I have my techniques :coverlaugh: ) , she has a moist hide and (I forgot to mention) that I mist her every other day (the whole viv), have you seen high temps causing an AFT to refuse eating?? Because I can ceirtainly lower her temps, I have always seen that lower temps caused lack of apetite, but had never seen it the other way around, but will for sure try that !!
I am looking for a way to figure out the thermostat deal, do lamp dimers work for this?? I bought a couple digital thermometers (environmental) and am doing a whole file about my geckos' temps, but I have only 2 of those and I have to rotate them in order to keep track of everyone´s environment.
Thanks for the reply!!

You're welcome.

have you seen high temps causing an AFT to refuse eating??

It can cause dehydration or make dehydration worse. Dehydration can lead to loss of appetite.

 

[Saskia]

Will work on raising her humidity and hydration, do you think warm baths would help?? One of my leos has a tendency to look "dehydrated", I increased the number of humid hides (that particular leo las 3 humid hides, one warm, one in the center of the tank and one in the cool side) and 2 large water dishes and every now and then her skin starts to look a bit wrinkly on the sides, and she usually needs help to properly shed the toes (she is a rescue of mine, don´t know if her living conditions previously have given her some sort of tendency), and whenever I see the wrinkly part around her belly I give her a warm bath and 20 minutes later she looks great again!!Do you think warm baths would help the AFT ?? She stills looks healthy, but I don´t want her to start loosing weight : ( both her "mates" are eating perfectly fine, and adapted within a couple of days

 

[cricket4u]

I normally do not like soaking geckos, however this one really needs the help so go ahead. Collect all the history you can on this gecko and post it. Has she eaten anything since you had her?

 

[Saskia]

The first 2 weeks I had her she was housed with another female, and the previous owner always fed them by letting food loose in the enclosure, I tried tong feeding unsuccesfully with both (since they were together I wanted to make sure that both animals were eating by giving food individually), and I started letting feeders loose in the tank (I left grasshoppers, dubia roaches, a dish full of mealworms, and a dish of superworms (in separated days), and everything got eaten, but I realized that the other female housed with her (the albino) started eating inmediately when I put the feeders in, and I started noticing that I never saw the normal girl I never saw eat, I "asumed" she was eating as well because I seldom had to remove dead feeders, everything got eaten, but I started to doubt because the albino started eating right away and the normal didn´t, so, I bought another tank and separated them (I left the nominal in the "old" tank and removed the albino, in order to eliminate the stress of a viv change)... since she has been alone she hasn´t eaten, I count the feeders I left inside and I remove them all 1-2 days later, I leave a dish of counted mealworms and nothing....I offer with tongs and nothing, I have not left crickets inside because I have read that they can nibble on the gecko´s toes and tail, I only leave dubias running around, and mealworms and superworms (in dishes), I have not notice any weight loss, is there ANY chance she is somewhat brumating??? Seems like too much a coincidence that she would start brumating right when changing homes.... I am deffinitely concerned... should I leave amputated crickets in there to see if she craves crickets?? I can buy Acheta crickets and Grillodes crickets locally .... I do about once a month for all my geckos.
The previous owner told me she used to be a great eater, she would eat anything that moved in front of her
Could she be gravid??? She was housed with a male when I got her, do gravid AFT show the eggs through the belly like leos?? I separated the male from the females withing a couple of days, but I believe they were housed together even before they got to me...

 

[cricket4u]

Saskia I would have expected you to look for eggs by now.:biggrin: Yes, it's the same as in leos. I would not expect her to go off food for this long due to being gravid, but go ahead and take a look.

Negative for brumation- it would have to be forced
Her skin condition looks poor. Was the previous owner providing supplements?

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.

 

[Saskia]

It just occured to me today :sorry: No, actually the only feeders I have dusted are the mealworms, the rest I have just put in there plain...

The previous owner is a good friend of mine, a vet tech who knows his stuff about reptiles and amphibians, i am assuming he was supplementing, I am 90% sure he was, I will specifically ask though, just in case...

 

[cricket4u]

Does she react to the insect at all?

Flick her tongue
Show any attempt

 

[Saskia]

She flicks her tongue but she makes no attempt to eat it, it is as if she didn´t like the "smell" of that particular feeder... but I have tried with so many it´s hard for me to believe she hasnpt liked any of those.... my friend told me he was dusting with ReptiCal with D3 once a week, and that she would go crazy over pinky mice... I know that´s not too healthy but I think I will give it a try, better than nothing right??

 

[cricket4u]

She flicks her tongue but she makes no attempt to eat it, it is as if she didn´t like the "smell" of that particular feeder... but I have tried with so many it´s hard for me to believe she hasnpt liked any of those.... my friend told me he was dusting with ReptiCal with D3 once a week, and that she would go crazy over pinky mice... I know that´s not too healthy but I think I will give it a try, better than nothing right??

NO!, It's not better than nothing. I can't believe he fed her pinky mice. Hope he/she didn't ruin this gecko's kidneys. I would never feed an AFT a pinky, especially one as dry as this one. You'll be asking for serious problems or even gout. I'm starting to doubt this person provided proper care, even if he/she is a vet tech. Repcal has very high amounts of d3 and even if you give it one a week it will equal a high dose all at once if more than a handful of insects were dusted.

 

[Saskia]

I honestly trust him but to honor the truth he has had a few animals gotten sick and even died under weird circumstances.... he didn´t give pinkie mice as a staple though, he breeds roaches, mealworms, crickets (something I never achieved), and superworms... they were fed insects and every now and then, a pinky mice... just today I placed my monthly order of crickets this morning, they should arrive tomorrow, (I have only offered crickets once, with tongs so far), I am going to amputate them and leave a few loose in the tank overnight with a dish of fresh carrots for them to munch on, perhaps she needs to see them walking around, the dubias I have left I always leave inside a cage where they can´t get out, maybe she needs some movement to stimulate her to hunt... she has an untouched mealworm dish right now...

 

[cricket4u]

I'll be surprised if she eats the crickets after all the variety you have offered.

How did she handle the soak?
Have you noticed her drinking water at all?
Has she continued to spend most of her time in the humidity hide?
When compared to the others, does she appear any less active? or hides more?
How many times did her urates appear yellow? completely yellow or just a portion? size?
You mentioned the previous owner dusted with Repcal, how about a multivitamin supplement?
How did the temps and humidity he provided compares to yours?
I'm guessing negative for eggs?

 

[Saskia]

How did she handle the soak? It was ok, She didn´t like it much at the beggining, as to be expected, tried to get out of the container, after a few minutes she relaxed and just stayed there
Have you noticed her drinking water at all? No, have never seen her, I am assuming she drinks, a couple of my leos I have never seen drinking but I know they do
Has she continued to spend most of her time in the humidity hide? Yes, but not all the time, she does go to her dry warm hide and even to the cool hide every now and then
When compared to the others, does she appear any less active? or hides more? The striped male is always hiding in one of the caves (changes caves but is usually hiding) and the albino girl is the most outgoing, she walks around, uses all her hides and even sleeps outside sometimes, so, the normal girl (the one refusing food) is kind of the middle of the other 2
How many times did her urates appear yellow? completely yellow or just a portion? size? The urates appear yellow almost always, a portion, I mean, half her urates are white and half are yellowish, will post a picture later today
You mentioned the previous owner dusted with Repcal, how about a multivitamin supplement? Zoomed´s Reptivite once every 2-3 weeks
How did the temps and humidity he provided compares to yours? Not sure, will ask, he does live in a quite warmer area, one hour away from where I live, he lives right next to the beach, so, I am guessing she had more humidity there.
I'm guessing negative for eggs? Yes, negative for eggs

I am going to take another picure of her, because in theese pics I am seeing that my hands also looks a bit dry, maaaaaaaybe it has something to do with the camera, am going to take another one with a different camera and post it...

My Achetus domesticus order is here now, so, tonight I´ll leave about 5 of them runing loose in her viv.

 

[cricket4u]

as to be expected, tried to get out of the container, after a few minutes she relaxed and just stayed there
Trying to get out is a good sign.

No, have never seen her, I am assuming she drinks, a couple of my leos I have nHave ever seen drinking but I know they do

You can't say that you know they drink without seeing them. Water evaporates from the dishes.;-) Drop water drops on the tip of her mouth.

Has she continued to spend most of her time in the humidity hide? Yes, but not all the time, she does go to her dry warm hide and even to the cool hide every now and then

If your humidity was high enough in the enclosure, she would not be spending much time in it, unless the warm spot is too hot. You have to figure out what she is comfortable with so that she spends enough time digesting. This is why a thermostat is so important, to prevent the spot from overheating.


How many times did her urates appear yellow? completely yellow or just a portion? size? The urates appear yellow almost always, a portion, I mean, half her urates are white and half are yellowish, will post a picture later today

Half is better than complete

You mentioned the previous owner dusted with Repcal, how about a multivitamin supplement? Zoomed´s Reptivite once every 2-3 weeks

May not be enough and the reason her skin looks poor. This is why all details are important, even what exactly was he gutloading with and what insects were fed.

How did the temps and humidity he provided compares to yours? Not sure, will ask, he does live in a quite warmer area, one hour away from where I live, he lives right next to the beach, so, I am guessing she had more humidity there.

Make sure you have an accurate humidity gauge.

I am going to take another picure of her, because in theese pics I am seeing that my hands also looks a bit dry, maaaaaaaybe it has something to do with the camera, am going to take another one with a different camera and post it...


You can hide what's there, but you can't make things appear that aren't there. Hope it makes sense, I'm in a rush at the moment.

 

[Saskia]

FIRST 2 PICTURES: WITH FLASH
LAST 2 PICTURES: WITHOUT FLASH (SAME CAMERA AS PICTURES FROM FIRST POST)
URATES: HALF WHITE HALF YELLOWISH.

Theese pictures were after her soak, do you notice any changes??, I am looking for a thermosthat locally to try starting to complete all my gecko´s vivs, starting for this one, I receintly improved/upgraded all their tank sizes, next step: Thermostats for everybody!

 

[cricket4u]

Definitely work on the humidity and temps. She's not well hydrated and by the color of the feces it appears she was fed something that failed to digest properly.

 

[Saskia]

Well, those feces are recent, I mean, they do not come from food but instead from fat storages, those are the "starvation mode" feces.... last night I left 3 amputated crickets in her tank, with a few pieces of carrot just in case, I just looked and at least 2 of the crickets are still there I saw them right away, I would have to maybe move things around to see if the third is also there, but I am guessing he is there somewhere

How frustrating!!

I am trying to increase humidity, I started misting every day, twice a day, to see if an increase in humidity does the trick!