Desperately need Leachianus advice

[chosen2030]

I have an unsexed baby leachie that I've had for about 6 months now, and its not doing well - looking very skinny. Practically since the day I bought it, it has not eaten well for me. It has basically all but refused repashy crested gecko diet (2 different formulas), repashy day gecko diet, crickets, wax worms, pinkies and real fruit (bananas and mangoes), though at first it would eat real fruit and took one mouse pinkie.

I keep it in an exo-terra 12x12x12 enclosure and mist daily if not more to keep humidity up, the temps I keep between 72-80 degrees, and I have cork bark and hanging vines for it to hide among. Also, to make it feel safer, I have covered all 4 sides of the enclosure with dark construction paper so it lets in very little light. Also, to avoid impaction, I keep it on paper towel substrate.

The only thing I can think of that I may be doing wrong is that the enclosure doesn't hold humidity at a constant level for very long (so maybe a plastic tub would be better) and it's located in kind of a high traffic area so maybe noise could be making it stressed?

 

[Aimless]

High traffic is bad. Can you post a pic of both the gecko and the setup?

 

[chosen2030]

High traffic is bad. Can you post a pic of both the gecko and the setup?

I can definitely try, but would that run the risk of stressing the gecko even further? Just as a side note, I have owned crested, gargoyle and Halmahera geckos in the past and all have done very well under my care.

 

[Aimless]

I think your leachie looks OK? But he should be growing for sure. The one important difference between keeping leachies and the others is that babies like to be really crammed in. Your setup looks perfect for young geckos but I'd bet he still feels exposed, especially if his cage is in a busy place. This is true til 20ish grams, depending on the gecko. I'd move him to a big CK that is full to the gills of cover and tuck it somewhere a littler quieter.

 

[chosen2030]

I'd move him to a big CK that is full to the gills of cover and tuck it somewhere a littler quieter.

CK?

Honestly, it's a good picture. The biggest thing I've noticed that isn't visible in the picture all that much is it's tail. It's almost boney looking thin.

 

[Koghis]

He means a Critter Keeper. I'd say the same, put him in a smaller tub, even if it feels weird. Then try to avoid the traffic in front of the cage or place it elsewhere. Many eat bad when small, but they get through it

 

[Aimless]

yeah, critter keeper, sorry!

it's hard to tell from that photo. I don't see protruding hips, shoulders, jaw bones...also, he doesn't really look dehydrated, which you would expect if he was really underweight.

however...one pic from one angle is not definitive; I may be wrong.

(and...it's "she", lol. my name is Aimee.)

 

[chosen2030]

He means a Critter Keeper. I'd say the same, put him in a smaller tub, even if it feels weird. Then try to avoid the traffic in front of the cage or place it elsewhere. Many eat bad when small, but they get through it

Don't mean to be a nitpicky, but when you say smaller can you be more specific about dimensions? Critter keepers come in many sizes. I'd say it's about 5-7 inches long nose to tail.

 

[Aimless]

what does he weigh?

I'd use an XL CK, like this one. and cram it full. when my leachie was small she lived in one of these. I crammed fake vines in, then added a slanted corkbark piece, then crammed the rest of the space full of more vines.

 

[chosen2030]

what does he weigh?

I'd use an XL CK, like this one. and cram it full. when my leachie was small she lived in one of these. I crammed fake vines in, then added a slanted corkbark piece, then crammed the rest of the space full of more vines.

Thanks for all the suggestions Aimee. I don't have a scale so I'm not sure what it weighs. Would it be better if the sides were more opaque and the top wasn't vented so much? I found a storage box that has the same dimensions, but would probably hold humidity better. Will this work? Sterilite - 1876: Large Nesting ShowOffs™

I was also wondering if it needs to be tall, because if not, here's one that has he same dimensions, only shorter: http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=644&view=0&picture=1&tab=Specifications&ProductCategory=254&section=1

Of course I would drill some breathing holes first!

By the way, I did the math, and the XL critter cage is actually a tiny bit bigger than a small exo-terra.

 

[badgsx]

Seeing how you can get a small Sterilite or Rubbermaid tub for 5 bucks why not put him in one and see how he does.

 

[chosen2030]

Seeing how you can get a small Sterilite or Rubbermaid tub for 5 bucks why not put him in one and see how he does.

I am, just wanted to make sure I was getting the right size.