My female Leo not eating well

[Oreosmommy]

So I've had both my girl geckos living together since they were both approx 2-3 months old. Have never fought, always ate well with each other since then. I believe they're about 4-5 months old now and Oreos (Mack snoow) has gotten a lot bigger than oranges (shtctb) physically. Oranges has always been a better eater than her and yet she still remains a really small size. Today I put in ten meal worms for both of them in their little bowl and Oreos ate her part but oranges did not.
Then I found oranges was close to shedding tonight so I did not put much mind to it.
What scared me though was a week ago I was feeding oranges by herself instead of with Oreo and when I picked her up (thinking she was done) she puked all the meal worms she had just put in her mouth.

Since then I've been worried about her health and was wondering on what I should do. They have three hides in their enclosure in total. It's a 20 gallon tank. One on top of the heat mat is a large cave like hide and the one in the middle is a 3 story hide that lets you see what they're doing. The other one is just a handmade hide I did for the cool side.

Should I try with small crickets and feed her by herself?
What about grub pie?
Should I take her to the vet close by?


Please no negative comments.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I'd house these leos separately. Bullying can be quite subtle. Ideally they should be growing at similar rates.

Both warm hides, including the warm moist hide, should sit right on top of the heat mat.

Are you sure they both are female?

Sexing Leopard Geckos Leopard geckos become sexable at about 6 months old. Males can be distinguished from females by a distinct v-shaped row of pores and by bulges right under the vent.

• Click: Sexing Leopard Geckos

 

[Oreosmommy]

Hello,
Yes they are both females. The only male I have is in a seperate tank since he is 2 years old.
They've never had an issue with each other , but I will seperate them right away.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Once they are in separate enclosures, you should see a difference.

How about keeping this thread updated with their progress?

 

[Oreosmommy]

Once they are in separate enclosures, you should see a difference.

How about keeping this thread updated with their progress?

I will definitely do that!
She is shedding at the moment , but I did start seeing a v shap a lot deeper than Oreos.
So I'm going to put her in there until I see a difference. Then I'll do a weekend trial of putting them back together to see how they do. I do still believe she is a girl though. There is not bulge whatsoever

 

[Oreosmommy]

I put her in a seperate tank
This is her update for now
Put oranges in a ten gallon tank I had as an extra
Put heating pad underneath with water , mealworms , extra plastic plant
One hide and it's on the mat
She's just exploring the tank and looking into the other usual one (maybe wondering why she's not in there ? Idk)
Is a lot more active than usual

 

[Oreosmommy]

this is Oreo : she's a lot fatter and bigger , her skin is tougher than Oreos and she is heavier.

this is oranges currently , skin is still relatively soft , lighter but I'm noticing a v line in vent area

 

[Oreosmommy]

UPDATE:
She still has not eaten a thing
She shed well
Her skin is still very soft after shed
She has been going to the moist hide more often
Should I try force feeding later on this week?
if so, can i try with grub pie?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I will definitely do that!
She is shedding at the moment , but I did start seeing a v shap a lot deeper than Oreos.
So I'm going to put her in there until I see a difference. Then I'll do a weekend trial of putting them back together to see how they do. I do still believe she is a girl though. There is not bulge whatsoever

Keep Oranges (the pale yellow leo) alone for now. "She" is very stocky, not fat. Males usually have more of a stocky look, but the pores and bulges tell the real story. Be sure to always keep fresh water available as well as a warm moist hide and other hide options. If she is a male, you should not risk getting a female gravid too soon.

How old are these geckos? Earlier you mention 4-5 months. It's hard to tell from your photos, but the pale yellowish leo definitely looks much older!

From your photos and description, Oreo looks smaller. Have I mixed up something?

I put her in a seperate tank
This is her update for now
Put oranges in a ten gallon tank I had as an extra
Put heating pad underneath with water , mealworms , extra plastic plant
One hide and it's on the mat
She's just exploring the tank and looking into the other usual one (maybe wondering why she's not in there ? Idk)
Is a lot more active than usual

Leos in new/different enclosures will most always explore a lot at first, before they settle down.

She should really have 3 hides too. It's hard to provide everything within a 10 gallon.

UPDATE:
She still has not eaten a thing
She shed well
Her skin is still very soft after shed
She has been going to the moist hide more often
Should I try force feeding later on this week?
if so, can i try with grub pie?

How about better pictures and a bigger second home? It is difficult to see especially the leo in the darker photo (Oreo?). Big box stores have $1-per-gallon sales frequently.

From the pics you posted, Oranges seems well fed and does not need force feeding right now.

 

[Oreosmommy]

so these are pictures of oranges after shed and in the morning.
She remains in her moist hide
I tried feeding her and still she keeps throwing up her food so I called a vet and scheduled an appointment for saturday.
Oranges is still by herself for now. I am willing to get a bigger tank for her as soon as I get my next pay check .
Oreo seems to be a little stressed , maybe it's because her roommate isn't in there with her.
I'm checking up on all my Leo's because my male is eating but not pooping and I cleaned Oreos and oranges hide and Oreos has not gone to the bathroom yet.
Overall , oranges tummy area hangs a little more than usual. I made sure there was no loose substrate at the time to make sure impaction isn't something she's dealing with.
Should I try buy crickets , mealworms or repashy grub pie?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

How about getting crickets and mealworms for them, NOT Repashy's Grub Pie?

Have you verified your ground temps with the probe of a digital thermometer? What are the current temps underneath the warm dry hide?

Temperatures that are too cool might cause a leo to vomit undigested mealworms.

Here's a temperature guide for all leopard geckos as measured by the probe of a digital thermometer

• 88-92 F (31.1-33.3 C) ground temperature right underneath a leo's warm dry hide
• no greater than 82ish F (27.8ish C) air temperature - 4 inches above ground on the warm end
• no greater than 75 F (23.9 C) air temperature - 4 inches above ground on the cool end

Leave the UTH on 24/7. Turn off overhead lighting/heating at night (~12 hours on and ~12 hours off) unless ambient room temperatures drop lower than 67ish*F (19.4*C) during the night.

 

[Oreosmommy]

The temps in the warm side is 85.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

The temps in the warm side is 85.

Air or ground/floor temperature? What type thermometer?

If that's a ground temp under the warm dry hide, 85 is too cool.

That temp should range between 88-92*F.

 

[Zux]

Its great news you have separated them and have scheduled a vet visit also.

Geckos may initially become stressed by the change of no longer having a cage-mate, but before long they will be far more comfortable and content.

It is much better for each Leopard Gecko to have their own 'territory' and be free of having to manage relationships with others because as we have learned in recent years this is always based around complex yet subtle dominance. For that reason if you can provide each Gecko with their own home, you absolutely should, as it is the single best change you could make to improve each of their lives.

Regarding feeders to try, my recommendation in this case would be, without doubt, Hornworms & Silkworms, you may have seen Rebecca's (Leopard Gecko Talk) video on you-tube regarding Grub Pie but I have found this working out long term to be the exception rather than the rule.

Leopard Geckos seem to universally find Hornworms and Silkworms irresistible however and these soft caterpillars often encourage reluctant feeders to regain some if not all of their lost appetite, they are easily sourced online and highly nutritious to boot, particularly so in the case of Silkworms.


Hope that helped.

 

[Oreosmommy]

UPDATE:
Oranges is in fact a boy!
He ate live crickets 2 days ago. And continues to eat them! He's just very sluggish and doesn't want to put a lot of effort into it sometimes.
Vet was not needed. No impaction and had regular Leo behavior.
Him and his ex mate are now living in separated 10 Gallon tanks!
And the 20 gallon goes to my older leo( was gonna get him a bigger tank the same day this happened but decided to just switch them).
All my Leo's are doing a lot better !
I'm still in shock oranges is a boy.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

UPDATE:
Oranges is in fact a boy!
He ate live crickets 2 days ago. And continues to eat them! He's just very sluggish and doesn't want to put a lot of effort into it sometimes.
Vet was not needed. No impaction and had regular Leo behavior.
Him and his ex mate are now living in separated 10 Gallon tanks!
And the 20 gallon goes to my older leo( was gonna get him a bigger tank the same day this happened but decided to just switch them).
All my Leo's are doing a lot better !
I'm still in shock oranges is a boy.

Hey ~

I'm glad we figured out Oranges' sex! Sometimes pictures tell more than we think. :biggrin:

Thanks for separating them.