Afraid of new texture?

[JTB]

A few months ago (June) I changed my leopard gecko's traditional vivarium out with an Exo terra terrarium. I started off with one of their 'sand mats', which looked nice but was highly impractical. I also got her a new hide, called the 'small gecko cave' that she most definitely took a liking to.

In fact she liked it that much that she was only using that hide and not using any of the others, which worried me because it is full of moss and on the cool end - cold and wet, only really there for helping shedding etc, not digestion.

I thought that this might be because the sand mat is bumpy so the other hides without bases are uneven to the ground surface, which means light was getting in under them. So, I decided to change substrate to a top soil, limestone grit and sand mixture to combat this with the intention of making it bioactive in the future.

The substrate has been in a while now, but my gecko (Cleo) has now took such a liking to the hide that she refuses to stay in any of the others, even if I physically move her! I think the cold is not doing her any good because whilst she still defecates she has gone off of her food.

This morning I tried moving the base and miss away from the hide and she is currently going around in circles inside the hide. It seems to me like she doesn't like the new textures of the substrates - in the past she only had linoleum. I don't know how to get her used to it and I don't want to see her going hungry. I have tried taking her favourite hide out but she, no word of a lie, just goes to where it belongs and paces until I put it back!

I am pretty sure it is the texture she dislikes but it could be that I have a light on the enclosure also that she does not like - the old viv was pretty dark most of the day, part of the reason I discarded it. Whatever it is, I am pretty worried about her because I can tell there is something she isn't happy about but I don't know quite what. I will keep a close eye on her weight, but apart from that I need some help!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Please relocate your leo's moist hide to the warm end right on top of the UTH. A leo uses the humid hide to stay hydrated and to help with shedding. The warmth from the UTH increases the humidity in that hide.

A cold and wet leo is susceptible to upper respiratory infections like pneumonia.

 

[JTB]

Okay, thanks That sounds like a quick fix so I will give it a go and let you know how I get on! Hopefully well, we shall see.

 

[JTB]

Just made the change and she is now sat in the hot end in her favourite hide. I noticed when giving it a clean out (took the opportunity to refresh the moss) that it has two small holes in the bottom, meaning it shouldn't block the heat from the heat may below completely. It is also my understanding that resin hides store heat quite well, so after a while in the hot end do you think it will warm up enough to be an adequate hot hide?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Just made the change and she is now sat in the hot end in her favourite hide. I noticed when giving it a clean out (took the opportunity to refresh the moss) that it has two small holes in the bottom, meaning it shouldn't block the heat from the heat may below completely. It is also my understanding that resin hides store heat quite well, so after a while in the hot end do you think it will warm up enough to be an adequate hot hide?

All leos require 3 hides: warm dry, warm humid, and cool dry. They all serve separate purposes.

Time will tell if the temps are good enough. Don't guess at temperatures. They're the bottom line for good husbandry.

Use a digital thermometer with a probe or a temp gun to measure ground temps inside the warm moist and warm dry hides. Temps should range from 88-92 F (31.1-33.3 C). The warm moist hide should also sit on top of your heat mat.

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.

 

[JTB]

I do know about temperatures - I have been owning my leopard gecko for three and a half years now! Time does fly...

The warm end temp is about 28C over night and 29.5-30 through the day because the UVB bulb produces an amount of heat.

I was more saying would the warm-moist hide be able to warm up to the required level with it having a base and all.

Previously I had warm dry, warm moist, cool dry and cool moist but the current configuration is warm moist X2 and cool dry X2. Not ideal, but I will have a shuffle soon - not right now because I don't like making lots of changes at once, I find it is much less stressful for the animal to have small changes over a period of time.

I will take out the second moist hide (to be honest I don't really like that one, it's one of the zoo med 3 in 1 caves and looks bad compared to the other ones that are all Exo Terra). I'll probably replace it with a coconut half or something.

The main test is whether she is going to eat. She has always been fussy, especially with the fact that she seems partially sighted and having a slightly misaligned jaw, it is always a rather difficult task but when she wants food she wants it!

Will keep you posted, thanks a ton for your help!