Leopard gecko acting strange

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xNUCLEARxBACONx

New member
I'm new to gecko unlimited and I don't know if this was the right place to post this, but my female Leo has been acting strange. She just went through a shed and ever since she has been climbing to the top of the cage on a foilage decoration (I just removed it) and is sleeping in her hot hide and sometimes walking out in the open under the bright light. She is a albino so she can barely see because of the light in the day. But she ALWAYS slept in her cool hide and never came out, but now shes doing all this stuff Im not used to seeing. I could just be over thinking and Im always anal to new changes. She is my first gecko and I just want her to be happy and not stress, but I just wanted to make sure, is stuff like this normal when they just feel like doing whatever or is something behind all this? Thanks to whoever reads and responds, Sincerely , Scott. :D
 
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PoppyDear

New member
Hey!

The behavior doesn't sound to abnormal! My Leos occasionally do weird things too! :D

Firstly, did any temperatures change or any aspect of her husbandry in general? Also, when you say bright light, does she have light in her enclosure or is it just natural light? I would say to move her away from such bright lights whether it is in her enclosure or by a window. She needs some light but not super bright as she is an albino!

As long as she has good temperatures from an UTH on both cold and warm sides she is probably just being a normal Leo! Maybe your husbandry changed a little and she is just reacting to that!
 
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K

Keeboard

New member
Not sure why she's acting strange, but it sounds like you use a light. You don't need a light unless the tank doesn't get sufficient light from a window. Albinos are particularly sensitive to bright light.
 
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xNUCLEARxBACONx

New member
Temperature has not changed, it's been the same since day 1. I have a heat light above the cage on her hot side to keep the one side hot and to let her know its daytime. I mean, i just got back into feeding her mealworms and crickets after just doing crickets for a long time. She also loves being on the heat pad more often now, especially during the day. I'm just sorta confused because she's never done all that stuff and it's like why now! Also I need another UTH for her cool side? I thought I just needed it for her hot side.
 
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PoppyDear

New member
Sorry, that was a typo, I meant, "As long as she has good temperatures from a UTH on the warm side, and good temperatures on the cool side..."

It sounded a bit weird, sorry for that! She does not need an UTH on the cool side. Though the light is probably stressing her out since her eyes will be more sensitive as an albino. Can you move her somewhere where she will have access to natural light? And does the ambient room temperature drop below 68*F? If not you probably don't need the light, the heat mat will suffice.

If she access to natural light and room temperatures do drop below 68*F consider a Ceramic Heat Emiter to produce heat but not light.

Good luck!
 
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xNUCLEARxBACONx

New member
Well my room is a bit dark due to darker colored walls, and her cage his facing away from the window, so that's why I got a light. It never really bothered her. But since the last shed which was like 2 days ago, she's been acting funny. So what should I do? Still new to this gecko stuff :)
 
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PoppyDear

New member
Mmm, I see!

As long as you turn it off at night and it isn't too bright she should be alright. As for the odd behavior, just moniter her health and if it is good to go, she should be good to go! Geckos change habits just like people do.

For example my gecko always slept in this one cool hide whenever she wanted to cool down from the warm side. Then she stopped using it and used a different one while the husbandry never changed.

I am not sure anything can be done, it might be normal behavior and she just wants to explore! She could be a little bored, try switching up her hides and she how she does. Other than that, keep a close eye on her and if everything else is well, I am sure she is too!
 
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xNUCLEARxBACONx

New member
Ok and one thing I just noticed is her stomach appears to be a bit bigger. I looked it up and there are multiple reasons for which I cant seem to come to one answer. This could explain the stress , and unusual behavior with the heat mat. I have pictures, but I don't know how to post them on here, such a noob I am. They arent the best quality if I do figure out how to post them.
 
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PoppyDear

New member
Hello again,

•Is she still eating and do her poops look normal?
•When was her last poop?
•What are her UTH ground temperatures?
•Is she housed on ecoearth?

The main things I would be worried about it impaction, parasites or just simple indigestion. But her stomach doesn't look that plump so don't be too worried. If she is having normal poop and eating normally, I would say nothing is wrong.

She could have moved over to the warm side because she is having trouble digesting or is impacted. Do you see any big blue patches on the lower part of her stomach? She can get impacted if she eats any substrate (I can't tell if your substrate is loose) or even insects. But I can't tell you anything for certain until I know temperatures, etc.

Thank you~ She is a pretty Leo by the way.
 
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xNUCLEARxBACONx

New member
She was supposed to eat last night but I fell asleep early, but I will tonight and keep an eye on her. If it is indigestion, I'll give her a small cricket and wait. I do not remember her last poop but most likely last night or the day before. They look normal. Her UTH regulates from 90-95 F. She is on eco earth and it is loose. I wouldnt think it's impaction because most people say eco earth is the best for not getting a impaction but I guess there's always that chance. Thank you, she is quite pretty. I saw her and said that's the one. She is quite small for 1 year old however. I'm so sorry for all of this nonsense. Thank you for your time!
 
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PoppyDear

New member
No problem! Your temperatures are good, though a tad bit hot, maybe lower it to 90-93*F. I don't see any abnormalities in her belly and if she is pooping (Healthy poops!) and eating there isn't much to worry about. Keep an eye on her next poop. Red flags are loss of appetite accompanied by unhealthy poops which could indicate parasites which are one cause of big bellies. If you don't see those things, try not to worry!

Also, Eco Earth doesn't normally cause impaction. But it still could, insects can as well. You can always give her a little bath and masage, it won't hurt her if she isn't impacted, it can even hydrate her!

You are doing great! I like hearing about other people's Leos! :D
 
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xNUCLEARxBACONx

New member
Also, I read the meal worms can cause a blockage due to their high chitin. So I'm going to stop those immediately and replace them with silk worms which are soft and as a treat to fatten her up. I'll only feed her crickets from now on.
 
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PoppyDear

New member
Mealworms can cause a blockage but they usually won't! You don't have to stop feeding them all together! In fact only feeding crickets is unhealthy. What you should do, depending on how many times you feed a week, is to feed your staple diet (Crickets) 2 times a week and 1 time a week feed mealworms. That usually won't cause impaction if your temperatures are correct. Then you can suppliment the diet with variety such as hornworms, super worms or silk worms.

As I mentioned, keep an eye on her next poop. If it is healthy and she continues to eat, she is probably fine. Can you pick her up? If not I would reccomend some taming techniques. Even then you could stear her into a container and then prepare a sauna and carefully slide her in.

Good luck!
 
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xNUCLEARxBACONx

New member
I can pick her up but once she's on me, she won't stop moving around. I have tried so many techniques to try and tame. Although last night I held my hand out and she did climb on it to be picked up rather than me trying to pick her up. Most of the day she is awake in her hide, but now she is sleeping. So its good to see that she is resting from whatever is going on. She actually stayed in her cool hide rather than walking around in the light. She's eats every other day and I feed her 4-5 crickets and when I did meal worms recently, I fed her 5. Also I'm planning on starting silk worms as a treat every 2-3 weeks. I will keep your feeding routine in mind! But I Definitely will keep an eye out. Thank you for all your help! Oh and I did turn the light down a bit this morning.
 
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