# leopard gecko



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

i have recently purchased a 5 month old male tangerine about a 5 days ago...i have a few concerns..the day i got him he pooped. and teh day after he came out and ate 6 small mealworms and went back into his hide..i replenished his supply of worms soon after , and have changed them every day since but he hasnt touched them. and he hasnt pooped since either...ive tried adding crickets one at a time but it seems he wont go after them either...and im afraid they are going into his cave(afraid they may bite at him) but i left two in there over night in hopes that he would eat(im not sure if he did , he hasnt been out of his hide yet today)..Btw i had a day buld which produced a high of 85ish on the hot endand went to low 70's at night..but i switched to a infrared 24hour bulb in case it got too cold..ive got him on reptile fir bark chips with a bit of eco-earth mixed with bark in his hide...what could be wrong with my little dude..he was really expensive and is such a nice gecko.
please help.
Eden


----------



## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

Hi Eden,

Send a PM to Burf







, he'll be able to assist you with your questions...he helped me a bunch!


----------



## pamonster (Jun 26, 2003)

Trevor said:


> Hi Eden,
> 
> Send a PM to Burf
> 
> ...










yes, Burf = leopard gecko god


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

pamonster said:


> Trevor said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Eden,
> ...












Any update since you posted this Eden?

I wouldn't be too worried at the moment, as you have only recently got the gecko it is most likely that it is a bit stressed and is still settling in to his new environment.

Just keep offering it the food, and he should eat something soon. Leo's eat a shitload when the want to, but often go for fairly long periods of time without wanting to eat anything.


----------



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

Hey dudes....as far as an update goes..he came out on sunday and pooped in the corner for the second time, then went over and ate one of four wax worms. this made me happy but he hasnt eaten another worm since then, and they are always there for the taking. i really want to start feeding crickets, but he doesnt seem to even attempt going for them, and i am afraid to keep trying because they all just seem to end up in his hide with him or under a dish. I have him on reptile fir bark chips which is what he was previosly on in the store, and was recommended by the owner, who seems to know his stuff and has been breeding them for twelve years..but it almost seems to be irritating his feet somewhat ( he is shaky-footed when he walks) im wondering if this is how all leo's walk, or is it the substrate?..... ive got a hide on each end of the terrarium, on the hot end is a smaller humid hide with "flukers green moss" in it, and on the other end a dry hide which is bigger, i added the humid hide 3 days ago he hasnt gone near it, he just goes back in the dry hide...at first i had only the bigger hide situated in the middle, but i thought that maybe he was stressed due to having to come out of his hide to achieve the proper heat, so i picked up the second hide and put one at each end so he would choose. should i put the moss in both hides? (it seems like it would be more comfortable to lay on, and he hasnt even been to his humid hide yet and im wondering if it could be because of the moss or the heat) temperature is about 87ish on the hot end and ive seen him chillin under the heat lamp but not in the humid hide.Btw its an infrared bulb that stays on 24/7.

All in all, my biggest concern is getting him back on crickets, which seems like it may be difficult due to all of the places a cricket can and will hide..and i dont want to leave them in there in fear they may nibble on the gecko. ive attempted to put one in there while he was out of his hide, but he will just go back in the hide as soon as i step back from the terrarium, and he wont move if i stay there. my biggest regret is getting the bark chips...it looks nice, but it seems to be camoflauging the crickets a little too well!! he is about 7" long and about 5 months old..so im thinking sand would be ok, but im worried that changing the substrate at this time would be too stressfull. should i just keep offering wax-worms? or start trying with the crickets right away?
BTW thanks a bunch!!

Eden


----------



## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

Hi Eden,

Personally I would stop with the worms for a week (don't feed him anything), and then try with the crickets. Don't worry, I doubt the crickets will hurt your gecko.

Have you tried pinkies? Try those after you try the crickets.

Trev


----------



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

The main reason im gettin him on the waxies is because it seems his tail could be a bit fatter...im not OVERLY concerned, but its a bit on the skinny side..and the dude at the store said it was a wise decision. but i know these arent too benificial other that to fatten em up, which is why im going to try to get him taking the crickets.

keep me posted with ideas!!

Eden


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

I would probably change the substrate, for many of the reasons that you mentioned yourself! It would be camoflageing the crickets and if he is shaking his feet, its a sure sign that he doesnt like it! I would try using a really fine grade sand.

As for the wax worms, I would only offer him one per week as they are very fatty and "addictive" It has been know for leo's who are frequently fed waxies to become stop eating anything else other than the worms. This can cause problems as they contain very little nutrients. Once a week should still be ok to fatten him up a bit.

The gecko should be ok just eating mealworms, but if you really want it to eat crickets you could try holding them in tweezers in from of him. This way you keep the cricket in the leos line of sight long enough for it to grab it.

It sounds like you are doing things right with the hides, he'll use the humid one when he wants to


----------



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

I may try the sand soon, but wouldnt it be quite stressful to suddenly change the turf..he still seems quite timid and shy, and will stay very still if im near..and will go back into the hide when i leave..would changing the substrate just repeat the decrease in appetite?..









Eden


----------



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

I tried the tweezer idea...it just kinda scared him..but i dropped the cricket and it ran under the gecko!..the gecko let the cricket crawl back out then he ate him!!







..but then i ran out of crickets till later tonight...should i try putting a bunch in so he can get em..then take out the exess?
Eden


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

you could try putting in about 3 or 4 and leaving them for an hour or so. I wouldnt leave them in for too long or they could nibble at the gecko. Its unlikely that it would happen but its a risk i dont like taking. They could also piss off the gecko by crawling on him.

When a gecko is being fussy I sometimes remove the back legs from the cricket. This slows them down and makes them easer to catch.


----------



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

ok im getting really frustrated..are the gecko's eyes supposed to be half shut when he goes into the red-light??....he goes to the hot end BEHIND the hide with the moss and sits there with his eyes closed or half closed...i tried adding the crickets and he just let them crawl under him and nip him a couple times...he hasnt eaten one..ive tried twice..im getting worried.his total of food in the past week and a half was 6 small mealworms a wax worm and one cricket..that cant possibly be enough..why wont he take the damn crickets?..they are half inch crickets.
Btw thanks for all the help.
Eden


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

Dont worry!!!

Leo's can go for a couple of weeks without eating anything, he'll eat when he want to.

The closed/half closed eyes just means he's sleeping!!


----------



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

he seems really weak....and i dont think the eyes half shut means hes sleeping, they are like that even when he walks. its day 12 now and hes still refusing all food items and seems to be getting weaker as the days pass. what are some signs of sickness??
Eden


----------



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

also ..his tail is quite thin if this helps.


----------



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

im seriously considering changing to paper towels for now seeing as how he isnt doin to well in finding his prey..do you think this may add to stress as it is a dramatic change from bark chips?
thank you so much
Eden


----------



## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

You could change to paper towels if you want,it wouldnt do any harm.

All you can do at the moment is keep offering him food and water.


----------



## Eden (Jan 13, 2005)

Very true. thanks alot burf! I'll keep ya updated 
Eden


----------

