# Leopard gecko



## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

Hi guys,

I've have a question for you. My leopard gecko spends his day laying beside his heated rock...he began this behaviour (1 week ago) the day after I fed him a pinky(his fav). Is it becuase he's having a hard time to digest it? any suggestions?

Thanks,
Trevor


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## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

Trevor said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I've have a question for you. My leopard gecko spends his day laying beside his heated rock...he began this behaviour (1 week ago) the day after I fed him a pinky(his fav). Is it becuase he's having a hard time to digest it? any suggestions?
> 
> ...


Any suggestions out there? Is there anything I can do? Please help.


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## pamonster (Jun 26, 2003)

Has there been a temp change in his cage? Does he have a heat pad under the tank or just the rock. If the rock is all he has for heat it would seem natural for him to lay by it. Heat not only
provides energy for movement and activity, but provides essential
warmth for digestion. I would also recomend getting a under the tank heating pad instead of the heat rock. I'm not sure of leopard gecko's heat needs, but if he needs a certain day time temp, he needs part of his cage that temp, not just one spot.


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## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

pamonster said:


> Has there been a temp change in his cage? Does he have a heat pad under the tank or just the rock. If the rock is all he has for heat it would seem natural for him to lay by it. Heat not only
> provides energy for movement and activity, but provides essential
> warmth for digestion. I would also recomend getting a under the tank heating pad instead of the heat rock. I'm not sure of leopard gecko's heat needs, but if he needs a certain day time temp, he needs part of his cage that temp, not just one spot.
> [snapback]908958[/snapback]​


No, there hasn't been any change in the temp of his cage. The heat & humidity levels are at the norm. He has his heating light on one side,and his heated rock completly at the other end of his cage.

Thinking about it now, it probably is a digestion problem he has(I even changed his sand to calcium based sand 2 years ago-easier to digest). I think he'll need the heated pad also.

How often is too often to be giving him pinky's?
His weekly diet is 4 dozen crickets, a couple of meal worms, and the odd pinky once & a while.


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## pamonster (Jun 26, 2003)

I realy wish Burf would read this post, thats who I would ask IMO. Mabye try a PM in a day or 2 if he dosent show up. He seems to know his stuff about leopard gecko's. 
I would serously consider getting the under the tank heating pad and move the light to the same side the pad is on, that way he can move to the sides of the tank and have a temp range. With the pad you may not even need the light, i'm not sure though.
As for feeding, mostly I would say it depends on size. If he is big and happily consumes that much without getting obese, I would say thats fine, if he looks thin, feed more. 
I guess it depends on cricket size and if you are gut busting or not too. 4 dozen small crickets with empty stomachs wont provide anywhere near as much sustanance as 4 dozen large well fed crickets.


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## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

pamonster said:


> I realy wish Burf would read this post, thats who I would ask IMO. Mabye try a PM in a day or 2 if he dosent show up. He seems to know his stuff about leopard gecko's.
> I would serously consider getting the under the tank heating pad and move the light to the same side the pad is on, that way he can move to the sides of the tank and have a temp range. With the pad you may not even need the light, i'm not sure though.
> As for feeding, mostly I would say it depends on size. If he is big and happily consumes that much without getting obese, I would say thats fine, if he looks thin, feed more.
> I guess it depends on cricket size and if you are gut busting or not too. 4 dozen small crickets with empty stomachs wont provide anywhere near as much sustanance as 4 dozen large well fed crickets.
> [snapback]909135[/snapback]​


Sorry I didn't see this thread earler, i've been quite busy the past week or so.

Is the gecko still pooing ok? If it is i really wouldn't worry. He's probably found a nice comfy spot he feels safe and comfortable in.

As pamonster said, I would have the heatmat and light on the same side to allow proper thermoregulation. Do you have a thermostat on the light?

I personally wouldnt use heat-rocks as they are prone to to developing hot spots which can burn your pet.

The quantity you are feeding sounds ok, as long as the gecko is a good weight I wouldnt change anything. Are you gutloading and dusting the food?


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## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

Just as an extra thought, what are the hides like in the tank? Does it have a good selection of places at both the warm and cool ends?


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## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

No, his poo is a lot smaller since he's been up against his rock, and less often.

My gecko seems to be in good health (size & weight wise). What do you mean by gutloading and dusting his food?


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## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

Burf said:


> Just as an extra thought, what are the hides like in the tank? Does it have a good selection of places at both the warm and cool ends?
> [snapback]912726[/snapback]​


No he doesn't. He has his heating light on one side, his shelter in the middle, and his heated rock on the other end. Is this an OK set-up?


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## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

I would have three hides in the tank, one at the cool end, one at the warm end and one in the middle. This will allow thermoregulation and the gecko will feel safe at whatever end of the tank he wants to be at. At the moment, if he wants to be in the warm end he would have to be sat out in the open with no shelter. This could lead to the gecko feeling exposed and possibly stressed. Hides can be made quickly and easily by cutting holes in small tupperware tubs if you dont want to spent money on specalist hides.



> Thanks, I saw it.
> But soem questions about gutloading & dusting...what do you mean by that?


Gutloading is feeding the food items well before feeding them to the gecko. This ensures that the food is full of all the necessary vitamins and minerals, which the gecko then digests. You can buy "bug grub" which is a cricket food containing lots of "healthy stuff". If you cant get hold of this, look round the internet and find a recipie. they are simple to make and are simply a cerial with a few other bits and bobs.

Dusting its coating the cricket in calcium powder before feeding. Calcium is essential in reptiles and a deficienty can cause many problems.


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## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

Burf said:


> I would have three hides in the tank, one at the cool end, one at the warm end and one in the middle. This will allow thermoregulation and the gecko will feel safe at whatever end of the tank he wants to be at. At the moment, if he wants to be in the warm end he would have to be sat out in the open with no shelter. This could lead to the gecko feeling exposed and possibly stressed. Hides can be made quickly and easily by cutting holes in small tupperware tubs if you dont want to spent money on specalist hides.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


OK, got it. Yes I used to dust my crickets, but stopped. I started using calcium based sand, so when my gecko strikes at his prey, not only does he get his meal but a mouth full of calcium. When I buy my crickets, I usually throw in a peeled orange (sliced) and faten them up a bit before dumping them to my gecko.

I will definitely put more hides for him, and get rid of his rock. But space is limited, I have him in a 15 Gal (24x12x12).


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## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

Firstly, I would use a different substrate, As I am very against calci-sand. This opens up a huge debate and splits leo keepers down the middle: "Is calci-sand safe?"
I personally find it very hard to believe that the relatively large crystals would completely dissolve problem free.

Firstly, the sand doesnt just get digested, it needs to be dissolved by the acids in the stomach. Because the acids are only found in the stomach, and not anywhere else in the digestive tract, the sand grains are only in contact with the acids for a sort amount of time which leads me to believe that they wont be completely dissolved and will be able to pass into the intestines, possibly causing blockages.

Another problem that I see is that even if the the gains completely dissolve they will drasticly increasr the pH in the stomach. This would have the same short-terms effects as you eating a whole pack of indigestion tablets. There would also be long term efffects which would include the gecko not being able to digest some food components and I expect it would damage the stomach.

Because of these reasons I feel that calci-sand is even more dangerous than a "normal" sand of the same grain size. To prevent these problems I would recomend using ideally repti-carpet or newspaper.

I will be the first person to admit how horrible and unnatural looking those substrates are, and I do not use them. The next best thing is to use a sand with the finest grain you can find. This means that if any gets ingested it should be able to pass through relatively easly. I also think that because the calci-sand contains so much calcium it activly promotes the gecko to eat the substrate rather than just accidently picking a little bit up when feeding. To prevent impaction when using a non calcium based sand I provide a dish of calcium powder which the gecko's lick when they need a top up. I also feed them in an empty water dish, so they cant accidently grab any sand.

As for gut loading and dusting, I would start dusting the food again. I wouldnt use citrus fruits as I've heard reports of the crickets not being able to tollerate the high citric acid concentrations. I'm not how much truth there is in this but I play it safe and dont use them. To gut load my crickets I use a bran/oatmeal mix with a vitamin and mineral powder mixed in. For moisture I use a chunk of potato/carrot/apple or something similar.

Have you got a humid hide?


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## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

No I don't, like I said before the only hidding area is in the middle, and it's pretty much his home.


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## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

> I've been wanting to get another gecko, but fear they might not get along. What are the procedures in adding a gecko to an already existing habitat? I've have my high-yellow for about 5 years now. I don't want a female as I fear they might couple, and I don't know how to handle that. I imagine that requires a lot of care.


If your existing gecko is a male your only choice would be to get a female. There is no chance that two adult males would get along, they would constantly be fighting untill one or both get so stressed they stop eating and well, you can guess the rest.

You shouldnt have any problems in introducing a female, they might squabble a little but no harm will be caused and they will settle down very quickly. When I introduced my female to my male, i only had problems for the firsr couple of hours. This was because the male was really wanted to mate with the female and she wasn't having any of it! Once he realised he couldnt get his own way all the time they settled down.

If you do get a pair and they mate, it doesnt have to requre any extra care. Just make he female is well fed and recieves plenty of calcium while she is developing the eggs. If you dont want to hatch babies, just put the eggs in the freezer foran hour or so to make sure they are dead, then just throw them out. If you do want to raise babies it would mean a bit of extra work, but thats only if you want to do it.

Basically, you shouldnt encounter any problems if you want to introduce a female but you definately can not introduce another male.


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## Burf (Nov 3, 2003)

As for the humid hide...

When/if you get more hides in the tank, place some damp moss or paper towel in the bottom of the hide on the warm end. This will create a humid area for the gecko to go to when shedding. The humidity makes it a lot easier for it to shed its skin and reduces the risk of any gettin stuck on the toes or the tip of the tail

**edit** make sure the humid hide had a waterproof floor, or the water will just soak into the substrate!! 
Also, make sure you replace the moss/paper towel fairly regulary as this is a potentail breeding site for bacteria and fungus.


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## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

Burf said:


> As for the humid hide...
> 
> When/if you get more hides in the tank, place some damp moss or paper towel in the bottom of the hide on the warm end. This will create a humid area for the gecko to go to when shedding. The humidity makes it a lot easier for it to shed its skin and reduces the risk of any gettin stuck on the toes or the tip of the tail
> [snapback]912864[/snapback]​


Yeah, I've had to help him in the past by rubbing him with a moist towel while shedding because the tips of his fingers/toes were not coming off.


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## pamonster (Jun 26, 2003)

I knew Burf would save the day


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## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

pamonster said:


> I knew Burf would save the day
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the help pamonster & Burf!!








You guys are great!


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