My new Gecko won't eat

[Myleosunshine]

I bought a leopard gecko on Saturday March 30, 2013 she was from lllreptile and the man selling her didn't give me any info accept she is about wo years old I did a TON of research before I even thought about buying her and I don't know whats up. Could I have handled her too much or something? Is she stressed? She doesn't seem skinny her tail is fairly plump but it's already Thursday and she hasn't touched her meal worms at ALL!

All she does is sit in her cool hide all day and goes to the warm hide in the morning. Here's her Setup details, Temps are 83 on hot end and 70ish on cool end there are three hides one warm one cool with built in water dish and a humid plastic container, she is on repti carpet (will switch to tile soon). Is there a way to stimulate her to eat at home because I can't afford the supplements. I don't want to force feed her either. OPEN to any suggestions just help me please!

 

[OhioGecko]

Before you post in the Health Section about your sick leo, please copy and paste this questionnaire into your thread filled in. :main_thumbsup:

If you could please take a moment to fill out this small questionnaire, it'll help us better understand the history of your leo without being there to see him/her. This will help our members be able to help you in a much easier way.
**Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your Leopard Gecko's health.**

About your leo:
- Sex
- Age & Weight
- How long have you owned your leo
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend)

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal)
- When was the last time he/she went
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size
- Type (ex. glass tank)
- Type of substrate
- Hides, how many, what kind
B) Heating
- Heat source
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)
- Method of regulating heat source
- What are you using to measure your temps
- Do you have any lights (describe)
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)
- Describe health, or previous problems

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much)
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect)
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)
- What are you gut loading food with

 

[katie_]

I agree, fill out that form ^

I never handle new geckos until they start eating regularily, shes probably just stressed.
They can also go weeks without eating so dont panic.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Fill out the form as Thad asked it will help folks give better advice.

At a glance it looks like your temperatures are too cool. Leopard geckos need a warm spot about 90 degrees for proper digestion - this may be why she is not eating. Also, a week is not a terribly long time for a healthy adult leopard gecko to go wtihout eating. Especially after the stress of a move. I would pick up a cheap gram scale and monitor her weight to set your mind at east.

I'm not sure what you mean by supplements in your post, but geckos need calcium and vitamin supplements. Without them they will eventually start to have health problems.

 

[Myleosunshine]

I ended up picking her up and put 3 meal worms in front of her she ate them but the next time i put my hand in the tank she squeaked like eeeep! she seems so scared of me? Will she ever like me now? I feel so terrible I shouldn't of touched her. What can I do now?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Baby geckos are instinctively scared of everything. Most things bigger than them want to eat them so its in their best interest to be extremely skittish until they're bigger. Once she gets bigger she'll calm down. Until then I would keep handling to a minimum.

 

[Myleosunshine]

How old do you mean? Mine is about 2 years old (according to the man selling her). The Gecko in my photo is her.

 

[SC Geckos]

I would strongly recommend filling out the sticky that Thad provided above ^^. This will ensure that everything is correct in your care of this animal from the start.

 

[Myleosunshine]

About your leo:
- Sex-female
- Age & Weight-not sure
- How long have you owned your leo-6 days
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend)-lllreptile pet supply

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo-frequently
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.-she hasn't eaten and she squeaked at me
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.-well, last night she shed but forgot some on her toes so I had to help her
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal)-NA
- When was the last time he/she went-NA
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going onshe wouldn't eat for almost a week.

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size-20gal long
- Type (ex. glass tank)-glass tank
- Type of substrate-repticarpet
- Hides, how many, what kind-flukers castle crib, +++++ log hide and moist hide
B) Heating
- Heat source-UTH (bottom mounted) and zilla mini dome white light
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)-day:90-75 night:80-75
- Method of regulating heat source-none
- What are you using to measure your temps-zoo med thermometor with probe
- Do you have any lights (describe)-zilla mini dome
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)-just one female
- Describe health, or previous problems-none that I know of

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much)-2mealworms a day
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect)tryed both she ate them hand fed
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)-rep cal calcium no d3 let in all times and dusted on feedersand reptivite two days a week
- What are you gut loading food with- veggies and oats

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Okay, we need to be clear about this.

Temps are 83 on hot end and 70ish on cool end

- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)-day:90-75

Which is it? That's a huge disparity and one is too low. If temps are too low, then the gecko won't be very interested in eating. Huge fluctuations like that aren't necessarily a good idea either.

You did, however, say she just shed, which might be why she hasn't wanted to eat (and has been grumpy).

~Maggot

 

[katie_]

You need to stop handling her until she starts eating on a regular basis.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

+1 to what others have said. Limit handling until she starts eating regularly and make sure she has a 90 degree warm spot 24/7. She looks healthy so my guess would be that you're probably dealing with a chilly leo that's super stressed out from a big move.

 

[Myleosunshine]

okay well what can I do to raise the temps. I have a heat mat and a lamp but neither does the job as good as they should. what if I got a thermostat any suggestions on Types?

 

[katie_]

A thermostat cannot make the mat any hotter, it can only regulate temp. Id recommend you get one anyways, and upgrade the wattage of your mat (buy a bigger one)

 

[Embrace Calamity]

okay well what can I do to raise the temps. I have a heat mat and a lamp but neither does the job as good as they should. what if I got a thermostat any suggestions on Types?

I've always seen this thermostat recommended (and use it myself): Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden But Katie's right. You'll need to increase wattage if what you have isn't working.

~Maggot

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Where are you putting the probe from your thermometer? Are you measuring air temperature or ground temperature? The gecko just needs a spot directly on the heat mat that is 90 degrees. Put your probe directly in the middle of the heat mat and see if its that warm. If it is, you're golden. If you're trying to heat up the air to 90 will probably be too hot for the little guy.

 

[Myleosunshine]

The probe is at the center of the heat mat on the warm side its still only about 80F I bought a 20-30 gal heat mat since my tank is a 20 gallon long and the next size up cover two thirds of the floors space but it gets hotter, im really confused. What would I do with the other heating devices? I can't just waste $80+ .

 

[rockyr]

Could you take out the carpet and put paper towels down instead? The carpet might be keeping the floor insulated a bit.