Raptor pool?

[Wolvenspawn]

lol.. So seriously one of my female raptors has taken to lounging in the water dish... I find her there usually when I get home at 5:30 in the morning and she spends large amounts of time there. Though she does cruise around and even sleeps elsewhere. She is also housed with 3 other females who are never lounging in the dish... Temps on the cool side are between 77-81 depending on day or night highs are between 91-95. The humidity fluctuates between 30-55% since it's a 50 gal tank. (Hard for me to keep it consistent on the humidity. There are plenty of places to sleep warm and cool as well as dry and moist. She doesn't appear to be ready for shedding and she did if I remember about a week ago. She eats and drinks just fine just now she drinks while she is in the dish. I change the water frequently (multipile times a day due to her sleeping in it) She appears fine but it the only one doing it. Can it be normal for her to do this or perhaps maybe I should lower my temps on the cool side? Anyone else have a leo hang out in his/her bowl?

Thanks,
Jamie

 

[Aurorae]

I wouldn't lower the temps on your cool end but I keep my hot end temps at no more than 90F...95F is a bit high to me personally. Bathing in the water dish can mean a variety thing; shedding (which you picked up one), being too warm, a sign of being uncomfortable...and some say when a gecko has an upset stomach due to lack of fluids and therefore can't go to the toilet properly. Do you have a photo of your enclosure?

 

[fl_orchidslave]

My male Raptor thought his water dish was a hot tub. After about 8 months of this odd behavior, I put in a small dish he couldn't get into. He was less than happy about the change but has adjusted with no issues.

 

[Wolvenspawn]

I wouldn't lower the temps on your cool end but I keep my hot end temps at no more than 90F...95F is a bit high to me personally. Bathing in the water dish can mean a variety thing; shedding (which you picked up one), being too warm, a sign of being uncomfortable...and some say when a gecko has an upset stomach due to lack of fluids and therefore can't go to the toilet properly. Do you have a photo of your enclosure?

The only difference with this tank is I have paper towel instead of tile for this one. Hot side is on the right.

 

[Aurorae]

If that's a lamp I can see shining in on the centre-left of the tank, then it's possible that the gecko's water is warm? Have you tested it by any chance? Just dip your finger in. That could be something. Is your gecko defecating regularly and as normal? Feeding well?

 

[Wolvenspawn]

If that's a lamp I can see shining in on the centre-left of the tank, then it's possible that the gecko's water is warm? Have you tested it by any chance? Just dip your finger in. That could be something. Is your gecko defecating regularly and as normal? Feeding well?

That light in particular was just for the photo. I do have a 50 watt red heat bulb I use at night due to I only heat my house to 68 and I feel that's to cold for the geckos every night. The other half of the tank is with heat cable. I did turn that down to 92 degrees from 95. I have not seen her sleeping in the water bowl the last 2 days/nights. She has a new spot. As for eatting she's not my biggest eater but she eays fine between crickets, mealies, supers, and dubias. And sometimes the water is warm depends on how low it is. If it's full it's not. If it's less then half it is. my air temps run between 77-82 in the tank and that's taken from the middle of the tank from the bottom.

 

[Aurorae]

Sorry for the late reply again, I went away for xmas and couldn't get online. Sounds like you have everything under control now. If you can get that cable down to 90F it'd be ideal. Ah dubias are such a funny subject, I only have one gecko that will take them, the rest of my lot just run the opposite direction or just ignore them!

 

[Wolvenspawn]

I have my cable down to around 90-92 depending on the viv. Plus I regrouped my female raptors to a new viv of their own... Well I also added a female dreamsickle with them too. They are all still juvies for the time being and around the same size.