Eating habits...

[Daylight_Thieves]

So two out of my three geckos are acting funny. Bandit- my youngest and smallest- and Dandilyon- the newly confirmed male and mid-sized- are both not eating much or at all.

Bandit ate a mealie and a cricket yesterday and 3 mini wax worms just now, however, his tail seems to continually get smaller, not thinker like it should be. I've also had him about a month and he hasn't really grown at ALL. He isn't sluggish or show signs of an impaction, however there is a noticeable darker spot right behind his front legs, but he still seems to have a semi-transparent skin of hatchlings in lights. Is he ok?

Dandilyon is a different case than his other reptile friend. He used to eat about 7 mealies in one sitting. On Saturday night I fed him and he ate 9 mealies and a waxworm and then Sunday morning I found most of those worms thrown up in the tank. I watched him all day, gave him some water from my finger and he ate one mealie but since then will not touch crickets, mealies or waxworms. I can't figure out what's wrong! My boyfriend and I did notice on Monday that he seemed to be puffier near his tail and on Tuesday I took a closer look and determine that my previous "she" has a "he". Could his lack in appetite be from the growth of his male parts or is it something else entirely?

I'd appreciate any help I can get!

 

[thegeckoguy23]

If I were you I would give them a bath for 10 mins a day for a week or two that well get it hungryer if thats a word lol.


Jake

 

[Tony C]

I suggest contacting a reptile vet and arranging for a fecal exam, weight loss without loss of appetite is often a sign of parasite overload.

 

[Daylight_Thieves]

His feces is normal and not showing the signs of having parasites but there are days where he will go without eating but he's so small that it saps his reserves quickly. I was thinking of maybe finding some smaller superworms to try to fatten him up because he seems to have little interest in the mealie and cricket unless he is REALLY hungry. The only thing I can get him to eat are waxworms and that was only today. Are superworms ok for little ones- aroung 7g- to eat?

 

[robin]

super worms are way to large for a 7 gram leo

 

[robin]

His feces is normal and not showing the signs of having parasites

you must have really good eyes because most reptile parasites are not naked to the eye. they will, many times, even poo normally.

 

[Daylight_Thieves]

you must have really good eyes because most reptile parasites are not naked to the eye. they will, many times, even poo normally.

Well, the reason why I said that is because I read that parasites make the feces look different and not normal.

On a slight side note, moderators on this site have had a tendency to be rather harsh in their advice giving/ help that they so gracious give. It seems rather rude to act coldly when a less experienced person comes to you for help and you decide to run their face in their ignorance. This is not just with me, but on many other posts that I've read.

But I will schedule a fecal exam, just to be safe, although I will try some other feeding tactics to see if they work too.

And thank you for telling about superworms. Could you recommend a different type of insect that I could try other than crickets and mealies?

 

[robin]

Well, the reason why I said that is because I read that parasites make the feces look different and not normal.

On a slight side note, moderators on this site have had a tendency to be rather harsh in their advice giving/ help that they so gracious give. It seems rather rude to act coldly when a less experienced person comes to you for help and you decide to run their face in their ignorance. This is not just with me, but on many other posts that I've read.

But I will schedule a fecal exam, just to be safe, although I will try some other feeding tactics to see if they work too.

And thank you for telling about superworms. Could you recommend a different type of insect that I could try other than crickets and mealies?

i am not a moderator. just a normal person. i just happen to be a bit blunt which to some people comes across rude or hard.

i think you need to get the fecal. other than crickets and mealies are really the only option. have you looked at your set up? temps, size of enclosure etc?

 

[robin]

are you keeping these three in the same enclosure?

 

[Daylight_Thieves]

are you keeping these three in the same enclosure?

No, Dandilyon and the other bigger one are in one enclosure and Bandit is by himself because he is so much smaller. I'm kinda glad of that, especially if he does have parasites.

 

[Daylight_Thieves]

i am not a moderator. just a normal person. i just happen to be a bit blunt which to some people comes across rude or hard.

i think you need to get the fecal. other than crickets and mealies are really the only option. have you looked at your set up? temps, size of enclosure etc?

The temp usually runs about 83-92 across the tank from cool to warm on both sides. However, for some unknown reason I can't seem to get the temperature in the air to get past 84 without putting a heat lamp right over it, which spikes to 90 in ten minutes but then I have to turn it off to keep from spiking the heat too much. So I think part of it is the temperature becuae it keeps fluctuating so much. Dandilyon's tank has a heat pad which they seem to like but Bandit does not.

It's is beginning to irritate me that I can't keep their temperature steady. Any ideas on how to make the temp balance out?

And sorry for thinking you were a moderator, I saw that silver bar under your name and most moderators have one so I thought you were one as well.

 

[Daedric1]

The only thing I can get him to eat are waxworms and that was only today.

Stop feeding waxworms, with any frequency. Only extremely rarely. Leos can get addicted to them very fast and they will refuse other food and wait for waxworms. I have heard of leos throwing up from waxworms before - they are super rich, full of fat, and all around bad for the system. So try to go off the wax worms if possible.

Also, I would continue using the heat lamp. 90-95 is fine in the hot zone - if it goes above that, find a way to adjust the height of the lamp above the tank to keep it cooler. If you can't, switch to a lower wattage bulb, or a red bulb around 60 watts.

 

[Tony C]

How are you measuring the temperature? If you have the analog dial or liquid crystal thermometers from a pet shop throw them out, they are just about worthless. An IR temp gun and/or digital probe thermometer are the best tools to have.

If you are measuring your temps with an accurate method and they really are that far off then you will need a thermostat to control your heat source(s) and keep the temps steady.

How cold is the room? If it is extremely cold then you may also consider investing in a plastic reptile cage, the insulation provided by a plastic cage will help keep temperatures steady and require less energy to heat. There are many manufacturers, a look through the caging section will show you quite a few options.

 

[Daylight_Thieves]

Stop feeding waxworms, with any frequency. Only extremely rarely. Leos can get addicted to them very fast and they will refuse other food and wait for waxworms. I have heard of leos throwing up from waxworms before - they are super rich, full of fat, and all around bad for the system. So try to go off the wax worms if possible.

Also, I would continue using the heat lamp. 90-95 is fine in the hot zone - if it goes above that, find a way to adjust the height of the lamp above the tank to keep it cooler. If you can't, switch to a lower wattage bulb, or a red bulb around 60 watts.

That is good to know about the wax worms. I only fed him those because he needs some fat in his system. I haven't given him any since. HE does seem interested in mealies but they don't seem to like the taste of them. I was at the pet store and I found some super worms that are about the size of medium mealies. I'm going to try those tonight with the hopes that they are just sick of mealies and want some other flavor in their diet.

I also FINALLY found a way to keep the temperatures constant again. It took some juggling of which light with which wattage goes over which tank but after working at it from 11am yesterday-3am this morning and then at 9am- now, I think I've got it right. Maybe now I can sleep easier knowing that the geckos won't fry or freeze to death while I sleep.

 

[Daylight_Thieves]

How are you measuring the temperature? If you have the analog dial or liquid crystal thermometers from a pet shop throw them out, they are just about worthless. An IR temp gun and/or digital probe thermometer are the best tools to have.

These are the thermometers that I have from my kits that I got.

The temps are all steady now but I am not opposed to knowing what I should be using because I do want to have more geckos- actually just put a deposit on a mack snow and hypo snow:smitten:- so what type of thermometers should I have?:huh2:

 

[thegeckoguy23]

These are the thermometers that I have from my kits that I got.

The temps are all steady now but I am not opposed to knowing what I should be using because I do want to have more geckos- actually just put a deposit on a mack snow and hypo snow:smitten:- so what type of thermometers should I have?:huh2:

I would recomend a zoo med digital thermomnter with a probe heres the one i have View attachment 34654


And here is the probe attached to my heat tape: View attachment 34655


Hope this helped

Jake

 

[robin]

you need heat pads in all the cages. the heat can stimulate feeding and the temp gradient lets them thermoreguate to keep their body temps stable but also help them to digest food correctly. if you are keeping them together you need to separating them. good info other wise. jacob mentioned the zoo med thermometer with a probe. you can also get the same thing at wal-mart for much cheaper, just look for a digital thermometer with probe.

 

[Daylight_Thieves]

Progress Report

I took Bandit into the vet and she can't tell if he has parasites but she sent a prescription for de-worming for all of my geckos so I won't have to worry about that fore much longer. On the bright side, right before I took Bandit to the vet, he ate a cricket. YAY!

Also, Dandilyon is not eating because he was in a tank with a female and he is a newly matured male, so I separated them in two different cages and he seems to be doing better.

Thank you for the help all! I am getting new thermometers and have gotten a UTH for each cage.