Hello. First time raising a Leo question

[Tanuis]

I have had my Leo for about a week. She dose not seen to eat at all, she sleeps alot but is active if I pick her up and handle her. I keep her tank a steady temp. So my question is, is that normal and If not what can I do. Or am I just worrying to much. I had a gecko when I was 8 and that did t end well. I do not want a repeat of that so I worry I am doing something wrong.
Any comments and help Are welcomed thank you.

 

[Bbugs]

It is very normal for that to happen for the first few days.

 

[malves85]

How and what are you feeding?

Leos are like the big T-Rex from Jurassic Park. They love to hunt and love things that move. I would say crickets are your best bet. I have these little feeder bowls that I normally keep superworms in. They are plain plastic cups with a lip over it so the bugs cant get out. Below is a link. You can take the hind legs off the crickets and leave them in that bowl. They wont be able to jump out and will move around enough to entice your Leo to eat.

http://www.tastyworms.com/products/insect-supplies/small-no-escape-feeder-dishes

Like Bugs said, they wont eat for a few days or so due to the stress of being in a new strange world.

 

[tlbowling]

If you want more help we need more information about your set up

 

[Dog Shrink]

What "steady temp" are you keeping your tank at and how are you monitoring it? How do you heat your tank and what type of substrait are you using? Like Tara said we need a lot more info about your set up to be sure this is just a settling period thing and not a husbandry thing.

 

[Tanuis]

78 - 85 I have a thermometer mounted in the tank and a digital that I set in there twice a day to double check I use a day time heating lamp with a basking rock under it, a uv low light lamp for at night. I am using flat material and I clean it every third day. Sense this is my first time I took it for granted that the in store starter kit wouldn't fail me for caring for my Leo. If I was wrong then I will do what it takes to keep her healthy.

 

[Tanuis]

Oh and mealworms but I am picking up some crickets and going to see if that gets her attention.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Ok you're heating is all wrong. You need an under tank heat mat (uth) and an optimum heat range of 88-95 degrees which is why your leo might be having some settling on problems. Your heat mat should take up about 1/3rd of yur tank's floor surface. Leopard geckos do NOT need UV lighting and this only serves to stress them out. They are crepuscular creatures (active most after sunset and before sunrise) so they don't benefit from uv like some other herps do. You need a probe thermometer on the floor of the tank to monitor belly heat which should be in that range already mentioned because it is belly heat that is important to leos for proper digestion. It almost sounds like the starter kit you got was really intended for a crested gecko. If the leo is in a dark room and you need to suppliment light in order to establish a day/night cycle you can use a regular incandescent 15 watt bulb set on a timer according to your area's sunlight hours to help with that.

Lastly what is your suppliment schedule like? Depending on the age and condition of your leo you should be dusting every feeding or every other feeding if you're using an all in 1 suppliment. I suggest an all in 1 suppliment like T-Rex leopard gecko dust icb by sandfire foods (which you should be able to find at most pet supply stores) or repashy calcium plus icb (a little harder to find at petstores but easily available on line) as it is the easiest to use, it is already a balanced premix of all the stuff you need such as calcium, D3, and multi vitimin. Using this you won't have to keep a calcium dish inyour tank for your leo.

 

[Tanuis]

Ok easy enough. I have a 15 watt bulb and I can pick up the under tank heater do you have a recommendation ? and I can get a probe to check the belly heat.
How much damage have I done by not checking this information sooner?
I was thinking dusting her food every feeding with powder. And when I say dust i mean putting her food in a container adding some powder and shaking gently tell they are coated then putting them in with her.
But now I am not sure should I do it once a week or less ?

 

[Dog Shrink]

You haven't done any damage that I can think of. They're pretty resiliant despite our faux pas Dusting is depending on what you use, I use an all in 1 suppliment so that's all I can advise you on, and it is suggested for an adult healthy leo of 7 mos or older every other feeding. So say you feed your leo mon wed and fri, mon and fri you would dust, then the following week it would be wed. then the next week mon and fri again and so on. See how it goes? Most people that dust their insects use the "shake and bake" method. Putting some of the suppliment in a bag or carton, add feeders and lightly shake. I only dust my superworms one at a time because I think it kills them quicker if you dust them then your leo doesn't eat them. I've found ones that I had dusted and had to put back in the keeper dead the next morning sitting on top of the bedding in their keeper so it's pretty much just a assumation on my part.

As far as UTH goes I LOVE cobra uth. T-Rex puts out a cobra heat mat which is a little mroe readily available, but the best imo is Ultratherm Cobra heat mats which you can generally only find on line. I like them because they operate at a constant 100 degrees F which you can control with a thermostat or rheostat (light dimmer) which is what I use on my tank (a rheostat) and it works wonderfully. I can give you some web sites if you decide to go with a ultratherm cobra mat or you can call around locally to see if anyone carries the T-Rex brand Cobra heat mat.

On a lil different note what size is your tank and how many hides are you providing?

 

[Tanuis]

I do t remember the gallon size but i want to say it's 3feet long & 1-2feet wide. It's good size. I have two hides one is a sooner rock cave that she seems to love the other is a multi tier'ed rock shelf that you put against the glass. I find her sleeping on the top shelf when I pull her rock one out to clean and re moisten her moss... Is more then one ok ?

 

[Dog Shrink]

Your tank sounds like it could be a 20 long which is actually 30 inches long by 12 inches wide. That's what my leo is in as well. Absolutely more than 1 is great. The more hiding places the more secure the leo tends to feel esp. if it's young. It is actually suggested to have one on the warm side, one on the cool side and a moist/humid hide to aide in shedding which can be filled with moist sphagnum moss or damp paper towels. My humid hide is a tupperware dish with a hole cut in the side filled with moist paper towels on top of hir hot hise but I also have another moist hide filled with sphagnum moss that Eros hardly ever uses. I think because he was tub raised (as in a like a rubbermaid plastic tub, basic set up from his breeder) and was never exposed to sphagnum moss before coming to me at nearly 7 mos old.

There are some nice pix in my photo album of my tank in my user profile if you would like to see my set up. I went with a really natural look with multipul hides built into the rock formations and a litterbox which Eros actually uses

 

[Tanuis]

update.

so i fed her 3 crickets.. she noticed them right away.. only ate one.
but then promptly shed her skin.. " very unnerving to watch for the first time"
and is now sleeping again in her hide up on the top shelf.. she loves being up there.. i have the the tank sitting at 91.2 on the hot side and 86.9 cool side.. i am going to get a heating pad today. so that by this tonight she will have a nice warm steady temp.
now is it normal for her to just sleep up there on the shelf in her hide. ?? i am sorry if i have so many question... i am reading every thing i can.. but i like asking people who have hands on knowledge.

and again thank you all for your help and information.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

So you spied on your gecko while she changed dresses....... now you know what she looks like just prior to shed, a good thing They will sleep wherever they feel comfy, perfectly normal.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I agree with Laney on that one but she may just be trying to get closer to the heat bulb. I guess you'll find out for sure once you get hte UTH in the tank and see if that is still her fave spot.

Now I'm jealous... I've had Eros since October and I have NEVER seen him shed Youc ould also possibly expect to see a little more of an appetite out of her now that she's out of shed. Sometimes leos slow down their eating right before a shed, plus since they EAT their shed, she may not be as hungry at her next feeding but the one after that... I bet she does great.

 

[Tanuis]

here she is just before I left for work. I should probably put this in the other thread to for all to see. But her tank is on my desk so I see her every day, that's how I saw her shed she used this hide to shed in. Glad to know it's that it's ok for her to eat her shedding.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Yep leos eat their shed because it hides their existance from predators.

 

[Tanuis]

update.

ok so she has her UTH in and i got some moss for in her hide to help with moister and shedding.
attached are two photos of the tank as of 20min ago.. i know there is a loose probe cord i am gonna get a suction cup in a a sec and fix it. under the large Grey rock is the UHT.. and the rest under the large tan hide is the moss.. the green dish is for food and i just put her water bowl in. what else should i be doing. ? as of right now my leo.. is up and roaming around.. and the tank according to the probe and my pocket digital thermometer says 83.7 and climbing. but she still dose not seem interested in food.

 

[Dog Shrink]

More hides. At least 2 since you have the space. It will make her feel more secure esp. since one of your hides is a reveal hide that she can see you thru. Also every time you adjust her tank or change things around it will likely take her a couple days to settle back in and feel comfortable. You really need to give her the settling in period before freaking about her not eating. Mine was a fast settler... he ate within 3 days of him being here. Just to give you an idea, here is a pic of my set up. This is a 20 long tank.

Top view:

Hot side on the right, cool side on the left, tupperware with paper towels on top of the hot hide for his humid hide, and litterbox next to that. There are about 4 hiding spaces in there for him. Mid tank moist hide with sphagnum moss (which I never see him use), mid tank hide mid level cooler than his hot side, and the cool side cave with basking platform over head. I use vinyl simulated slate tiles for the substrait which keeps things nice and warm, plus all the natural rock keeps it feeling like home since they are rock dwellers in the wild.

 

[Tanuis]

ok will do.. i like your tank set up.. i saw a really cool rock/shelf hide for basking and for hiding in.. i will defiantly get another hide as you say.. as well as relax on her eating and stuff.. i think i might be trying to hard. so i will just let it be and relax.