bubblegumsodypop
New Member
- Messages
- 22
- Location
- St. John's, NL
Hi All!!
I am a newbie, so I guess I should start by introducing myself and my animals. I am a Pet Care Associate at the newly opened 170th PetSmart Canadian location in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. I have been there from the start, April 26, 2011. My animals are as follows:
Shelbeigh ~ blk albino type 1 cornsnake ~ 7 years old
Baby Kitty ~Tabby Cat ~ 6 years old
Paige ~ Lavender & Yellow (albino) Cali. King Snake ~ 4 years old
Root Beer ~ Toy Chihuahua ~ 3 ½ years old
Cream Soda ~ Teacup Chihuahua ~ 3 years old
Sugar ~ Dwarf Hamster ~ 2 years old
Dr. Pepper ~ Lab/Retriever/Collie Mix ~ 10 months old
Starlight ~ Tangerine Leopard Gecko ~ 3-4 months old
As you can see, my gecko is the newest addition to my animal family, and the one that I know the least about. I have a few questions and concerns that I hope y’all can help me with:
1) Age & sex. I am assuming she is 3-4 months old. I purchased her at work. We got her in on May 5th and she was about 7 cm long. As for sex, I am assuming female as I don’t see ne pores, and there is no prominent bulge behind the vent. Is this her age? Is she too young to sex? Are there ne other sexing indicators?
2) Her eating habits. While she resided at PetSmart, and for the first little while I had her, she was eating really well. I mean 3-6 sm/med crickets and 4-6 regular sz meal worms A SITTING! While housed at work & for the first little while she was home, it was a little cooler and barer in her environment. When she came home with me on June 9, I placed her in an 18”x18”x18” terrarium with Zoo Med Eco Carpet as a bedding, a branch and some leaves for basking, and a butter tub, flipped upside down with a door with wet moss for her hideout. Her ‘piggish’ eating habits continued. I was hand-feeding her worms thruout the day, and popping crickets in at night. She was eating the crickets & worms as soon as she saw them. It was about 85 degrees in her ‘hot side’ on the left with her heater and her basker, and 75 on her cold side, dropping 5-10 degrees during the night. Humidity approx. 35%. On June 19 she shed. On June 21 I ‘pimped her terrarium’ by taking out the butter tub and replacing it with a cave, provided her with a rock-like structure that she can enter thru the back. Some more desert-looking ornaments and plants. Lots of places to play and hid. I also added a desert background at that time. Also I had to put some fireproofing in her light fixture so that it was compatible with the bulbs I was using. The décor and the fireproofing made for a warmer environment for her. It is now 100 degrees in the hotspot, 85 in the cool, dropping 5-10 in the night, humidity approx. 35%. Lighting is 75 watt basker and 75 watt inferred on in the day, 75 watt blue night on in the night, approx. 12 on, 12 off. It was since I added the décor and the fireproofing that I noticed a drastic change in her eating habits. She is always hiding when I add food, so I never see her eat it, and from what I can tell, MOST of it is left in the mornings. Now that she is always hiding, I can’t hand feed her worms, and even when I do catch her out and try, she won’t take them nemore. I know the crickets she is eating are now lrg because they have been in their keeper eating over time and have grown. Dad said he saw her eat a pretty big one the other day. But other than the scattered missing cricket, that is all she is eating. I have tried leaving worms in a shallow bowl for her on numerous occasions, both in the day and during the night, but all are accounted for in the morning. She has not eaten a meal worm that I know for since June 20.
I know they are not supposed to eat a tremendous amount, but my concerns were raised 3 days about when I took her up and her tail was NOTICABLY A LOT skinner then it was the day before, and she looked bigger in the belly. I am not 100% if she is bigger in the belly, or if her small tail is tricking my eyes into thinking that she is. I am pretty sure she`s not ‘eggy’ (full of eggs) because a friend of mine has a breeding pair, and I see his female eggy all the time, although she is an albino, so maybe it is easier to see the eggs? I dunno, you guys are the experts. Any suggestions?
I am a newbie, so I guess I should start by introducing myself and my animals. I am a Pet Care Associate at the newly opened 170th PetSmart Canadian location in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. I have been there from the start, April 26, 2011. My animals are as follows:
Shelbeigh ~ blk albino type 1 cornsnake ~ 7 years old
Baby Kitty ~Tabby Cat ~ 6 years old
Paige ~ Lavender & Yellow (albino) Cali. King Snake ~ 4 years old
Root Beer ~ Toy Chihuahua ~ 3 ½ years old
Cream Soda ~ Teacup Chihuahua ~ 3 years old
Sugar ~ Dwarf Hamster ~ 2 years old
Dr. Pepper ~ Lab/Retriever/Collie Mix ~ 10 months old
Starlight ~ Tangerine Leopard Gecko ~ 3-4 months old
As you can see, my gecko is the newest addition to my animal family, and the one that I know the least about. I have a few questions and concerns that I hope y’all can help me with:
1) Age & sex. I am assuming she is 3-4 months old. I purchased her at work. We got her in on May 5th and she was about 7 cm long. As for sex, I am assuming female as I don’t see ne pores, and there is no prominent bulge behind the vent. Is this her age? Is she too young to sex? Are there ne other sexing indicators?
2) Her eating habits. While she resided at PetSmart, and for the first little while I had her, she was eating really well. I mean 3-6 sm/med crickets and 4-6 regular sz meal worms A SITTING! While housed at work & for the first little while she was home, it was a little cooler and barer in her environment. When she came home with me on June 9, I placed her in an 18”x18”x18” terrarium with Zoo Med Eco Carpet as a bedding, a branch and some leaves for basking, and a butter tub, flipped upside down with a door with wet moss for her hideout. Her ‘piggish’ eating habits continued. I was hand-feeding her worms thruout the day, and popping crickets in at night. She was eating the crickets & worms as soon as she saw them. It was about 85 degrees in her ‘hot side’ on the left with her heater and her basker, and 75 on her cold side, dropping 5-10 degrees during the night. Humidity approx. 35%. On June 19 she shed. On June 21 I ‘pimped her terrarium’ by taking out the butter tub and replacing it with a cave, provided her with a rock-like structure that she can enter thru the back. Some more desert-looking ornaments and plants. Lots of places to play and hid. I also added a desert background at that time. Also I had to put some fireproofing in her light fixture so that it was compatible with the bulbs I was using. The décor and the fireproofing made for a warmer environment for her. It is now 100 degrees in the hotspot, 85 in the cool, dropping 5-10 in the night, humidity approx. 35%. Lighting is 75 watt basker and 75 watt inferred on in the day, 75 watt blue night on in the night, approx. 12 on, 12 off. It was since I added the décor and the fireproofing that I noticed a drastic change in her eating habits. She is always hiding when I add food, so I never see her eat it, and from what I can tell, MOST of it is left in the mornings. Now that she is always hiding, I can’t hand feed her worms, and even when I do catch her out and try, she won’t take them nemore. I know the crickets she is eating are now lrg because they have been in their keeper eating over time and have grown. Dad said he saw her eat a pretty big one the other day. But other than the scattered missing cricket, that is all she is eating. I have tried leaving worms in a shallow bowl for her on numerous occasions, both in the day and during the night, but all are accounted for in the morning. She has not eaten a meal worm that I know for since June 20.
I know they are not supposed to eat a tremendous amount, but my concerns were raised 3 days about when I took her up and her tail was NOTICABLY A LOT skinner then it was the day before, and she looked bigger in the belly. I am not 100% if she is bigger in the belly, or if her small tail is tricking my eyes into thinking that she is. I am pretty sure she`s not ‘eggy’ (full of eggs) because a friend of mine has a breeding pair, and I see his female eggy all the time, although she is an albino, so maybe it is easier to see the eggs? I dunno, you guys are the experts. Any suggestions?
