How to get sufficient sunlight exposure in dark gray fall months in Pacific NW?

[idkwhattodo]

I have a leopard gecko I got on craigslist last spring. When I first got her I fed her and played with her everyday, but I was unaware that they need to get regular direct sunlight, I thought the light in her tank was sufficient. She ended up getting sick from vitamin D deficiency and got really sluggish, pale and wouldn't eat. I took her to the vet and he gave her some shots to get her calcium level up (lack of vitamin D means they can't process the calcium they're eating, so results in calcium deficiency) and he told me to take her out in the sun for 30 mins at least once every other day, so I've been doing that 4-6 days since then.

I'm getting really concerned now though, it's fall and there's very, very little sun where I live. It's grey out all the time, and I'm often at work/school for most of the hours it is daylight. I take her out when I get home from class and sit in the lawn with her but the sun is starting to set by then and it's grey anyway, so I don't know if it is even helping her at all.

Is there any sort of light I can buy that might help? I want her to be okay but I'm concerned I'm in the wrong climate or not available at right hours to help her. Please help, I'm really concerned.



A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: I play with her 15-30 minutes daily
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.: She's kind of sluggish and tired
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.: Had a calcium deficiency due to lack of sunlight a few months ago
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): look regular
- When was the last time he/she went: within the last few days
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: she has been slightly sluggish for the last day or two

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 30 gallon
- Type (ex. glass tank): glass tank
- Type of substrate: brown reptile carpet
- Hides, how many, what kind: a cow skull and a rock cave
B) Heating
- Heat source: heat pad underneath glass and heat lamp on top of tank
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): 80*F and 90*F
- Method of regulating heat source: ??
- What are you using to measure your temps: analog thermometers in the tank
- Do you have any lights (describe): regular white light heat lamp
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): 0
- Describe health, or previous problems: n/a

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): 2-4 mealworms or wax worms daily,
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): left in dish
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): calcium powder covering worms prior to feeding
- What are you gut loading food with: n/a

 

[Dinosaur!]

Hello, and welcome to the forum! It seems that you were misinformed on how leopard geckos process their calcium. Leos are nocturnal and do not need any sunlight at all. What they need is calcium WITH vitamin D3 dusted on their food about every other day. It is the D3 that allows a leopard gecko to absorb the calcium they intake

You also need a vitamin supplement containing vitamin A which aids in skin and eye health (keeps them shedding fully). This should be dusted on their food once a week. If your gecko has had a calcium deficiency, I would also reccomend keeping a bowl of PURE (no D3 or phosphorus) calcium in her tank at all times, so that she can lick it up when she needs it without the risk of a D3 overdose. There are all in one supplements also, but I have no experience with those, and therefor cannot tell you much about them

Your set up could use a little bit of tweaking also... You should add a moist hide which can just be a simple tupperware container with a hole cut in the lid, filled with damp paper towels, spahgnum moss, or coco-fiber. This will aid your gecko in shedding, and will prevent her from losing toes and such to bad sheds.

You should also get rid of the heat lamp. Leopard geckos are nocturnal (as stated before) and heat lamps can actually stress them, overheat their tank (especially when paired with a heat pad), and they dry out the air which can cause shedding problems and infections. Not to mention the fact that your gecko will want to hide more to avoid the light! Heat lamps should only be used if your ambient (air) temps drop below 60 degrees fahrenheit, and even then they should be the red or purple night lamps to avoid stressing your little girl.

Also on the topic of heating, you need to have a thermostat to prevent your UTH (under tank heater) from overheating, burning your gecko, and possibly cracking the bottom of your tank and causing a fire hazard. You can buy a decent thermostat online or at large chain pet stores that end in "co" or "smart" (the sensor on this site blocks the whole name of the companies ) for not too much. just hang it in the tank, put the temp probe on top of the heating pad, set it to 90 degrees, and moniter the temps regularly. Be sure that you are measuring the floor temps, NOT the air temps. The air temps are not very important to your geckos health (unless they are too high or too low), but the floor temps are vital. This is because leopard geckos absorb heat through their bellies in order to digest food, and if the temps are not right, it can cause them to become sick because they cannot digest their food properly.

And If your gecko is a baby, or a very large adult, your feeding is right, but if it is a jevenile that is still growing, it needs more food than what you are offering (I'm unsure, as you didnt answer the age question..) And remember that waxworms are very fatty and should be used VERY sparingly with your geckos or they will become obese, malnourished, and may even refuse food as they can become addicted to waxworms! Think of waxworms as a dog treat. Not something that should be given constantly or in large amounts.

You really need to start gut-loading your mealworms also. Gut-loading is basically putting the mealworms on a bedding (such as whole oats, wheat bran, or a commercial gut-load) and feeding them nutritious foods such as carrots, kale, squash, sweet potato, etc. If you give the mealworms to your gecko straight from the store, it is pretty much the equivalent of feeding your gecko cardboard. You just let the worms feed for a day, and then you can begin feeding them off Gut-loading ensures that your gecko will recieve the most nutritious food possible, giving them a longer, healthier life

Sorry for the long response, but I figured that I oughta answer as much as i could so that your gecko could be in the best health possible. If you could post some pictures of her, it could help us determine what her health is like, and if there is anything else that really needs to change. Thank you for reading, an I hope that this helps you out

(this is a guide to nutritous gut-loads for your mealworms/crickets/whatever)- thanks Indyana!

Much Ado About Chameleons: The Anatomy of Gut-Loading | Ingredients & Nutritional Info

 

[indyana]

Yep, all of the above is great advice. While leopard geckos can certainly make D3 from exposure to sunlight, you can supplement via their diet just as easily.

To dust her insects, you should be alternating a reptile multivitamin with calcium+D3 OR using an all-in-one supplement like Repashy Calcium Plus that contains all the vitamins, calcium, and D3 they need. As Autumn recommended, if your gecko has been sick, a little dish of pure calcium (no D3) in the cage will allow her to lick up extra calcium if she needs it. And, gutloading those bugs on nutritious fruits and vegetables will boost her nutrition even more.

There are UVB lights that you can buy to simulate exposure to sunlight, but because these geckos hide from light most of the time, that is not an ideal source of D3. It would be better for you to start supplementing her diet appropriately.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Great advice so far! I'll give my own take on a couple things I give my babies about 30 mealworms per week. I don't want them growing too fast so 4 or so each day would be about right. I don't feed waxworms to any of my geckos except females that are laying eggs and looking a bit rough. My adults that are chunky get 10 mealworms or one roach a week and those that are a good weight get twice that. They have no lights other than a standing lamp in the gecko room that provides indirect light. I could read a paper back book in the room but its not really bright. All have UTH and breed like bunnies. Vitamins and Calcium are SUPER important. Geckos WILL have health issues without them and health issues will get more serious as they age. All my guys are supplemented with Repashy Calcium Plus and a vionate/calcium mix in their bowls. I am also super observant about what their feeder insects eat and make sure they have fruits or veggies in their bellies before they get attacked by geckos.

Hope it helps and you can get your guy some supplements and stop worrying so much!

 

[idkwhattodo]

Ok weird, apparently I was given completely incorrect information by a vet I took her to. He told me I need to take her out and sun her everyday, which I always thought was weird because aren't they nocturnal? Also explains why I couldn't find anything at all on Google or Reddit about sunning them.

So you'd say that giving her a dish of calcium and gut loading her worms would be a good remedy? I can handle that. How exactly do you gutload? I've heard of it before but I thought it was optional, I haven't tried it.

 

[Dinosaur!]

Answer to you dusting question, quoted from my previous post (just the dish wont do, you need the multi vitamin dusted on the food once a week, and calcium with D3 dusted every other day): What they need is calcium WITH vitamin D3 dusted on their food about every other day. It is the D3 that allows a leopard gecko to absorb the calcium they intake

You also need a vitamin supplement containing vitamin A which aids in skin and eye health (keeps them shedding fully). This should be dusted on their food once a week. If your gecko has had a calcium deficiency, I would also reccomend keeping a bowl of PURE (no D3 or phosphorus) calcium in her tank at all times, so that she can lick it up when she needs it without the risk of a D3 overdose. There are all in one supplements also


As for gut loading (also quoted from my previous post): Gut-loading is basically putting the mealworms on a bedding (such as whole oats, wheat bran, or a commercial gut-load) and feeding them nutritious foods such as carrots, kale, squash, sweet potato, etc. If you give the mealworms to your gecko straight from the store, it is pretty much the equivalent of feeding your gecko cardboard. You just let the worms feed for a day, and then you can begin feeding them off Gut-loading ensures that your gecko will recieve the most nutritious food possible, giving them a longer, healthier life (this is a guide to nutritous gut-loads for your mealworms/crickets/whatever)- thanks Indyana!

Much Ado About Chameleons: The Anatomy of Gut-Loading | Ingredients & Nutritional Info




Be sure to also change her setup as mentioned, as just changing her diet a little wont help her out in the long run.