I need the poop gods!!!!!

[Sandramt]

I need information about soaks for my gecko and found a fragmented sentence referring to mineral oil. I believe my little guy is constipated. I tried the Dr. Gecko site but I need specifics. There seems to be many opinions on what's easier for these wondrous little lizards to digest. Would love information of feeding. I've varied his diet with meal worms, wax worms and small crickets. Could that have bound him up? I have a millon questions but I'll stop there. Thank you beforehand for your considerations and answers.

GeckoGram

 

[Mel&Keith]

I put this in your thread in the welcome section before I saw this one, so sorry to quote myself!

Welcome! We're glad you're here. This is where you can find the best Leopard gecko information around!

I would start by using the search function up top and typing "impaction" or whatever other key words might help. You can also try browsing through the Health and Medications sub-forum as well as General Care and Husbandry. Personally, I would recommend just doing warm water soaks first (water at 90F) and see if that helps. Definitely look through the Housing section and make sure that his tank is set up properly and doesn't have anything in it that could be ingested (other than live food) and that the temps are correct to keep digestion regular.

If you could tell us about the housing set up it might help. It's not really common for Leos to get impacted by food alone.

What substrate are you using?
What temps, hot side/cool side?
Under tank heat or overhead head?
How big/old is the gecko?

 

[Sandramt]

Brodie's Tank

Until tomorrow, when he will be in a 40 gallong tank, he is at present in a ten gallon tank that came with him. It has a screen top and a red heat lamp on the screen. The gal that gave him to me left it on day and night. I turn it on and off throughout the day because it gets hot - up to 90 degrees. I think it's hard to have the heated side and the cool side in so small of an area. I popped into PetSmart the other day and they have several geckos. They have them in very humid small individual tanks/habitats. Probably about an eight or five gallon little set up. So I'm confused on what's best, arid/desert or tropical humid. The sand in Brodie's tank is very very fine and pink colored. I clean his water daily. I did buy a large bag of crushed walnut shells as advised by the guy at the pet store. We cannot read wattage on the red bulb and there is only a strip on the ouside front of the tank and a small round one at the top inside of the back glass. Brodie is 3 years old so I didn't change anything. What's with the mineral oil and how is it used and what is it used for?

Thanks so much for your replies. I hope this gives you a better picture of what's going on with Brodie.

GeckoGram :main_huh:

 

[Mel&Keith]

Ok, if you haven't opened the walnut shell, take it back to the store. If you have opened it, it's good for keeping crickets on.

Measure the bottom on the 40G and go to the hardware store and get them to cut ceramic (not the super gloss kind though) tile to fit it, they'll usually do it for free. It's easy to sanitize and cannot be eaten accidentally.

Then instead of the red light, he needs a UTH (Under Tank Heater). Leopard geckos really benefit from belly heat for digestion. They make them according to the size of the tank so looks for one that fits a 40G. You'll also need to get a rheostat or thermostat to plug the UTH into so you can regulate the temperature. The surface area on the warm spot should be 90F.

They do need a humid hide which you can make yourself from a food container with a hole cut in it filled with moist moss or paper towels.

Having a dish of calcium in the tank at all times is also important.


If he is obviously not able to have a bowel movement and is in distress you need to get him to a vet. Many Leopard geckos will eat the sand and become impacted which can lead to death if not addressed fairly quickly. My last question is, are you sure he's eating? With the temperatures off like that he may not be eating enough to have anything to poop. Since he's an adult, I would suspect that the change in environment/incorrect heat has his system thrown off but only a vet could tell you for sure. Check out Marcia's care sheet for everything I missed, she has the best care sheet out there: here

 

[Kimjorg]

Everything Mel said as well as...NEVER listen to anything or pay attention to anything that is in ***pet stores that don't specialize in Leopard Geckos***...most stores have no clue what the proper conditions should be for a leopard gecko. Everything you need to know can be found somewhere or from someone on this site (except when the little guy has to go to the vet)