Leo not eating :(

[Drew Merrifield]

I bought my first leopard gecko a week ago. Its a male and hes pretty big. But ever since ive had him he wont eat. Ive tried crickets all week and he maybe has had one but im not sure. He sheded two days ago and has pooped once. Also yesterday i switched him to meal worms but he still hasen't eaten. Ive also tried hand feeding but he just turns away. Please help im worried

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Fill this out: http://geckoforums.net/f130-health-medications/70912.htm

~Maggot

 

[Drew Merrifield]

About your leo:
- Sex-male
- Age & Weight-about 2 or 3 years. not sure about weight
- How long have you owned your leo-1 week
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend)-got at a feeders supply

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo- once or twice a day
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.- he seems normal
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.-not sure
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal) brown with white part on it
- When was the last time he/she went- a day or two ago
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on- hasnt eaten in a week.

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size- 10 gallon
- Type (ex. glass tank)-glass
- Type of substrate-reptile carpet
- Hides, how many, what kind- two rock hide on warm side, humid hide on cold
B) Heating
- Heat source- lamp
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)- hot side 83-85, cool about 65
- Method of regulating heat source-thermometer that came with tank
- What are you using to measure your temps
- Do you have any lights (describe)one regular heat light and one red light
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)-0
- Describe health, or previous problems-0

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet- ate crickets at pet store. hasent eaten since
- What you're feeding (how often, how much)- kept crickets in for a week he didnt eat so put mealworms in and still hasn't eated
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect)- mealworms in a dish. also have tried hand feeding but didn't work
B) Supplements (describe how often)-repti calcium is all I use and i just put some it with the mealworms
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)
- What are you gut loading food with- I just bought them in the store and put them in the cage

 

[Embrace Calamity]

1) Don't handle him. He needs at least a week but preferably two to settle in. He's in a new place with new sounds and new smells. He doesn't need the added stress of you handling him.
2) It's not uncommon for leos to go a few days or even up to a few weeks without eating in a new place because of the stress. But, like I said, handling will only add to the stress and make it worse.
3) 83-85 isn't warm enough to digest food properly, which might be another reason for not eating. It needs to be 88-93. Are you using a digital or analog thermometer?
4) Ditch the red light. I assume you use it at night, and that will only stress him out more. If you need heat at night, get a ceramic heat emitter or a UTH.
5) I'd suggest you get an under tank heater for the hot side. Put a dry hide on top of it so your gecko can get belly heat, which will help with digestion. Just make sure to follow instructions on it. Ideally, you should get a thermostat to go with it like this: Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden It will automatically regulate the heat produced by the UTH so it'll keep it at a proper temperature and prevent it from malfunctioning. Since your hot side needs to be warmer anyway, I'd strongly recommend doing this.
6) Repti Calcium doesn't have vitamin A, so you need to buy a multivitamin or your gecko will develop a deficiency.
7) Move the humid hide to the center of the enclosure and a dry hide over to the cold side. If your cold side is 65 and your humid hide is over there, your gecko can't use it without its internal temperatures dropping too low, so he will probably choose to stay warm over utilising the humidity.

~Maggot

 

[Drew Merrifield]

Thank you so much for the help ill be sure to change things around. But for the heating pad do i need one to fit under the entire cage or just the warm side?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

It should only cover about 1/4 of the warm side, since you're using just a 10 gallon (1/3 would be fine with a larger tank). I'd suggest you get a 20 long, as they're honestly a lot better. They're bigger for your leo, allow you to have more hides, and allows a better temp gradient. I can keep my hot side in the 90's and still have my cool side in the 70's.

~Maggot