Leopard geckos not eating...

[daven]

We have two Leo's, both supposedly female and were housed together up until about a month ago. Now each have a separate 20 gallon long tank with warm, cold, and moist (on cold side) hides as well as some random fake plants for cover and etc. Hot sides are heat pads controlled with a lamp dimmer and ranges 87-92*F and cold side is room temp (70*F or so). I have been keeping and attempting to breed mealworms for them. I haven't been able to try other feeders yet. Both born in August of last year and the one measures 9.5" nose to tip of tail. The other doesn't like the tape measure very much lol

My problem is that they haven't been eating for a long time now. I was told it could be the season change and to not worry unless they fall to a low weight class and/or get skinny. But it can't be right that they've essentially eaten nothing for this long. They don't appear to be acting strange. The one has always been more docile and prefers to stay in, and the other is the opposite and comes out onto my hand whenever I'm there. They seem to check the food out sometimes when I put it Infront of them but they dont seem interested. Here is my records from the last bit. It was a couple weeks before the first measurement that I noticed they weren't eating. Any ideas? Should I worry since they're still in a decent weight range? The one seems to have looser skin now so that's why I am starting to worry a lot more. But still a decent tail size

Sam 81.4g March 31
Luna 81.1g mar 31 (9.5" tip of nose to tail)

Sam 81.9g April 8
Luna 79.8g

Sam 80.5g April 21
78.9g Luna

Sam 79.5g May 2
Luna 77.9g


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[Neon Aurora]

If they are indeed both female, it could be ovulation. Alternatively, if they have recently been moved, they may be stressed from the move. Before they were moved, they may have been stressed by each other (depending on how well they got along and how many hides they had between them).

77 and almost 78 are still very good weights. My females aren't eating much (if anything) right now either. It's probably just ovulation. Some females go off food for the whole season, some eat through the whole season, and others eat sometimes and not others. I have all three of those types here. It really just depends on the individual. I suppose the weight loss on Luna does seem a little more rapid than Sam. It might be a good idea to make sure Luna's humid hide has moist substrate in it always. She may be developing infertile eggs and may need a place to lay them.

If you notice loose skin, that could be a sign of dehydration. Make sure their humid hides are well misted, as many geckos prefer to drink the condensation off the walls of the humid hide rather than from a bowl.

 

[daven]

Thanks for the reply! I'll make sure to keep things moist. I've been using paper towel in the wet hide, which tends to dry up before the next night unless I completely drench it (I was told that could cause respiratory issues). As a side note, what are the pros and cons to using miss instead? I've never used it but I heard it holds moisture better?

And for them eating, it's not unusual for them to go months without?


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[Neon Aurora]

I would advise against using moss. I've seen more than one case on this forum of geckos becoming impacted with pieces of moss from the humid hide. I use EcoEarth, and that has always worked well. The benefit of it is that it does hold moisture for much longer than paper towels and also stays cleaner. Secondly, if one or both of your females does end up developing infertile eggs, she will need a substrate like EcoEarth to bury her eggs in. some geckos will hold on to eggs if they can't find a suitable place to lay them and can become egg-bound.

It's not necessarily unusual for geckos to not eat for many months. When this happens, it's a good idea to carefully monitor weights (which you have been doing). Here are some signs that there could be a problem:
1) Rapid weight loss of more than 10% of body weight.
2) Runny or abnormal feces
3) Dulling colors, lethargy, mouth breathing, skin looking low quality etc. Anything that might associate with a gecko looking sick or not feeling well.

If your geckos are acting normally and look healthy with normal poops and everything, I personally would not be overly concerned.

One thing I have found is that mealworms almost never tempt my ovulating females into eating. Crickets occasionally work, but I've definitely had the best luck tempting them with dubia roaches. You might try a more stimulating prey item than mealworms.

EDIT: I forgot to mention. I noticed you said that they both "supposedly" female. Does this mean you're not sure? It may be a good thing to find out because if one is male and the other female, then the female could be gravid.

 

[daven]

Well when I got them young they looked like females. But I don't have the experience to check again now that they're older and they don't really enjoy being flipped upside down lol but now that they've been separated for a while, I would have thought any issues would subside if one was a male. They're the same size as far as I can tell

So for feeders, would giving them other feeders like that cause them to stop eating mealworms altogether? I thought I heard when I first got them that they can get picky like that.

And the one is active and usually wants to come out. The other is pretty lethargic and always wanted to stay in her hides. I wouldn't say any different behaviour though. She's calm if I take her out, but I always have to remove the hide and grab her there and she's always slower moving and "twitchy" when she moves. That's supposed to be from her enigma trait I think?


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[Neon Aurora]

It's a good thing to know. If you don't want to flip them partially over, you can always put them in a clear container and lift it above you so you can see the underside.

It's possible they won't eat mealworms. All of my geckos have different preferences. I have a male that will ONLY eat mealworms. I offered him a roach once and he chewed it a few times and spat it out. Then I have another that will only eat crickets or roaches. I've found that most of my females won't eat mealworms when ovulating specifically and get less picky during other times of the year.

Is one of them enigma? That could change my answer if yes.

 

[daven]

It's a good thing to know. If you don't want to flip them partially over, you can always put them in a clear container and lift it above you so you can see the underside.

It's possible they won't eat mealworms. All of my geckos have different preferences. I have a male that will ONLY eat mealworms. I offered him a roach once and he chewed it a few times and spat it out. Then I have another that will only eat crickets or roaches. I've found that most of my females won't eat mealworms when ovulating specifically and get less picky during other times of the year.

Is one of them enigma? That could change my answer if yes.

Yes, "Luna" is supposed to have the enigma gene/trait. She's the calmer one

 

[Neon Aurora]

Does Luna ever display symptoms of enigma syndrome? Things like star gazing (I believe this is when they stare straight up), walking in circles, tilted head, wobbliness or unsteadiness?

 

[daven]

She tends to keep her head down and is calmer. Most notable is the shakiness in her arms/legs as she moves around. I couldn't really tell you if she likes to turn around in circles, she's usually more for simply finding a dark quiet place to relax. But the breeder I got her from said she should have the enigma trait


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[Neon Aurora]

Not all enigmas have ES, and some only have it mildly. That doesn't necessarily sound like symptoms to me. Do you provide supplementation?

 

[daven]

When they were eating I was dusting the worms daily with the calcium and once a week with vitamin. And in the tank I have a cap full of vitamin and calcium mixed 50/50. The other gecko has never had the same shakiness and she's always had it I think with the breeder


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[Neon Aurora]

Okay. Given everything you've said, I think you're doing just fine and this is likely part of the normal cycle of a leopard gecko. =)

I would just continue to monitor their weights, provide humid hides/layboxes with damp coco fiber, and try to find out the sexes of them both so you can determine if one could possibly be gravid.

 

[daven]

Ok thanks for the help. Hopefully they start eating soon. All my worms are turning to beetles lol


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