my leos arent happy...

[IonBaller07]

I put alot of time and money into my leo habitat and they still dont seem very happy so Im gonna post up about my setup and let me know if Im missing anything/how can I improve.


2 leos
1 20 gallon tank
1 coconut hide on warm side
1 moist hide on warm side
1 grotto hide on cool side
1 log hide on cool side
1 food dish and 1 water dish
there is also a homemade ramp that leads to a basking area, they dont go on top to often because its really in the open and its pretty hot up there, but they like to hide under the ramp.

the temps on warm side are from 89-91 (it varies daily)
on cool side its 72-74

I try to drop crickets in front of them everyday or meal worms if they dont eat the crickets. But they never seem to be interested. The littler one goes for the food sometime if its very slow moving but the big one never seems to eat anymore. I guess she could be eating overnight but its worrying me because I never see it.

Im using a paper towel substrate with a 8 watt UTH and a 50 watt heatlamp overhead.

They spendmost oftheir time in the warm hide or shoved under the ramp, and they almost never go near the cool side. I find myself suprised when I see them roaming around the tank because they do it so seldomly.

I just want them to be happy so is there anything I can do to help them out.

 

[GeckoRing]

I would suggest to step down the 50 watt to a 15 or 20. Maybe try a blue or red light instead of white. Are they getting calcium and vitamins. The other thing that could be going on is one could be dominating the other. How long have they been in the new enclosure? It could take a little time to adjust.
Good Luck!

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

How long have they been in their new environment?

 

[IonBaller07]

Ohh yah forgot to say it is a 50 watt red irridescent bulb, I dont think ones dominating the other they seem to like each other, infact they'rein the wet hide together right now.

They have been in their enclosure for about 1-2 weeks now but I keep adding stuff like my wet hide, and I changed the substrate, and maybe a new hide.

 

[lizardlove]

Personally I think the warm side is way too cold, which is why they spend all their time in the warm hide, because they can't get their body temperature up to where it needs to be. Bring it up to 96-97 and you'll see a HUGE improvement, I think.

 

[IonBaller07]

Personally I think the warm side is way too cold, which is why they spend all their time in the warm hide, because they can't get their body temperature up to where it needs to be. Bring it up to 96-97 and you'll see a HUGE improvement, I think.

I dont really know how I can warm it anymore, I already have a UTH right under them and a heatlamp right above them, I heard that a UTH should be enough anyway but I put the lamp in in case, I dont wanna cook the little guys.

 

[lizardlove]

The warm side temp you gave is the floor temp, correct? That's the one that matters for the little guys, because it's the belly heat that they need.

 

[IonBaller07]

Yah I have the probe laying on the floor in the corner on the warm side, If they really needed to get warmer they could walk up the little ramp and lay on the slate rock right under the heat lamp. That stays pretty hot up there so they onlygo up every now and then or at night when my heat is off they lie on it because it retains heat.

 

[DLS Reptile]

Geckos should be started off in a very basic setup. I think one of your problems is there is just to much in the tank. They probably do not come out much because they cannot see what is beyond most of the hides. You have to remember, they are wild animals regardless of how many generations they are captive bred. They do not realize they are in a tank with no danger. another thing you must realize is it is winter time. reptiles naturally eat less in the winter months. No matter how high you crank the temps they know it is not summer. I am sure it has alot to do with barometric pressures humidity etc... I have had geckos that went of feed ,very rarley eating for a few months in the winter. Then when summer started to roll around they turned into little monsters eating everything they saw. I do not think cranking the temps up to 98 degrees will fix your problem. I keep my cages at a high of no more than 88-90 degrees (74-78 low side) with top knotch results in growth and color..

 

[IonBaller07]

Alright I thinkI willjust leave them be for a little while and hope they just being picky. If that doesnt work I might ween out someofthe stuff so maybe they can see the crickets and everything around the crickets, so they know Im not setting a trap for them or something. Hopefully it'lljust workout.

 

[reddmann]

I don't know how true this is, but also i've read that some just get stressed out if they don't have their own cage. So maybe keeping the two in the same cage could be a factor.