Need A Little Advice

[MsNerdy]

We just recently got a leopard gecko from someone at the pet store whose son didn't want to take care of him anymore. I believe he still a juvenile he loves to play with people and loves the new set up we have for him. I do have a few chameleons so I know how much food and calcium and vitamins and when to give him them. I am wondering though cause he doesn't seem to be eating that if its just going to take him time to come around or if they take better with a bowl because our chameleons are hand fed. We have had him for about 2 days now and when we got him his cage was in horrible condition and we got it cleaned and fixed up. He is drinking water and everything else is normal we are also taking him to the vet soon for his checkup. Any advice would be appreciated.​

 

[mudskipper]

He looks healthy. He probably just needs some time to settle in

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Yeah they take a few days or a week to settle in. What are you feeding him? Even though some will take pre-killed, its better for them to eat live insects and most refuse to eat otherwise. You might try a bowl with a few mealworms in it. If he's not used to hand feeding it might take him a while to get the hang of it.

You probably want to switch out the sand for tile or paper towels. Leo's can eat the sand and get impacted so its safer to use something else. In the meantime - feed him somewhere that doesn't have sand to reduce the chances of him ingesting it.

He is a lucky guy to have been found by you and totally cute!!

 

[MsNerdy]

I actually have the reptile carpet in it.When we got him they had a wood substrate in it.I also been trying live crickets,superworms and mealworms just like we feed our chameleons with the calcium powder

 

[Dandizette]

It sounds like he just needs time to settle in to me as well. Leopard geckos are remarkable hardy reptiles, much more so than chameleons- they can go weeks without eating (though it's not ideal). So just keep trying and hopefully he'll come around.

One thing to try- because they are nocturnal, they sometimes won't eat during daylight hours. Try feeding him at night and see if that changes anything. Keep us updated! : )

 

[SORROW89]

He loves to play?

 

[forgivenick]

Although its one of the hardest things for me to do when I first get a new gecko, but one of the best things to do is to just let them be. Give them plenty of food and water and give them a day or two without opening their cage. I know he likes to play and is very friendly, but it seems to really help shorten the adjustment period in my opinion if they are left alone to explore their surroundings and not wonder whats happening next when their cage gets opened. Thats my experience. Yours may differ, but it seems to really help my new geckos settle in.

 

[roger]

We just recently got a leopard gecko from someone at the pet store whose son didn't want to take care of him anymore. I believe he still a juvenile he loves to play with people and loves the new set up we have for him. I do have a few chameleons so I know how much food and calcium and vitamins and when to give him them. I am wondering though cause he doesn't seem to be eating that if its just going to take him time to come around or if they take better with a bowl because our chameleons are hand fed. We have had him for about 2 days now and when we got him his cage was in horrible condition and we got it cleaned and fixed up. He is drinking water and everything else is normal we are also taking him to the vet soon for his checkup. Any advice would be appreciated.​

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