New baby leo

[waternut13134]

Hi all,my leo that I had for 4 years passed on me this last weekend. So I am not new to leos at all. Anyways after disinfecting the tank top to bottom I purchased a new baby on Tuesday FEB 1.

She will not eat for me to save her life,I have seen her lick the water in her humid hide,so I know she's getting liquid. Shes just not eating.

I have everything set up right,the temp is 98 degrees on the warm side and 77 on the cooler side,I have a UVB bulb,I have a hide on the warm side and the cool side,and I have the humid hide. She's on tile so no chance of impaction. She does come out at night and walk/climb around but as soon as she's done she goes back to sleep.

I was able to spray her with water yesterday and she looked to slide her head in it and started to rub against some rough things in her cage almost like she was trying to shed. But I don't she her getting the whitish color or anything.

I have tried tiny crickets,small meal worm and even wax worms,She looks at them,then she smells them then walks away.

My last leo ate on the first night I got her,this one hasn't eaten since I got her. And I have not seen any fecal matter,but the place I got her had her on reptile carpet so I cant see how she could of gotten compacted.

So please anyone help me,throw me some ideas. I bought her from Petco,Which they said they had a vet check them out when they got them in,and I have a 15 day guarantee but I don't want to give her up and have the pet store just watch her die,I want to help her,so please any suggestions?
Below Is a picture of my leo as of yesterday.

my leo

 

[Pinky81]

first off sorry to hear you Leo died and that things aren't going to smooth with your new one. Its not unusual for a leo to refuse food after the stress of a move. If I were you I would get rid of the UVB light..its not at all neccesary for Leo's and may actually be stressing her out. Do you have any lighting on at night?? Try to limit the stresses on her I would even stop the spraying..again not neccesary and may be adding to stress. Make sure she has a water dish in her tank and you have the perfect number of hides. So she is definitly able to get her hydration.

Also do you have calcium in the tank at all times? and are you able to leave fresh mealies and waxworms in over night in a dish. She maybe too stressed to eat while your watching. Count how many of the worms you put in every night and count in the morning to see if any are eaten.

 

[waternut13134]

first off sorry to hear you Leo died and that things aren't going to smooth with your new one. Its not unusual for a leo to refuse food after the stress of a move. If I were you I would get rid of the UVB light..its not at all neccesary for Leo's and may actually be stressing her out. Do you have any lighting on at night?? Try to limit the stresses on her I would even stop the spraying..again not neccesary and may be adding to stress. Make sure she has a water dish in her tank and you have the perfect number of hides. So she is definitly able to get her hydration.

Also do you have calcium in the tank at all times? and are you able to leave fresh mealies and waxworms in over night in a dish. She maybe too stressed to eat while your watching. Count how many of the worms you put in every night and count in the morning to see if any are eaten.

I probably should of clarified myself a little better,I just sprayed her last night just to see if she would freak out,I thought if she didn't thats not a good sign. I knew leos dont like getting sprayed with water. With the UVB I had it off a few days,so I turned it on to try and see if that changed anything but no success. I do have water in there at all times and change it daily. I do have calcium in there at all times to. She doesn't have any lights at all on at night either. Im just stumped on what to do now. I will try leaving some worms in over night.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Give it time to settle in. some eat right away, mine did, others go upwards of a month before feeling comfortable enough to eat, some in a week or maybe 2. It all depends on the animal and how much you let it alone this first week to settle and exploreit's new surroundings.

Please don't use the uvb bulb. Leos are crepuscular, most active after sunset and before sunrise, they do not benefit from the use of supplimental uv like other diurnal herps do. It will cause stress esp. if your new leo has red eyes, it could be particularly sensitive. If you need to suppliment light to help establish a day/night cycle, a regular 15 watt incandescent light bulb on a timer will suffice.

When you say baby... how baby do you mean? Do you know how old it is, or it's weight? If she's a young leo pretty much all she's gonna do is come out explore a bit and go back to her safe place. It's good tho that she's coming out at all. In the future tho... don't directly spray her, the reason you did sounds kinda inappropriate to me. There's likely nothing wrong with her, she's young, and stressed and in a new environment. Maybe cover the 3 open sides of the tank so she doesn't feel quite as exposed. It could help with some of the external stressers.

Sorry for the loss of your previous leo.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Sometimes it takes several days to a week or more for a new gecko to start eating. Some gex are shy eaters and will only eat when nobody is around. Even some adults are like that, just their personality. Plus if she was housed with others, they may have bullied her when she tried to eat. It happens in pet shops and many times goes un-noticed. As Pinky said, no lights are needed for their health. Some folks like a low wattage viewing bulb, but not to leave on. She looks quite small and on the thin side but very cute

What size tank are you using? If it's a 20 long, great for an adult, but a baby would need a lot of hides, at least 6, and even an additional food dish, to feel secure in a large space. Openness can cause stress. If you're going to mist, don't spray her directly, it's stressful and causes them to become quite upset. Babies are much more fragile than adults.

 

[waternut13134]

Give it time to settle in. some eat right away, mine did, others go upwards of a month before feeling comfortable enough to eat, some in a week or maybe 2. It all depends on the animal and how much you let it alone this first week to settle and exploreit's new surroundings.

Please don't use the uvb bulb. Leos are crepuscular, most active after sunset and before sunrise, they do not benefit from the use of supplimental uv like other diurnal herps do. It will cause stress esp. if your new leo has red eyes, it could be particularly sensitive. If you need to suppliment light to help establish a day/night cycle, a regular 15 watt incandescent light bulb on a timer will suffice.

When you say baby... how baby do you mean? Do you know how old it is, or it's weight? If she's a young leo pretty much all she's gonna do is come out explore a bit and go back to her safe place. It's good tho that she's coming out at all. In the future tho... don't directly spray her, the reason you did sounds kinda inappropriate to me. There's likely nothing wrong with her, she's young, and stressed and in a new environment. Maybe cover the 3 open sides of the tank so she doesn't feel quite as exposed. It could help with some of the external stressers.

Sorry for the loss of your previous leo.

I was recommend by a vet to spray her just in case she was shedding that that could help loosen the skin. I have included a picture in my original post of how she looks. The pet store didn't know her age. Im guessing maybe a month or two. I was also recommend on the ask a vet that I did need to use a UVB bulb because they said it does actually represent the day because in there real environment they actually do have UVA light from the sun and he also said it will help them if for some reason she needs any extra help getting the D3 the bulb offers.

 

[waternut13134]

Sometimes it takes several days to a week or more for a new gecko to start eating. Some gex are shy eaters and will only eat when nobody is around. Even some adults are like that, just their personality. Plus if she was housed with others, they may have bullied her when she tried to eat. It happens in pet shops and many times goes un-noticed. As Pinky said, no lights are needed for their health. Some folks like a low wattage viewing bulb, but not to leave on. She looks quite small and on the thin side but very cute

What size tank are you using? If it's a 20 long, great for an adult, but a baby would need a lot of hides, at least 6, and even an additional food dish, to feel secure in a large space. Openness can cause stress. If you're going to mist, don't spray her directly, it's stressful and causes them to become quite upset. Babies are much more fragile than adults.

This is the tank im using right now: My leos tank

I have the 18x18x18 tank,Should I move her to a 10 gallon that I have?

 

[Dog Shrink]

I know what ask a vet is and honestly they don't always give the best advice. A noctournal animal such as a leopared gecko does not have the capability to process/absorb vitimins gathered thru the uv processes like other day time lizards do. It's just like petshops that recommend keeping your leo on sand and using uv lighting. A vet that advised you to spray yopur leo likely meant to spray her tank not her directly. You can set up a small tupperware dish or artificial rock hide with some paper towels and mist those to help with her humidity need for shedding. I saw the pic you included. I agree with Laney, she does look skinny and young. Offer her a slow steady diet of feeders on a regular schedule, but don't let her gorge right away, it needs to be a slow process until you see her putting some weight on or you could risk re-feeding syndrom (please google this). Aside of that, don't worry so much, let her be for a couple days, make sure there is a good herp vet in your area for emergencies, and if you have any other concerns feel free to ask. Everyone here is very helpful and knowledgable.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

This is the tank im using right now: My leos tank

I have the 18x18x18 tank,Should I move her to a 10 gallon that I have?

That size should be fine, but still could use a couple more hides until she's bigger. I would still use two feeding dishes tho, leaving mealworms overnight for her. She just needs some adjustment time, some gex acclimate easier than others. BTW- the advice you were given by ____ was incorrect, I'm sure not intentionally, they just don't know good gex husbandry very well. It's not uncommon. Good luck with your little girl

 

[waternut13134]

I know what ask a vet is and honestly they don't always give the best advice. A noctournal animal such as a leopared gecko does not have the capability to process/absorb vitimins gathered thru the uv processes like other day time lizards do. It's just like petshops that recommend keeping your leo on sand and using uv lighting. A vet that advised you to spray yopur leo likely meant to spray her tank not her directly. You can set up a small tupperware dish or artificial rock hide with some paper towels and mist those to help with her humidity need for shedding. I saw the pic you included. I agree with Laney, she does look skinny and young. Offer her a slow steady diet of feeders on a regular schedule, but don't let her gorge right away, it needs to be a slow process until you see her putting some weight on or you could risk re-feeding syndrom (please google this). Aside of that, don't worry so much, let her be for a couple days, make sure there is a good herp vet in your area for emergencies, and if you have any other concerns feel free to ask. Everyone here is very helpful and knowledgable.

Thank you for your help

 

[LizardPants]

Dog Shrink is right.

I'll add, not all veterinarians know how to treat reptiles either. That's acceptable, given that veterinarians have to treat a multitude of different species. They should simply refer you to a vet who specializes in reptiles, or you should seek one out on your own.
However some vets will try to keep your business even if they don't know what they are doing, and that is wrong.

 

[waternut13134]

ok,thanks for all the replies. I went ahead and turned the UVB light off,I still have the day bulb on,but thats only because I do need to set a day/night cycle because it is always dark in the room she is in. I will keep you updated on her,thank you all

 

[waternut13134]

UPDATE!!!!

Hey guys,Well I left the mealworms in her tank over night,well I saw two were missing so I got excited thinking she ate them.No,They just got out. Shes still in the humid hide,But I got to look at her today,and shes still skinny,and her skin is starting to suck in a bit,so im alarmed now. I have seen her drinking but I guess shes not getting enough,Any help? I am going to call petco as they have a 15 day guarantee and will cover any vet cost for her. Is this a matter a vet should take care of?

 

[Dog Shrink]

If you're that concerned and the pet shop is willing to cover your veterinary expenses then go for it. You could try soaking her in a shallow dish of warm water (just a few inches deep like up to her sides and barely warm to the touch) to help her hydrate more, they tend to drink some of the water when they're soaking. Make sure the dish has a lid as she will likely try to escape. Keep offering her the food. She'll eat it when she feel comfortable. You can also try dropping a couple wax or meal worms directly in front of her hide, maybe that would entice her a lil more. Also make sure the food dish is near the hide she is hanging out in just in case she doesn't feel comfortable wandering oo far away from that hide.