New breeder question.

[William Carty]

Ok I bought out a closing pet shop that my friend owned and she had a male and female leopard gecko housed together in a 55ga tank. Once I got them home I have them a few days to calm down and I moved him out to his own tank. She has me worried. She sits around all day doesn't move around the tank much, and has he eyes kinda drooped down a little. She looks fat and has a fat healthy tail. No signs of stuck shed, mites, or other easily detected health issues.

My question is when a female is a gravid is there any sure fire way to tell. I have only had them for a few days so I am unsure of ovulation. She is not eating but I am unsure whether its because of the new environmental or because of something else.

Is there any personality traits to a gravid female? does she act differently? I know there is a lot to answer in this thread but I would appreciate any help you all can offer.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

First off, not eating for a few days is not a big issue for a healthy adult gecko. They can easily go of food for a week or two without any ill effect and only minor weight loss.

Other than eating a bit less or not at all I don't think all females react to breeding the same way. I would give her a hide filled with cocoa fiber or sphagnum moss and she may dig a bit. You can look at her belly and compare what you see to the pictures of ovulating and gravid females in the sticky in this section. Eggs are pretty obvious and quite a bit whiter than the fat bodies or other organs.

A 55gallon tank is a pretty big enclosure for a single gecko. Does she have enough hides and an easily accessible heat gradient? What are you using to heat the enclosure? It might be a good idea to fill out the info on set up, feeding, and behavior asked for in the "health and medical issues" sticky. This might help people give better advice about what could be the issue if it is not being gravid or moving and/or make sure you're husbandry is perfect

 

[William Carty]

Thank ya for replying dr. Ya I agree that the 55 ga tank is a lot for one female but atm its all I have I here is pic of the enclosure

I have a lot of hiding places in the enclosure , hot hide, humid hide, cool hide, and lay box (just in case). Heating with a 100w heat lap until I cant get a 55 ga UTH. holding a ambiant temp of 83. 90 degrees surface temp in the hot hide.74 cool side surface temp... not quiet sure what more to do.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Wow that is one cool tank! Id love to come back in my next life as your gecko....haha. For a 55 gallon I would almost recommend 2 smal UTH in opposite corners rather than one big one so the gecko doesn't have to travel across the cage to find the perfect temperature. You could also use one small one and keep the light on the other side to provide options. I would also give her a box filled with dirt where she can dig if you think she might be gravid. Like I mentioned before, digging is a behavior gravid females display more than non-gravid ones (although some of mine like to dig, males included, regardless)

She looks healthy to me. Is that the cage she's been in for a while? I wouldn't worry too much after a big move if she doesn't eat for a week or two. I would pick up a scale and weigh her every week or so and if she starts to lose weight I would start to worry. More than 4-6 weeks off food (depending on size and health of the adult gecko) and/or more than 10% of body weight would make me head for a vet with my animals.

 

[William Carty]

Alright I will pick up some scales and keep a eye on her weight and ya this is the same enclosure that she has been in. I have a lay box with moist eco earth for her. Any suggestions on scales?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Sounds like you have everything set up nicely. I would just keep doing what you're doing and (I forgot to mention) keep a small bowl of calcium in the tank. If the female feels she needs some they will munch on it directly (you should dust her food so she gets some when she eats too if you're not).

As for scales, I picked up a cheap one on amazon: Amazon.com: American Weigh Signature Series Black Digital Pocket Scale, 1000 by 0.1 grams: Kitchen & Dining a bit small but it works well enough with a deli cup or sandwich container on it. I like the tenth of a gram accuracy for hatchlings. Anything that reads with 1g accuracy or finer should work well for adults. I find food scales with 2g accuracy better for larger snakes but not really great for leopard geckos.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I would try removing the red light. It's a really unnatural color light for them to see, which they actually see much better than we do. I'd be willing to bet you'd see a noticeable increase in activity if you used only a regular light or none at all. Otherwise, it's a pretty awesome enclosure (I'm jealous), and the Doc's suggestions sound good to me.

~Maggot

 

[William Carty]

Ok thank you both Is a black light ok? regular light would keep the boss aka (the wife) up and that might not go down to well ahahha..

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Ok thank you both Is a black light ok? regular light would keep the boss aka (the wife) up and that might not go down to well ahahha..

You don't want any light on 24/7. That will really screw with their day/night cycle. I don't personally like the idea of using any colored lights at night, though some people use black or blue lights. If the room is bright, you could use a ceramic heat emitter 24/7 because it doesn't emit any light or use a regular colored bulb and a CHE at night.

~Maggot