New Gecko owner and I need lots of help

[capnllama922]

Hey,
so I bought a Leopard Gecko about a week ago, and today he shed for the first time, i was helping him out with a Q-Tip and then out of nowhere he jumped out of my hands and seemed fine, then i picked him back up and he landed on his back, he seemed fine but im paranoid now, and the other day i believe i saw a black spot around his stomach area, any help is good help!

 

[Khrysty]

The black spot is probably his liver. Sometimes its easy to see on lighter geckos (I really freaked out the first time I saw it)

Are you new to geckos altogether? If you are, could you post your cage setup/describe your temps and all so we can help you take the best care of your little guy?

Ooh also what's his name? lol. And pictures! We really like pictures

(welcome to GF)

 

[capnllama922]

Its just one gecko his name is Sancho, I have a ten gallon tank I have the under tank heater, two thermometers one on the tank one on top on the side with the heating pad. also a hydrometer, im using paper towels as the substrate right now and his two hides are a paper towel roll, and on the cooler side in the container he came in with damp paper towels i feed him crickets 3-5 a day, and i leave a water bowl and a calcium bowl in there with him. Im really concerned about how he landed on his back, he seems pretty normal is there anyway to tell if hes hurt?

 

[Khrysty]

Sounds like you're doing everything right

A good indicator of pain is when he starts spending too much time on the warm side, getting lethargic, not eating, not drinking, etc. Also he may limp a while. They're pretty resilient creatures, though. One of my females took a 4 foot leap onto the floor the other day and she's still as lively as ever.

 

[capnllama922]

thank you! youre reassurance makes me feel ALOT better haha if he shows any signs or anything Ill post more

 

[OhioGecko]

Can you post a pic of the stomach. Put him in a jar or something trasparent to take the pic from the bottom.

He might have ruptured something internally from the fall if you didn't notice the dark spot pre-fall.

 

[Krow]

Hes probley ok, my girl loves to jump, although I never let her fall very far. My girl also has a spot on her belly, (blue) its been there since the day I got her, shes almost 4 months old now. If you ever want to buy a hide thats like a little cave or something, I'd say your best bet is ebay, thats where I got all my stuff, cheap too :main_laugh: Also, if you get tired of paper towls, linoleum is what I use. I just went to our down-home country hard ware store here, asked if they had any scraps, & they sold me 4 yards for only $3. All you have to do is measure the bottom of the tank, measure it out on the linoleum, cut it and double sided tape the corners down inside. Its so east to clean & you buy what you need once, unlike paper towls. It also asorbs heat from the lamp & gives off good & much liked belly heat:main_yes:


One thing about crickets, they cause pin worms, not good for geckos!! I feed mine superworms, & she only eats 1 or 2 every day. I have a friend that fed some of her geckos crickets & all the ones that ate crickets have pinworms now



You should post some pictures of your boy, we love pictures here!!

 

[ARiES]

yea its always good to help your leo to shed around the toe area!!and lmaoo i understand what you mean about paranoid i was the same way and i bet any other hardcore reptile owners feel the same way. and about the black thing in his/her stomach its usually purplish black and it could b an intestine or something else in their bodies so i wouldnt worry about it!!!hope all is well

 

[loulovespat]

your not suppose to help them shed, are you??

 

[GeckoHut]

Not really unless they are having trouble. As long as the humid hide is moist they will be fine if they are left alone. They actually prefer it that way As for not feeding crix due to pinworms?? If you get your feeders from a reliable source you won't have any problems with parasites. Also you can do away with the hydrometer, you really don't need one. Keep the tank dry except for the moist hide and that's all the humidity they'll need. I did the same thing for my first leo way back when, all the bells and whistles lol. But it sounds like you are doing just fine keep up the good work! Just let Sancho shed on his own even if you see some on his toes or somewhere let it go for a few days they pick it off with their mouths or rub it. You may need to place something hard that he can rub against(stone or real wood log) to get it started in the future. Good luck!!

 

[loulovespat]

Not really unless they are having trouble. As long as the humid hide is moist they will be fine if they are left alone. They actually prefer it that way As for not feeding crix due to pinworms?? If you get your feeders from a reliable source you won't have any problems with parasites. Also you can do away with the hydrometer, you really don't need one. Keep the tank dry except for the moist hide and that's all the humidity they'll need. I did the same thing for my first leo way back when, all the bells and whistles lol. But it sounds like you are doing just fine keep up the good work! Just let Sancho shed on his own even if you see some on his toes or somewhere let it go for a few days they pick it off with their mouths or rub it. You may need to place something hard that he can rub against(stone or real wood log) to get it started in the future. Good luck!!

do you have to have a moist hide, i havent got one.. my gecko sheds fine . ive had no problems with him shedding ,he gets it off all in in 20-30minutes. does he still need one??:main_huh:

 

[GeckoHut]

Yeah you should really have one it isn't just for shedding it helps keep their skin moist as well. If you put one in there he WILL use it even for lounging. When they get hot they will usually use it to cool down as well. Even in the wild they have burrows underground that are moist and damp. It will make for a happier healthier gecko!