new geckos

[eric]

when should i start worrying about (the not eating part) of newly acquired geckos; also all the females stay in there humid boxes almost all the time.. is this normal? i have a female that is not eating her tail is nice and plump. she was received a little over a week ago should i be concerned?

 

[Leopardbreeder]

LOL! I have the 100% same problems with some fat tails that I will be summer sitting! I gave them more crix today, and they just sit there.

 

[2.1SRR.YYC]

I'm no expert but most geckos won't eat after a change in environment or after being shipped. Maybe they're stressed out after changes to their environment. One of mine went almost three weeks without eating but some how managed to gain weight from what the seller quoted pre-sale?? Go figure...

Some geckos are very picky eaters so a nice variety of food items helps. I have one that only eats crickets and another that only eats worms. I'm sure if I fed the worm eater nothing but crickets for a month she would go a whole month without eating.:main_rolleyes:

If she has a nice tail I wouldn't worry about the lack of eating thing. She'll come around. Try to get a scale so you can monitor the weight and see if she is really loosing weight.

As far as staying in the moist hide, mine do that all the time but when I stick my hand in the cage they usually come out to say hello. This is probably due to the fact that the moist hide is sitting right over the heater. If they've had a big meal they will usually stay in the hide and play anti-social. Probably too stuffed to move!:main_laugh:

Make sure you have a warm spot in the cage with a surface temp of about 90 degrees as they need the heat to properly digest their meals. After eating you will see them migrate to the warmer parts of the cage and lie down to sleep and digest.

To answer your question directly, I would wait until you see the gecko getting visibly thinner with the tail loosing it's girth. If it get's this bad it's probably time to intervene and visit a vet.

 

[eyelids]

That sounds perfectly normal. Leos will spend the majority of their time hiding regardless...

 

[eric]

thanks for the advice i have a scale and i've weighted them when i first got them and then a week later and there weights are increasing so she must be eating something(fat reserves)?she hasnt lost any weight.. i am feeding them or trying to feed silk worms,crickets,meal worm,butter worms and (wax worms not all the time) and the rest are eating just fine but her ive tried hand feeding her a wax worm and nope she wants nothing to do with it or me lol..also i am getting an ap rack and its on its way i hope this transition does'nt cause them to revert back to being scared of me i finally got the male to come out on his own and i can put my hand in and he climbs up pretty cool. one other question by putting the calcium and vitamins in the dish with the worms can this cause problems for the gecko(if the worm ingest the dust and the gecko eats the worm and picks up more dust can this cause a problem?

 

[crs]

That extra weight is probably water that she has drunk, because the weight that is on an animal or human is from the fat reserves and when they use that fat reserve they burn it for energy so thats what makes them lose weight. If she isn't losing any weight then don't worry about it. Don't mix the types of food up so much because it could cause her more stress. Just offer her the food item that she was being fed. Leave her alone for a while until she starts eating or noticeably gets thinner or until she loses about 15% of her body weight. If she does get thinner or lose 15% of her bodyweight then you might wanna start trying to get a fecal to the vet. But until then don't get worried or stressed.

 

[MichaelJ]

I agree with everyone.. A fecal is always a good idea when acquiring any new animal..

Do you know what he/she was fed before they were purchased? Sounds like you've tried them all so chances are it's just stress. If they still gaining weight than I definitely wouldn't worry too much. But a vet visit may calm your fears. You can also try giving her some syringe feeding with Repti-Aid or Marcia's slurry mix.

I've seen that some will wait up to a week to start eating and will hide for awhile until they adjust. They are getting over a shipping, transport, etc. and getting used to new smells, tastes, etc.

All of mine hang out in their moist hides during the day and roam around and hang out in the warm hides at night.. so thats normal. I would wait until you her walking around and acting normal. She probably scared and needs some time.

Imagine a giant picking you up, shipping or transporting you, and then dropping you into a new house and then sticking it's hands in the house constantly.. you'd be scared too..

Calcium in the dish every other feeding is fine.. light amount though..