New here and have a couple questions.

[jasper]

Hello everyone, my son and I have decided about 2 months ago to get a leopard gecko. We setup everything and 9 days ago we got our first leo. I have attached a pic of the enclosure which is a 40 breeder with UTH. Warm side is constant 92 under hide, cool side is 75. Is that to cold for the cool side? If so how would I go about regulating the cool side? Humid hide is placed in the middle of the enclosure. We ended up getting a normal female from a local shop that I trust. She is massive, I don't know what she weighs, but she is just under 9 inches. My other question is how to get her to eat more. In the first 9 days she has eaten a total of 8 crickets. Is it time to worry yet? She won't even look at mealworms. Anyways thanks and any suggestions on how the spruce up her house would be appreciated.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

1) Don't worry about the cool side. Leos move around different temperatures to regulate their internal body temperature. If it's too cold, she just won't go there. But the most important thing with reptiles is options, so it's good to have it available if she needs it.
2) I would add more dry hides if I were you. I use a 20 long and have three. I'd say a 40 gallon could easy do with 4 or 5. The more hides, the more options she has to pick what temperature is best for her, and the more secure she can feel. She might even eat better with less open space in the enclosure because, at this point, if she gets too hot, she has to walk to the other side of the tank in the open before she can find security again, and especially with her being new, this is probably stressful.
3) I wouldn't be concerned about her eating. She looks to be healthy, and your setup looks fine, so there's no apparent reason for her to be sick. Reptiles are likely to eat less (or not at all) after a move to a new place, as it's very stressful for them. Some can even go a couple weeks. As long as she's not losing a lot of weight, I don't think there's need to be concerned.

Just checking because I don't see a calcium dish, what are you supplementing with?

~Maggot

 

[jasper]

Dusting crickets. Should I leave a dish in at all times with calcium?

 

[Embrace Calamity]

That depends what brand you're using and how often you dust the crickets.

~Maggot

 

[jasper]

Repashy calcium plus.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Then I'd say don't worry about it. Just dust everything she gets. You can add pure calcium if you want, but I doubt it's necessary if you're using Repashy.

~Maggot

 

[jasper]

Thank you!!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

You're welcome. Maybe someone else can come and give you some more tips that I may have missed. Oh, and I wouldn't handle her until she's eating normally - as tempting as it is. She doesn't need the added stress.

~Maggot

 

[KTyne]

I agree with everything said already, looks like you're doing good so far. 74 I don't believe is too cold for the cool side but I wouldn't let it go any lower than that.
As for the eating thing just give her a few weeks and she should settle in. Also, if she is used to a smaller enclosure she may be stressed from being in such a big tank. Add more hides like already mentioned and maybe add some fake plants and other cover so that she can find cover in pretty much any corner of the tank.
If you're already trying to handle her, don't. Let her settle in for 1-2 weeks before even trying to pick her up, this should help her settle and start eating.
My Leo, Prim, was in a 40 gallon when I first got her but she was used to living in a 15 gallon for the past 4 years. She was really jumpy and was just NOT settling in and so I moved her into a 32qt tub and she was settled in within a couple of days after that.
Good luck!

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I agree with everything else said. I wouldn't worry about the cool side. If its too cool she won't go over there and will stay at a place that's a better temperature. A 40 gallon tank IMO may be too big for her and you may need to downsize it but I would see how she handles it before heading out to buy a new cage.

She looks pretty chunky so she could stand to fast a bit and lose a few grams. It's not unusual for geckos to stop eating in the winter or after a change in environment for a few weeks or so. I wouldn't worry about her not eating enough