New Leopard Gecko hiding and not eating

[alexpmurray]

My new leopard gecko is about two years old and he came from a previous owner who didnt hold him much but did feed him. I have held him a bit but not too much because i dont want to stress him out, i have placed food in the cage such as mealworms (in a bowl and offered using tweezers) and crickets just around the vivarium but he refuses to eat ! It has been 4 days now and im worried!
Any tips on how i can get him to be comfortable with me and to get him to eat!
Also he stays in his houses a lot in the evening until i go to sleep and then hes awake more, why ?
I had some small stones but i have got rid of them and just use the toilet paper
Thanks

 

[Dreamsong]

It may just be adjusting to the new environment. If there's a light on until you go to bed, he/she may just not like the light, thus the hiding until you go to sleep.

 

[alexpmurray]

Yeah he's in my room and its quite loud !
When should he start eating again its been 6 days

 

[NikkiC223]

They are more active at night anyways so that is normal for him to be in there during the day...especially if its loud and there is a lot of light. My 5 year old Leo might go from hide to hide during the day but he comes out mainly at night which is when I feed him. With the feeding, he is probably still getting used to his new home. I adopted my leo and he didn't eat for almost 2 weeks (previous owner didn't take good care of him) but once he was used to his new home and me, he started eating and has gained a lot of his weight back. I wouldn't worry too much about it...maybe put a pic on here so others can see his condition. Its pretty easy to tell by how they look if they are healthy. Hope that helps.

 

[alexpmurray]

Hes getting a bit pale so i think hes ready to shed his skin! His owner said it was siz weeks ago since he last shed his skin, but i dont think that makes them shed their skin, does it?
Anyways
Thanks !

 

[NikkiC223]

He looks pretty big so I wouldn't worry about him not eating for a few days. Since they store they extra fat in their tail, is he is deprived, they take it from there. I wouldn't worry too much, he will come around when he is used to his new home and start eating again. Beautiful leo by the way!

 

[alexpmurray]

Hi
he is still not eating ! Getting a bit worried !
also how do i go about feeding him for the first time, im new to all this!
Thanks

 

[Phantom240]

They shed every so often. From what I understand, they usually don't go six weeks between sheds, so he's likely due for one, as you said he's getting pale. Also, I hear some leopards lose their appetite while shedding. Lastly, I wouldn't worry a whole lot unless he starts visibly losing weight. Chances are it's probably just stress related from moving.

 

[Poppy243]

My girl seems to eat less a few days before, and obviously a few days after, shedding time. More than likely, the owner didn't see the gecko shed. They seem to be very good at being sneaky about getting it all off! As it sheds, a leopard gecko will pull the skin off and eat it. Poppy went from eating about 20 mealworms in one sitting to less than 10 this past shed, so just give him a chance to shed, and then give him a few more days, and try again. I have seen a tip on feeding from another place that if you are having trouble getting your leo to eat, try gutting a mealworm and offering it to them with tweezers. Just make a little slice in the mealworm's belly, about 1/3 of the way down the body from the head I'd say, and let the dark guts kinda spill out a little, then offer it. But try this if he still hasn't eaten after a few days after shedding completely.
Also, my leo was uninterested in mealworms for a while. I don't think she found them squirmy enough to be appealing while they were in the bowl. So now I feed her outside of her cage in a tub. This has worked very well for her, and seems to have also gotten her more comfortable with being handled, since she knows we aren't going to eat her, and sometimes we give her food when we take her out.
These animals are very hardy desert animals. Like other desert species, they store energy supplies in their body, and can go days without food. He looks nice and plump, so he can definitely go a while without eating and be perfectly fine!

 

[alexpmurray]

So about a week and a bit ago he ate like 2 wax worms, but ever since then he's not even noticed the mealworms, i gutted one of the waxworms he licked it and wasnt interested.
Im starting to think it could be the way im keeping him, it could be the tempertature hes being kept in, the heat mat is 30 celcius but the cage is about room temp, should i get a heat light just to warm it up a bit inside? Would that make him more likely to eat because of digeston?
Also i leave 7 mealworms in a clear bowl every night to see if he eats it but he doesnt!
Also (sorry about this) i don't even know if hes a guy, ive tried sex him but hes too timid, but from what i see he hasn't got those pores. Any tips on how to properly do it?

Ill try gutting a meal worm and see how that works!

Thanks everyone!