Not eating... Temps an Issue?

[suz830]

I got a baby leopard gecko about 2 weeks ago, she did great the first week and then suddenly stopped eating... I took her to the vet yesterday and she said that the gecko looked great, she only weighs 1/4 of an oz, I'm not sure how much she should weigh but it seems she has lost weight and is much duller in color than she used to be.

The only thing the vet seems to think is the problem are perhaps the temperatures. I have a cave that I put her spot light above. It is about 95 on top of the cave and 80-85 inside the cave where she spends most of her time. The vet suggests that I get it about 95 inside the cave.

I didn't realize they needed temps this high... I have heard that they don't because they are not basking reptiles like bearded dragons so you must take care not to over heat them.

Anyway... any suggestions... do the temps the vet suggested seem right?

She hasn't eaten but I small cricket about a week ago... I am starting to get really worried.

 

[ElapidSVT]

geckos don't like light and dont' bask. get a proper undertank heater. so the animal can properly thermoregulate, turn off the light and it's quite likely that the animal will eat.

being nocturnal, they prefer to live/eat in the dark.

good luck!
rob

 

[rince]

Hello Suz830,
first of all welcome to the forum! I am glad to read that you take the well being of your gecko serious and you even went to the vet because you felt your baby is not doing well.
You are right and Leo hardly bask, at least not the same way than other geckos or reptiles would. They don't seem to 'sit in the sun' for extended amounts of time, but they need heat none the less.The most important thing when it comes to heat for leos is 'belly heat'. A heat lamp might be a good addition if your tank is so big , that you are having issues keeping the ambient air temperature up.
Your primary heat source should be an undertank heater (UTH). You should provide your animal with a heat gradient and I would suggest to aim for ~91F on the warm side and the cold side maybe around 75-80F. This will give your baby plenty of time to thermo regulate. So yes, temperatures are a factor when it comes to eating or even general activity levels. You could also try and get a different feeder. Try crickets , mealworms or even dubias.
Don't be to concerned, as ong as their tail does not get skinny, they are fine and can go a few days without food, later as grown adults during ovolation it can be even weeks. Also just before they start shedding they will eat less, at least mine do.
If the tail of your leo get's skinny, you can try give waxworms to fatten it up, or a slury (a good recipie is found in the feeder section of this forum) but I don't think you will have to go to that right now. Give your leo the belly heat he needs to digest his food and I am sure he will be fine again!

Dennis

 

[suz830]

I am weary of UTH due to burning the lizard... but I have heard a lot of people using them so that might be what I need to do.... I will get one on the way home from work.....I was trying to simulate what kind of heat they would get in the wild from the sun which comes from above them.

Her tail is already skinny... she was so little when I got her she didn't have any fat stored. She ate crickets very well the first week so I will stick to them for now. I have also been putting baby food on her mouth to try to get her to get some nutrition.

I will also give her a bath when I get home to make sure she is hydrated.

 

[prettyprincess3690]

I'm almost positive that a UTI will completely help this situation...when leos do not have the proper belly heat they cannot digest their food, and may just stop eating all together. Thermostats can be used to regulate temperatures of the UTI's, but I've never personally had an issue with UTI's burning geckos (it's really the ceramic heat rocks that cause the most trouble with burns).

It's a quick and easy fix UTI's cost around $20. In the meantime though, try waxworms and slurry.

Good luck with everything!

 

[rince]

Hello Suz830,
usually a UTH should not hurt your leo. Nevertheless you should make sure that you control the temperature. The luxurious choice would be a thermostat, the more affordable solution would be a rheostat. So you should at least consider buying a rhesostat as well. Rheostats are available from around $30 and they are basically a dimmer. You should measure the temperature on the surface of your habitat.
How does your leo's poop look like? Is it solid?

 

[suz830]

I was going to buy waxworms yesterday when I went to get small crickets but they seemed too big for her... once she starts eating her baby crickets I will get her some waxworms.

Thanks everybody... I hope she starts eating soon.

 

[rince]

No worries, wax worms are not to big, not even for a baby like yours.

I was going to buy waxworms yesterday when I went to get small crickets but they seemed too big for her... once she starts eating her baby crickets I will get her some waxworms.

Thanks everybody... I hope she starts eating soon.

 

[Bellalee]

I find the small crickets are too small! I would get mealworms also, and yes waxworms also...

 

[suz830]

How does your leo's poop look like? Is it solid?

It was solid the first week but she hasn't eaten in a week so there is no poop. I bathed her and the next few days she was excreting just clear liquid.

Do y'all have suggestions on UTH... I have a 10 gal... What size and wattage would be appropriate to get the temps up around 95 in her cave?
My house never gets cooler than 75...

 

[suz830]

Look I posted a picture of my cutie... this was the day after I got her... Her name is Samira... It means "friend of the night."

 

[rince]

again, you will need something to control the temperatures of an UTH. The UTH should cover between 1/3 and half of the ground floor (under your tank of course, not inside). Depending on your dimensions I guess an ExoTerra DesertHeat Wave small (or maybe extra small, depending on the dimensions of your tank) should be fine, maybe together with a rheostat, or even better a thermostat. In general all of the major bbrand UTHs should be fine, everyone has their favourites I guess.

 

[prettyprincess3690]

I personally use the zoo med Repti-therm UTI, and it's been great so far. For a 10 gal, you want the dimensions to be around 6 x 8 (small).

 

[Gregg M]

Leopard geckos are nocturnal. however, like all nocturnal reptiles, they do bask... Your leo should have a hot spot of at least 95... Ambient air temps are important as well and should not be lower than 80 degrees even on the cool end...

 

[Ehatcher]

...but gregg, thats not what the guy at the pet store told me ...

 

[suz830]

Okay... I got the UTH inside her cave it is sitting right at 95... she now seems to be spending more time in her humid hide where it is not 95.
I still cannot get her to eat her feeders....

When do y'all think I should start to see improvement?

 

[rince]

Well it should take a couple of days. What do you mean by 'I got the UTH inside her cave' I hope the UTH is on the outside of your terrarium and not inside ...

Okay... I got the UTH inside her cave it is sitting right at 95... she now seems to be spending more time in her humid hide where it is not 95.
I still cannot get her to eat her feeders....

When do y'all think I should start to see improvement?

 

[suz830]

No the UTH is on the outside of the cage.... but I have it placed under her cave.... so it is 95 on the floor inside her cave... I also placed papertowels in there because it was getting too hot but I feel I have the temps where the need to be....95 in her warm cave

Why do you think she is spending more time in her humid hide.... I just got her out to feed her and her body was very cool.
Should I take the humid hide out so she will go in the warm cave?

 

[rince]

I would say 95 is a little on the hot side, but maybe still within the tolerance. 92F is what I am aiming for in my setups. Also, if you had to put in paper towels to make the temperature come down, you should take into account that i the gecko is sitting on it, it will compress it and therefore the insulation will be less and temps might rise. Also paper towels might move and then it might expose spots with higher temperatures as well. I can only stress the point over and over again, if you are struggling with temperatures, get a temperature controller, either a rheostat or a thermostat ...
I know it is an extra expense, but the well being of our little friends should be worth it.

Being in the humid hide can have multiple reasons, either temperature or maybe she is close to shedding. How long since her last shed? Did her color change? No, don't take the humid hide out of the enclosure. You might move the humid hide closer to the warm side to raise temperatures. What are the temps now on the cool side and on the hot side? Please measure on top of the floor and give it about 10 minutes before reading the temperature. Also what is the humidity in your cage?

 

[rince]

Also just put a dish with mealworms in the cage. She can then eat when she is hungry. Waking her up and draging her out of the hide will not help her to eat. She will be scared and will most likely not eat. Either wait till she comes out in the evening by herself to feed, or just have a dish in there at all times. You have to renew the mealworms every day and gutload them again, so they have enough nutritional value.