Not eating :( what to do?

[CoffeeLuver87]

Got my very first reptile 11 days ago, a leopard gecko, and she stopped eating two days ago. She is about 5 months old and she shed her skin about four days ago. I had a basking light oringally on the tank but talk to the pet store and they suggested an infrared light. They said it would be safe to keep it on all the time and her tank stays about 90 on the hot side and 80 on the cold but she is always on the hot side or has been for several days. She is on reptile carpet, but I'm switching her to paper towels tomorrow just to be safe. I saw her accidentally eat some moss about 6 days ago, it happend while she was striking at a cricket, is this bad? is it made to be digestable? She has never been very good at hunting so I switched her to meal worms about 4 days ago. I'm just worried because she is a juvenile and I thought she was supposed to eat every day. I've been dusting meal worms and crickets with calcium powder. Should I seek a vet or what? When should I take action and how?:main_huh: Please help any advice is apperciated, Thanks

 

[Dog Shrink]

I'm not sure what weight/age leos start their first ovulation but I have heard they will go off feed when they are (I believe. Don't quote me on this I saw it on another thread. IDK if she was gravid or ovulating). Also it would dependon how much moss she ate. If it was just a little bit and not a HUGE mouthful it should pass. Moss is all natural it isn't "made" so just like any foilage it is likely digestable to a point. Did she eat her shed? She may be a little backed up from this as well. Give her a warm soak for about a half hour the next couple days to help move things along in her bowel if you're concerned about blockage. Also do you have an under the tank heat mat? They need belly heat to aide in digestion. Is she pooping? I don't think the carpet should present any problems unless she's biting off pieces of that too on a regular basis. If you don't see her losing any mass she should work thru this, I'd give her a couple more days then if you don't see improvement you might want to consider a vet visit or some other support methods (repti aide or the like) that are already mentioned on the forum (I can't think of them specifically but I'm sure some of the pros will chime in).

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Even juvs will sometimes skip a day of eating. No need to be alarmed unless this behavior continues. However, having a light on all the time will stress her, even to the point of not eating. Stores want to sell accessories and as you read thru the forums you will see that many pet shop employees recommend them. Plain and simple, leopard geckos do NOT require special lighting. They do require heat, which is best achieved with an under tank heater appropriately sized for their tank. Get a probe thermometer to measure the warm side, they're usually not more than $10. A thermometer on the side of the tank is useless.

As far as eating moss goes, if she is pooping all is well. One of my girls ate a gob of moss with a worm and regurged it not long after.

 

[CoffeeLuver87]

thanks sooo much for the advice, this is greatly appreciated! I will try the warm soak and I'm gonna turn off her light tonight, she shouldnt get too cold because she does have the undertank heater, and I will soon invest in other thermometers, thanks again

 

[Dog Shrink]

You're welcome. Just try not to panic... it should all be fine, besides we're here for ya