Not eating??

[buntonn]

Hi, I have only just joined this forum, I have just got my first pair of Leopard Geckos on Monday lunchtime, put them straight into the new terrarium. I have set this up as I read in care sheets etc. So I have a heat pad off centre, the cave is half on the heat pad, the temp is sitting around 30oC. I have another cave with damp moss, a water bowl and a nice piece of tree wood. They are both active at night and seem happy, both are very easy to handle and see to relax in your hands ok.

On both nights I have put two lively crickets in, on the first night one of the Geckos made a move for the cricket but missed and didn't bother again, I have not seen the other attempt to eat even when the cricket has been right infront of her. I also put a small handful of mealworms in the feeder pot, but I am not sure if any of these have been eaten too, I remove them in the morning.

Do you think there is anything to worry about or is this just all part of the new home experience and just leave it a few more days?

I am currently using Aspen as the substrate, is that ok? I have some green carpet material on order because I have some very find sand, but I was told they can ingest this when eating and it not be nice for them, the geckos are about 6-7 inches in length.

Thanks for reading and any advice you can give.

Nick

 

[pilsboy]

first off, try not to manipulate them in the first 1-2 weeks to let them adapt to their new home.. 2nd.. what sex are they?? if male and female do u plan on having them breed?? 3rd its normal for them not to eat right away cause of theyre adapting to their new home/stress.. mealworm u can leave them in a good bowl in the terra akk the time... dont worry when theyre gonna be hungry they gonna eat them...

 

[katie_]

Aspen is worse than sand in my opinion. Its too sharp and they may accidently eat it.
I also agree with the above comment to seperate them and to limit handling.

 

[thewind]

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id be afraid they would ingest carpet fibers by accident...you can go to a local flooring store and get some vinyl flooring..the new vinyl there making today is prety thick allmost an 1/8 in. its great for insulating the bottom of the tank and can be washed without falling apart...you can find it in wood,rock,and stone patterns...and in alot of cases you can pick up these smaller peices for free...just go in the store and see if they got any discontinued samples or left over scaps from a job..i end up with tons left over from jobs we do : )

 

[katie_]

I hear vinyl can leek chemicals when heated by a UTH. Tile doesnt

 

[thewind]

I hear vinyl can leek chemicals when heated by a UTH. Tile doesnt

melted vinyl would definatly leek something..but would see no reason for temps above body temp..ive put heat guns (hair dryers) to this stuff and heated it up to hot to touch and it does great...it does have that new vinyl smell for a week or so but wouldnt consider it toxic...and no grout lines to clean like on tile
i have seen a few nice tanks that people have tiled with ceramic that look so good i wouldnt mind cleaning grout lines : )
and im in the process of setting up another tank and still kicking around the idea of using both (the vinyl on the back and sides and bottom with the tile over the vinyl on the bottom) should hold the heat really well while usuing the least amount of electric...with 6 tanks going im allways trying to save a buck lol

 

[LeopardShade]

First off, welcome to the forum!

Where did you purchase your geckos? What genders are they? Do you know how old they are? Sorry for all the questions, but this information will help others continue to help you.

I have just got my first pair of Leopard Geckos on Monday lunchtime, put them straight into the new terrarium.

This is a big mistake beginners may make when they obtain multiple animals at one time. To ensure optimal health for the geckos, a quarantine (or separation) period of at least thirty days or so is essential. This way, any health problems that the gecko may have obtained from where it was previously kept can be ruled out and treated appropriately, if there are any. Quarantines also ensure that the individual animal is eating, drinking, defecating and behaving normally. If you put multiple geckos together whom have not gone through appropriate quarantine, you risk one of them potentially catching an illness that the other may have. Seems improbable, but there is still a risk. I would try to separate them as soon as possible for now.

I am currently using Aspen as the substrate, is that ok?

Any loose substrate should be avoided with leopard geckos. While it may initially appear safer than sand when it comes to impaction, like katie mentioned it can actually prove more dangerous. The pieces are sharp and could do greater internal damage if accidentally swallowed. Carpet is fine.

You need to keep in mind that these geckos have been in your possession for, at the time I am writing this, only about three days. Everything around them has changed and is very new. Moving can be very stressful for reptiles, and it is extremely common for them to resist food while acclimating. As long as the animal is healthy otherwise, it will eat when it is settled in and hungry enough. Some just take longer than others. One of mine took nearly three weeks before it began to accept food regularly. The key is to keep stressors at an absolute minimum. This means no handling (a huge stressor) and only disturbing the enclosure for maintenance.

I hope this advice has helped. Keep us posted please

 

[Gembodh]

After pair leopard gecko won't eating. Maybe mood of eat lost. It's normal for gecko after pair. Wait until 2 or 3 days and try again give the cricket. Maybe your gecko want eat the cricket.