Possible Health Issues...Please provide help if possible

[Marriott1012]

Hey everyone,

I just got a leo from my aunt who bought a young leopard gecko from a local pet store and she had him for a bout two weeks. And before that the pet store told her that they had him for a few weeks. So I am guessing that he/she is between one and 2 months old. My aunt said that she aw him eat once in the two weeks she had him.

I got him Monday and he has not eaten yet. He does not seem very interested in live prey, sometimes he stares at them and acts like he is going to eat but doesn't. He has pooped twice since Monday also, even though he has not eaten. Could this be due to the fact that it takes a long time for him to digest his food.

Also I have observed him drinking from his water dish a few times so I know he is getting water, and he moves around a lot inside his cage especially once his lights go out.

He is very small. Has very skinny legs but seems alert and very aware of his surroundings.

He is in a ten gallon tank. Has two hides one on the warm side and one on the cool that has moss in it which I mist with water. He has a bowl on calcium lick, a water bowl, and I recently put a dish of meal worms in to see if he would eat those at night. The warm side of the tank is heated by a UTH and a 50 Watt Inferred bulb. This keeps the air temp in the high 80s and the ground (reptile carpet) around 88-92. The cool side is generally around low 80s into the 70s. I am also waiting for a 20 Watt UVB "Dessert" bulb to come in the mail so he will have a better source of "day light" currently I am leaving my bedroom light on. At night the little guy is heated using a 50 watt moonlight blub. I turn his UTH off so it can cool his warm side down.

Any advice would be of great help. This is my first little reptile. Many years ago I had an Iguana for about 4 years.

 

[satyr666]

He may be stressed from changing homes multiple times I would give him time to adjust and not handle him for a while. Shutting the UTH down at night is also not necessary the belly heat actually helps them digest their food. A ceramic heat emitter (CHE) may also be a better option than a UVB bulb bright lights can stress Leopard Geckos out, because they are nocturnal they do not require a UVB bulb they get their vitamin D from supplements. Hopefully someone with more experience will comment perhaps he is just a picky eater.

 

[Marriott1012]

So it will not be too hot for him to have the UTH and the nightblub on at the same time? Also I know they don't need the UVB but I felt that it is helpful for any animal to get as much VD as possible so I got it. And also the moonlight bulb could be stressing him out, but he does not hide from it so is that a sign that he is content with it. Do they make a 50 watt CHE because at the local pet stores I could not find one for that wattage. Thanks for your quick reply.

 

[katie_]

I use a digital therm. to monitor temps. They're around 16 dollars, you can probably pick one up at PetSmart if you have any concerns with temps

 

[satyr666]

Just make sure on the warm side that your temps don't go above 94 and it's fine for the UTH to be on all night. If your temps are getting too high get a thermostat or a cheap lamp dimmer from home depot to regulate it. CHE's come in many different wattage's I own a 40 and a 60 I'm not sure if they make a 50 though. As far as how you can tell if he's stressed from the bulb I'm not sure I'm relatively new to reptiles myself, the way I look at it though is that Leopard Geckos are a nocturnal species they don't need the light or particularly like it so why provide light for them? With the UVB bulb I know there has been some debate on it's benefits some like them some don't so that's entirely up to you. You could also try some different prey, you mentioned mealies in your post maybe try crickets or Silkworms perhaps he's used to a certain prey item from the pet store where your aunt bought him.

 

[LeopardShade]

I agree with what's been stated above. It can take them a while to settle in and feel comfortable with their new home and surroundings before they will eat. One of my geckos, when I first received her, took nearly two weeks before she began eating regularly. I'd hold off on handling and let him settle in before becoming concerned. Minimizing stress is essential as well, a stressed-out reptile will not eat. Since he apparently is active and drinking, I wouldn't worry too much for now. If he is defecating, that means he's eaten something recently, which is good.

And yes, leopard geckos need Vitamin D3 to help facilitate the absorption of calcium, but since they are nocturnal reptiles, the preferred method of administering those vitamins is through supplementation of prey items. Like stated, it's ultimately up to you, but I'd ditch the UVB light and stick to powdered supplements.

You do not need to worry too much about air temperatures for leopard geckos, as they absorb heat through their bellies. I use a ZooMed UTH controlled by a Rheostat 24/7 and it seems to work just fine. They generally don't need daylights, as the natural light from outdoors or the lighting in your room will suffice. I only use an overhead lighting source (red reptile bulb) if it's particularly cold or if I want to view them during the night. But whatever you need to keep the optimum temperatures stable (88-93 for warm side), by all means use.

 

[Marriott1012]

Thanks for the advice everyone. To my amazement he finally ate last night at about 2:30 in the am. He ate a meal worm and then a cricket, from a little dish I have in his tank, this made me very happy. I live in upstate NY and it keeps cold, especially right now that is why I am using so many ways to heat him. My digital Thermometer is on its way so I am anxious to get that because I do not trust the dial ones, I have four in his cage now. I found another dropping today which is a good sign. He is doing well it seems it just took me off guard that he wouldn't eat and is so small but now I feel re comfortable and confident that he will be ok.

 

[Marriott1012]

Could you tell me what type of thermostat you use if you would

 

[LeopardShade]

That's good that he ate.

I use a Zoo Med Rheostat, you can generally find them in petstores. You plug the UTH into it and you can control the heat output. This helps prevent the UTH from becoming, for example, too hot on a hot day, or too cold on a cold day.

 

[satyr666]

I just use a Lutron lamp dimmer that can be found at Home Depot or Lowes for around $10, Its the same as a Rheostat you can adjust it by manually checking temps. You can get thermostat's such as the Herpstat from Spyder Robotics that can hold a specific temperature and drop temps at night but they tend to be pricey (basic model around $140) I'm sure theirs some cheaper options out there but I don't know of any.

 

[Marriott1012]

I thought about buying a lamp dimmer but I decided to purchase the Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats I am wondering if any body has used it. It was on sale for 30 bucks so I got it.