Probably Nothing but just checking - is this problematic?

[aburningflame]

My patty whos normally quite active has been in the moist hide ever since i put it in. its bene a few months and everytime i look hes ALWAYS there. does he just enjoy it? the temp inside the moist hide is about 80F

i havent seem him eat within a few days - although his tail is still fat and he seems healthy - clear eyes, clear breathing spaces

maybe he just isnt hungry.

 

[prettyinpink]

You didn't have a moist hide before?

Sounds like he just likes his moist hide all my leos sleep in the moist hide

 

[aburningflame]

i had never recognized a need for a moist hide - i would mist one area of the tank wen i noticed they would grey (start shedding)

when i added the laybox for the female (moist vermiculite, hot side of the tank) they spent a lot of time in there together

now i switched from day bulbs to a UTH, the female spends her time on the UTH after feeding, the male spends his time inside the laybox

 

[prettyinpink]

Probably the reason they're spending so much time in the moist hide (lay box) is because you want to have a moist hide in the tank. You may not think there's a need for it, but there's one and that's why they're in it

As for the reason they're liking the UTH is also because you should've already had one. They absorb the heat threw their stomachs The light on top is just to show it's day light. At least that's what others have told me.

Hope that helped

 

[aburningflame]

yep i said "had" recognized

i know theres a need for a moist hide now - although i still think misting is a perfectly fine substitute but the hide box is way more convenient

i also know about the UTH thing - i was just pointing out that the female no longer spends that much time in the moist hide - i was hoping the male would come lay on the heat mat too, ive placed him on it to show him theres heat there

but he just doesnt seem to take to it - he feels cold to the touch wen i pick him up - probbaly from being the moist hide all day

 

[aburningflame]

its the eating part im worried about..but his tail hasnt gotten skinnier - should i assume hes eating and i just dont see it?

 

[prettyinpink]

I'm not sure how he'd eat without you seeing it. How are you feeding? And are your temps accurate, as in you're using a temp probe to measure them?


Honestly, I have no right answering that question as my Beau is on food strike. If he doesnt' start eating soon I'll be taking him to the vet.

 

[MiamiLeos]

The list of necessities for a leo is very short:
1) belly heat
2) water dish
3) moist hide
4) periodically dusted feeders
Seeing as you were missing 2 out of the 4 things required for te basic care of a leo, I'm not surprised one is stuck to the heat pad and the other is enjoying the moist hide. out of my 30ish leos I would say about 25 of them sleep in their moist hide. I have mine on the warm side so this probably attracts them even more. But leos love their belly heat and they love their moist hide. Why, because they need them. Simple as that. As for his eating, they go on strikes every now and then. Anything under 2 weeks (unless there is significant weight los) I don't worry about too much, just monitor it. He will probaby eat soon, especially now that he's got the proper humidit and belly heat he needs.

 

[aburningflame]

they had belly heat - a day bulb would heat a log from above nad the substrate under that log was belly heat enough

ive switched to a heat mat because it is way more beneficial

i didnt have a moist hide but i would mist the tank every few days with increased misting during sheds

shes not "stuck" tot he heat pad - she just likes it...she moves into cool areas too. the other one is enjoying the moist hide - i realize the benefits of it now

Forgive me for my confusion - but with the wealth of information ive taken in over the last 6mths or so there have been many many conflicting sources - i am sure your husbandry methods have changed.

with that being said - i am doing my best a nd i dont take offence to your advice - just realize that some of us are more inexperienced than you

they were only without a moist hide for about 1mth (even then i would mist) and the UTH i applied a lil while ago after some advice given to me by another breeder - i was told by pet stores that day bulbs would be fine

anyways ive learned a lil more and become a lil more experienced and i have fixed everything ..and btw ..the way i feed is ill drop 10-15 crix in, and then watch for a bit, then leave them to their business - so sometimes i dont see them eat...i also have a small dish with mealworms, and ocassionally i add some super worms to the dish

its only been about 3 days - but i was worried that his overspending time in the moist hide along with a reduced appetite could be early warnings - was just double checking . i threw some dusted crix in his moist hide, he gobbled them up - i think hes starting to dislike supers - he used to eat them decently before - who knows maybe hes just not hungry

miami thanks for the advice - just remember that some of us do our research but get presented conflicting information - that is why i joined this forum - to be informed

my last weeks after work have been spent readin on geckos, genetics, etc etc, watching videos on breeding racks, and other stuff

forgive my small mistakes

 

[prettyinpink]

No worries, we're trying to help. That's what we're all here for

For one thing Bridgette wasn't saying that she was 'stuck' on the heat pad... it was just a saying

" i am sure your husbandry methods have changed. "
I know what you mean. You'll read one thing, then another time read something else that says it's ok. It can get very confusing at times. Esp. the substrate debate.

As for the crickets are you leaving them in there and not taking them out? Because they will tend to eat on the animals where ever they are. Including leos.


Sounds like you're doing a nice job reading everything and coming and asking for help

 

[MiamiLeos]

Esp. the substrate debate.

Oh no! The dreaded substrate debate!!!:hanged: lol

aburningflame - I apologize if I came off as condescending. The truth is, I dont like to type a whole lot so I just type the facts and I can see how through text, just the facts can seem harsh. We were all newbies once, and I so wish I was on a forum like this when I was first getting into herps. Anyways, sorry for my brusk approach But I have to admit, I am also wondering if you are taking the leftover crickets out of the enclosure after an hour or so. Crickets are omnivorous and are not at all afraid to take a cunk out of a leos tail - or worse. I could tell you some real cricket horror stories, but I'll save those for another time lol.

 

[aburningflame]

heres my girl

as for crix - i put a lil piece of potato in 1 side of the tank - the crickets sit there all day and dont bother the gex...theyre usually only 1 or 2 crix left over