Reflections....

[tommyburgerz]

So my new gecko has still not eaten anything in 1 week now. I watch him wander around his tank with a moonglo night light on. It seems to me he sees his own reflection and he keeps getting spooked by it. Could this be why he hasn't started eating? Is he in a constant state of stress?

I have to say, I've been very patient but it still worries me he won't eat. I have a jar with lots of superworms in the bottom. He sees them but never goes to eat them. I tried 1 small roach nymph, it ran all over and even snuggled right underneath my Gecko. No response at all. I put the roach in the dish with the mealworms turned out all the lights and left. Hopefully something will happen.

In all honesty I'm getting a little discouraged.

 

[gothra]

If all your settings and temps are right, he could be still settling in the new environment? With regard to the reflections, you can cover the outside of the tank with white paper, then he won't see as much reflections. I custom make my own glass tanks, and I used sanded glass on the sides to avoid reflections.

I hope he'll eat for you soon. (Have you tried crickets? Some geckos are really picky in terms of food...)

 

[LadyGecko]

I agree with Bonnie

Shut the night light off and leave it off and make sure that the temps are correct

Is the tank in a quiet part of the house?

Also-you might want to find out if you are feeding him/her the same insects that he was used to-then again-sometimes they just like to drive us crazy and will switch insect preference -lol

Also-is he in a tank and perhaps he was kept in a tub by his breeder?
That would be a major change for him

Are you using an under the tank heat source for him?

If he has good weight to him and some tail fat then I would not worry over one week of not eating after moving him into his new home

His moving around and exploring the tank at night -that is a good sign

Keep us posted and good luck with him

Sandy

 

[tommyburgerz]

Thanks for the advice....

As for his set up, it is a 10 gallon breeders tank so 1/2 the height but same floor space as a 10 gallon. I have a UTH set up, controlled by a thermostat set to 90 all the time. The substrate is repti carpet. His tank is in a very low traffic room, in fact the only time we really go in there is to check on him.

For the first time since he has been in his tank, he found his moist hide and is now sleeping in it at this moment. Maybe he's gonna shed soon as I hear they will sometimes slow their eating before a shed.

I'm gonna try crickets today, hopefully that will trigger something. The only thing is I would never give him a cricket without watching to make sure he doesn't become cricket food so there will have to be some light in the room. He will most likely see his reflection again, but we'll see how that goes. I have 2 sides of the tank covered with black paper and the back is close to a wall painted blue. the only side he can see out of is the front.

I'll keep you guys posted.

 

[gothra]

The black paper will creat a clear reflection of him; if you want to avoid this, I think its better to replace that with light colored paper.

 

[tommyburgerz]

Thanks for the tip.

I decided today to put the paper on the inside of the tank to cut out all reflections. I would really just like him to eat something, anything. If this cuts out the stress for now then I can deal with that. I just want a healthy gecko that eats something.

 

[nats]

Thanks for the tip.

I decided today to put the paper on the inside of the tank to cut out all reflections. I would really just like him to eat something, anything. If this cuts out the stress for now then I can deal with that. I just want a healthy gecko that eats something.

I agree with all the others.
Reflections can be a problem if your leo isnt used to glass.
They do adjust to it, but it can be a slow process, and can take alot longer than 1 week.
A young leo will usually start taking food after 2 or 3 days if all conditions are right (ie. correct temp and hiding places to provide a sense of security).
Adults take longer to adjust.
You could try a few wax worms to stimulate interest. Then you could hand feed a few crix to help establish trust.
Also, you should not attempt to handle him until he is eating properly and trusts you.
Hang in there and continue to be patient.

 

[tommyburgerz]

Update...

So after 1 week I think he finally settled in. He is now eating small crickets every other night. The first night he actually attacked them, but the 2nd time I had to hand feed them on the tongs.

He is using both his dry and moist hide now.

He is also warming up to me and is no longer running away every time he sees me.

Things are looking up!

 

[nats]

My male LV snow runs to the wrong end of the tank when I'm feeding because he sees reflections.
This is what I would really like to have, 3 of them!! :main_yes:

http://www.customcages.com/index.cfm?do=detail&productid=1