Settling a new adult leopard gecko

[HydeJR1986]

Hi everyone, first post here, I'm James and a first time gecko owner although I've kept other pets like tropical fish for a while.

The reason for my post is I am looking for some tips on how to best settle a new adult Leopard Gecko.

I bought her on Saturday and the poor thing had an awful time as the shop she came from didn't have anything adequate to put her in and so put her loose in an old mail sack. The drive home was only 15 minutes but it really stressed her out. I got her out as soon as I could and into her new viv. She seemed OK at first, although a little jumpy and explored the back if her tank. Since then she's either been in hiding the whole time or has been laid with her body twisted and her head pressed against he foam insert at the back of the tank and just sits there for hours. (See below pic)



I know some geckos have initial stress and struggle for a few weeks when they move home but I would like to know if I can help the process of settling in any way and should I be concerned about her behaviours. If I go anywhere near her she recoils and backs up. She seems so scared all the time.

She seems very healthy though, has a nice plump tail and has no signs of injury.

Any tips would be appreciated. Ie should I stay away from her tank and not look in or is this ok to do? Should I try hand feeding or leaving crickets to roam and mealworms in a dish? Any advice at all on how best to help her would be great.

Here is a breakdown of her environment:
20 Gallon ExoTerra tank
Eco Earth Substrate
1 warm hide and 1 cool/moist hide
1 heat mat on a thermostat and thermometer. Ground temp on warm side is 30 centigrade.
Water dish with fresh water
Small dish with calcium powder
Mealworm dish with gut loaded mealworms
I have also added a few crickets that disappeared by morning so she's obviously eating them ok.
Few decorative plants
ExoTerra LED light (I've been switching this off so not to dazzle her although this isn't very bright)


Thanks guys

 

[acpart]

Welcome to GF. She does look really healthy. In my opinion (others may differ) the best thing to do is to try not to disturb her too much, but to also accustom her to the regular goings-on in her new environment. So, while you're not going to stick your hand in and grab her for a few weeks, feeding, changing the water dish, removing poop, and just looking at her as you go by are things she'll have to get used to. I do have some leopard geckos that spend most of their time hiding and that's just the way they are, but I think avoiding as much direct confrontation as possible, while going about your business in her presence gives you the best chance to help her adjust.

Aliza

 

[equinelove93]

Its very normal for a gecko to be stressed from moving to a new home and to hide . I would try to avoid any handling or excessive disturbances. Except for cleaning the cage and changing her water.

Remove any uneaten crickets after 30 mins. I've had my leos get very stressed out from some crickets disturbing them by nipping and crawling on them during the day while they are sleeping in the hide.

I wouldn't recommend any bright lights as supplemental lighting isnt necessary for geckos (so good job on turning off the light) bright lights can also cause stress.

If for some reason you need an over head heat lamp ( if you room temp is very low) stick with a ceramic heat bulb that emits no ligting.

One thing i always do when bringing a new leo home is I place the vivarium in a very low traffic area in my house for about a week just to minimize the ammount of disturbances.



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