Trouble with my new Gecko

[INDRAJM]

Hi,
i posted a few days ago in introductions. I've had my Gecko for almost a week and she is still not eating.

she is about a year old. I have her in a 10 gallon aquarium with a uth mat and a 60 watt day/heat lamp and 60 watt night/ heat. She has a humid hide on the cool side and a log hide on the hot side. I bought her from a pet shop. She is shedding. I have a probe on the floor on the hot side. It's in the high 90's the cool side is about 77.

I've offered her mealworms, butterworms, waxworms and crickets. Nothing. She did look a bit interested in the crickets but then just ignored them.

she has pooped twice since I've had her. The 1st time it was well formed and dark. Last night it was a bit loose and green. Should I take her to a vet?

Thanks for any help.

 

[indyana]

The loose/green poop is a little concerning, so if that continues, I would suggest taking her to a vet to be tested for parasites. Still, if you've only had her one week and she is shedding, I would not be too concerned with her not eating yet. Make sure she goes through the shed all right, and continue offering her food without harassing her. She may need some quiet time to settle in. If she continues not eating for another week, begins losing weight, or the strange poop continues, more action may be necessary.

Your setup sounds all right. The high 90s on the hot side floor may be a little too hot for her. See if she's spending time laying on the hot spot, and if not, you could drop the heat a little into the low 90s. Also, log hides aren't very closed off to the light (if it's the type that's a half log?), so she may not like that style of hide. Could you maybe post a bit about her behavior, where she hangs out, etc.?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Your gecko needs a 90 degree warm spot where it can rest it's belly but if air temps are around 90 it is probably too hot. Get a $15 under tank heater I don't recommend using lights on anything smaller than a 30 gallon. They tend to heat up and dry out the whole tank. It may not hurt your gecko immediately but in the long run it will.

 

[INDRAJM]

Thank you for your replies.
she spends time under the log and in her humid hide. I had the humid hide on the hot side and she stayed in it 24/7. I moved it to the cool side after reading that it should be on the cool side of the tank. She now goes back and forth between the two. She is very guarded. If I am doing something in her tank she will often leave whatever hide she's in and go to the other. She looks both ways and then heads to wherever she's going.

if I don't use a light how will she get her light? I'm also worried about the cool side getting too cold if I take it away. The daytime bulb is red. I read they don't see it so it doesn't bother them? The nighttime one is blue. The light is bad for her?

i really only want to take the very best care of her. I want her to thrive.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Leos don't need a whole lot of light. They do best with no direct light over the tanks and only ambient room like (if you can read a paper back book in the room then there is enough light). I use under tank heaters on my geckos enclosures. They need a 90 degree warm spot to put their bellies on. They are fine without any more heating than this unless your house drops below 65 degrees. Lights tend to heat up the whole enclosure rather than the floor. This can be bad for them and tends to dry out the air in the tank which makes it harder for them to shed. If I were to use any light I would use the blue/black light 24/7 since they can see red light and white light can hurt their eyes (especially if they're albino) and stress them out. She may be guarded because she's in a new environment and unsure or everything or because she's not used to the light and activity around her. I would triple check your temperatures and make sure she has a warm hide that's no more than 92 degrees, a cool hide around 70-75 and a moist hide to hang out in.

 

[INDRAJM]

Ok, I turned off the red lamp. The cool side is 70 and the hot side is 91. She keeps moving back and forth between the two. I will keep the blue light on at night. It's still really chilly here in upstate NY. My house is at 65. We aren't running the heat.
my house is very active with 5 dogs and 4 cats. She is in the dining room because it's on of the warmest rooms. Hopefully she's just adjusting to it all.
my fingers are crossed...

 

[DrCarrotTail]

As long as it doesn't go much below 65 she'll be fine. I only recommend heat lamps in houses where the heat is below 65 for the majority of the day and night. That amount of activity would make me nervous! I bet she's just adjusting. Many of the leos I keep in my relatively quiet livingroom while quarantined become much more social and active when they are moved to my rack where I assume they feel more secure.

 

[INDRAJM]

Thank you Lisa for all your help. I actually turned off the night light too. It raised the temp up too much.
I ordered a repti 500 theramstat and calcium without D3. I have calcium with d3 in her cage.
she is still not eating. She has skin on her toes from her shed. I know she shouldn't be handled but I had to mess with her to look at her toes and I sprayed her with a reptile spray.
i also read that I should put her in a lidded container with moist paper towels and let her stand in it for 30 minutes. When should I do that?

I have to admit this Gecko is starting to stress me out. I've really spent a bunch of money on her. I'm really at a loss as to how to help her feel more comfortable here.

i'm going away this weekend so her care will fall on my partner. She's not nuts about me having her. She will take care of her though because she is kind hearted. I just want to have these problems ironed out....any suggestions?

 

[INDRAJM]

I just went to check on her and there was a big white blob in her cage. It was jelly like. What is it?

 

[indyana]

Sounds like a urate, which is basically gecko urine.

You should probably go ahead and do the humidity treatment and try to get her toes clean. It's not good to leave the skin on there, even at the risk of stressing her out a little. After the skin is softened up, you can try to roll it off over her claws with your fingers or a cotton swab.

Besides that, I can only recommend continuing to offer her food and getting the cage floor temperature regulated when you receive your thermostat. If you're only going to be away for the weekend, I wouldn't be extremely worried. You can pick up where you leave off next week.

 

[INDRAJM]

Nix went to see the vet yesterday. The vet is very knowledgeable about reptiles and the tech used to breed Leo's.

Nix is is healthy. She is in full shed. He wants me to make her eat baby food with some fish flakes in it to get a stool sample. He wants to check for parasites. He also said to soak her feet in water for 30 minutes to get the skin off her toes. When I told him she hates it when I try to roll the skin off, he said she just has to deal with it.
i took the white blob she left in her cage too. Turns out she laid an egg!!
all of these factors along with being in a new home is probably why she's off eating.

 

[indyana]

Wow, guess I should have asked how large the white blob was! Good that you saw the vet and got some care tips. I hope Nix improves soon.

 

[leolover7]

I would leave it towards the low 90's. Other than that you sound pretty good. The poop may be because she was stressed (if she does it again I suggest taking her to a reptile vet). Leos usually don't eat for the first week to a month. I wouldn't worry. Your leo will gain the weight it loses, trust me,

 

[tov_13]

if its pooping, its eating. the overhead light and heat might be a problem, they need belly heat to help with digestion. also, overhead light and heat can stress them out