UTH Enough?..Vet said no.

[lclaypool20]

I purchased a gecko about 2 weeks ago. The first few days things were great. Eating up to ten small crickets a day, alert, tail looking good. Earlier this week my gecko stopped eating. I had weighed him on 1/7 and he weighed 8.9 grams. I weighed him yesterday and he weighed 6.5 grams. My set-up is a 20 gallon long tank with the medium zoomed UTH. On the warm side I am getting 93-95 F measured by an infrared therm. On my cool side the temp is 70 F. The UTH is 12" by 8" and takes up approximately 35-40% of tank. The other side 65-60% is Cool-70 F.

I took my gecko to a reptile vet yesterday and he informed that the cool side was not warm enough. He thinks that my gecko has started going into brumation. He stated that I need to get my cool side up to 80-85 F. I purchased a light and now have my cool side at 84F. We will see how it goes. The vet didn't seem too concerned about my gecko's weight loss. He thinks once I get the tank to the right temp (both sides) that my gecko will be fine. I mentioned parasites and my vet says they are not real common in young geckos and he wasn't concerned about them. He said if things don't turn around in a couple of days once cage temps were right he would like to see my gecko again.

So here is my question. What does everyone think about this diagnosis/assessment? Most everyone on this site is pretty convinced that a UTH is all that is needed as long as it covers 1/3 of the enclosure and the temps are right (90-95F). I continually read posts on here "my gecko stopped eating". I don't know if my vet is wrong or right...time will tell. Just curious to get opinions from those that have more experience than i do.

Thanks-
LC

 

[Jusselin]

I am going through the same thing myself. From what I have learned so far is that the gecko can sense the seasons no matter how warm you keep the tank. Brumation will happen some times and when it does all you can do is let it run its course. It isnt any thing major to worry about, keep offering food regularly and take any crickets out of the tank at night so they dont annoy the gecko. As far as the UTH goes, it should be sufficient. You need to worry mostly about floor temp not so much air temp. If you feel the need though you can get a smaller UTH and put it on the side of the tank on the warm side. I have done this to bring the temp up in my tank. I usually put it next to their warm hide.

I am not a pro at this, just sharing some experience I have had so far with your situation. Hopefully some one else will chime in in a bit as well.

short story...everything sounds good - add heat if you feel like it - feed regularly even if not eating

 

[lclaypool20]

Thanks for the response. Curious to see what others think. Just to add the vet said he thought that the gecko hadn't entered brumation. The problem with the weight loss is due to the fact that the before brumation there is a period that the body will keep the same metabolism, but the gecko is getting the signal (via tank temps) to stop eating and prepare for brumation. Again, I am hoping this is why my gecko has stopped eating. I have corrected the temp problem and should know soon if that was the issue.

thanks-
LC

 

[Jusselin]

some times they can stop eating due to stress as well. To be honest your setup sounds on point. What substrate are you using?

 

[Jusselin]

i have a gecko right now who has not eaten in nearly 2 months. She is still alert when I handle her but she is very in active and sleeps alot in her warm hide. I am ruling it brumation at this point as well.

 

[KelliH]

Hi Les. A leopard gecko the size of yours should be eating daily. I don't think a 70 degree "cool side" would matter to a baby leo, as long as it has a 90-95 degree warm side. Your setup sounds ok as far as temps. Do you have a humid hide in the cage for the gecko?

 

[lclaypool20]

My substrate is vinyl tile. From what I have learned brumation for an adult healthy gecko with sufficient fat stores shouldn't be a problem. My concern is the age of my gecko ~3 mos. and the fact that it lost almost 2.5 grams. I happened to take a picture of my gecko when i weighed it at 8.9 so the vet had a comparison. There was a major reduction in tail size. My vet really thinks it is not a concern if I get the tank properly set. I am still not convinced. If the gecko doesn't eat and continues to lose weight I am taking him back to the vet on Wed.

Thanks-
LC

 

[lclaypool20]

Kelli-

I did have a humid hide in the cage and that might have been causing some problems as well. My gecko, being new has spent the majority of his time in the humid hide. I had moss moistened in the hide. The hide looks like a stump with a hole on top. It also has a pretty thick bottom. When i took the top off and measured temp it was at 75 F in the moist hide. The hide is placed directly over the UTH with the floor temp measured by infrared at about 93F. I think the thickness of the hide bottom was not allowing it to get warm enough. I have removed the moist hide for now.....left it in took off the bottom and placed it directly on the substrate where it measures 93 F. I really hope this was the problem. I have got to get this guy eating. I understand the importance of the moist hide for shedding. My gecko has shed once since I had him about a week ago. I'm trying not to bother it or add non-needed stress. I will keep my eye on the situation and hope things turn out ok.

Thanks-
LC

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Ah ha, there's the most likely culprit, the hide not able to be up to temp. A lot of folks like to use plastic sandwich boxes with a hole in top or side as a moist hide. The little guy needs a warm hide

 

[lillith]

I would concur that the "cool" side should not be in the mid-80s. Upper 70s is more ideal, to my mind (74-78F). A lot of vets aren't as species-specific knowledgeable on geckos as one would hope. However, it's also not uncommon for new geckos that have been with you for less than a month to "go off feed" for a few weeks. Keep offering food, maybe try mealworms or small roaches instead of crickets. How often are you feeding your little guy? I know everyday is ideal for juvis, but maybe try every other day for a week or so. Also, what size UTH do you have? If it's not covering 1/4 to 1/3 of the tank, it could be affecting your temperature gradient.

Is he pooping regularly? Does it look compact and normal, or runny? That can give clues about digestion, too.

Welcome to the forums, I hope you'll get us some pics of the little guy as soon as he's settled in.
P.S. What Laney said, too!

p.p.s. Primus Sucks.

 

[KelliH]

p.p.s. Primus Sucks.

How dare you! :behead:



[YT]IaCXxqRNNcc[/YT]

*addendum and off topic to wax nostalgia for a minute*

No one ever crowd surfs anymore. :-(

They're too busy holding up their smart phones. Damn I miss the 90's.

OK, back to geckos.

 

[marc26]

Agree with above ^^^^

Also Try silkworms as they love them, should only be for treats due to be very fattening but may tempt him/her to eat and the fat could be useful.

Sorry agree with lillith

 

[Jusselin]

Agree with above ^^^^

Also Try silkworms as they love them, should only be for treats due to be very fattening but may tempt him/her to eat and the fat could be useful.

Sorry agree with lillith

er...uh... I think you mean wax worms.

 

[Jusselin]

Is he pooping regularly? Does it look compact and normal, or runny? That can give clues about digestion, too.

I thought about impaction too but she said the vet checked out evrything....

 

[Dimidiata]

Please get the humid hide in there -_-. They will need one when they shed wich you may not see happen lol. I never see rango shed, never know when he does. Occasionaly i may see him light in color wich means it may happen but even then i hardley see that. So long as you have a cool,warm and humid hide and are providing good food(mealies may not cut it, try some crickets) then i think your tank is fine. NOW what about parasites?

 

[lclaypool20]

Couple of things....

1. Not a Primus Fan...actually more of a Phish guy. My legal name is Les Claypool. I know its crazy, but my Father had the same name and neither of us play bass guitar.

2. I asked the vet about parasites and after physically examining the gecko he didn't think that was the problem. before the Gecko stopped eating the stools looked good. I haven't seen one for 5 days, though. I even mentioned bringing a fecal sample and the vet said that would be an option if he was convinced the cool side being too cold was not the issue.

3. I have a bowl of small mealworms in the enclosure as well as offering crickets.

LC

 

[Jusselin]

the vet ruled out parasites with out looking at any poo-poo-caca?

 

[lclaypool20]

Not necessarily ruled parasites out, just feels that once I get temps back to where he thinks they need to be on cool side that it will take care of the problem. I was leaning towards parasites, based on what I read on this forum. i'm not a vet, but I think the abdomen can show signs of parasites if affected, also lethargy is common and the gecko is very alert and active. Again, never seen it first hand just what I have read. Also, stools while eating were normal. I don't have a fecal sample to provide and won't if he doesn't eat soon. I will be curious to see what he eats tonight...if anything and then would be open to suggestions if he doesn't eat anything. I'm trusting this vet as he is very well known and respected as a reptile vet in my area. The recommendation came from 2 local vets that don't treat reptiles.

LC

 

[KelliH]

Did you purchase the gecko from a breeder or a pet store?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Don't worry about the ambient temperatures. As long as your gecko has a warm place that is around 90-94 degrees belly-heat (UTH), there is nothing you can do about the cool side tempratures unless you keep your house at 90-94 degrees or below 50 degrees. A UTH is sufficient otherwise.