hi all, this is my first post, might be a bit long but I really need an advise, so...I bought two leos from craigslist around march, didn't know much about them (which was my first mistake), there were two of them in an aquarium and they looked ok,i was told they don't have fat tails because they are babies. When I brought them home I did everything that I was told to do, the set up was ok, I had food water but....I never seen them eat, I thought they just might be like that since I never seen a gecko in action so I wasn't alarmed at first, but days passed and still no signs of eating, tried crickets ,mealworms, wax worms but nothing, after couple of weeks one of them died, he seemed fine the evening before....my son was really sad so I decided to go to ++++++++ and get him a new one, he was great, since the first minute he was eating, hunting, alert and very cool to look at. Than I knew that there was something wrong with the first two from the beginning. The new leo was thriving while the other one was slowly going down. She looked basically dried out, her tail skinny, she didn't move much at all, didn't eat , layed down flat on the surface and by the end was not really aware of her surroundings, I noticed something dark in her belly and bloody discharge around the rectum, she passed the next day;-(....so we were left with the new guy, and he/she was doing great, shaded 3 times within weeks, and had no issues. Now after the last shedding which was around week and a half ago he stopped hunting and I have been picking u the crickets back from his enclosure every morning, he is not interested in the worms either.....I have been reading and researching the cryptosporidiosis in geckos, and the images and description or the disease sounds and looks just like the gecko that died and now im super worried that this one might have it since hey were in the same enclosure...what do I do now? sit and wait and provide the best care ? I read that it can be transmitted to humans which really worries me, can anyone give me advice or maybe dealt with this problem??
very worried;-(
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DrCarrotTail
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I don't believe that crypto can be transmitted to humans so I wouldn't panic about that. Most breeders recommend quarantining new animals, especially away from any you suspect are sick, and disposing of or seriously sanitising any materials you believe came in contact with a sick animal. One of the reasons for this precaution is that crypto is highly contagious and there is no cure. If your gecko has it the kindest thing would be to bring him to a vet and have him put down.
That said, I don't know what is going on with your gecko. It may not be crypto, it could be something totally treatable and curable. If he were mine I would start by collecting a fecal and sending it to be tested for crypto. The best place to do this (possibly the only place ) would be Avian Services Center: DNA sexing and disease testing for all species of birds. If your gecko is reasonably healthy and has a fairly fat tail I might wait to see results of that test before heading to a vet since if it is positive there won't be much a vet can do but ease his pain. If he is sickly and thin you might not want to wait to bring your gecko and a fecal to a local vet so he can be tested for other parasites and possibly treated and possibly saved. A good place to look for a certified reptile vet is arav.org.
Best of luck either way! Fingers crossed for your little guy!!
That said, I don't know what is going on with your gecko. It may not be crypto, it could be something totally treatable and curable. If he were mine I would start by collecting a fecal and sending it to be tested for crypto. The best place to do this (possibly the only place ) would be Avian Services Center: DNA sexing and disease testing for all species of birds. If your gecko is reasonably healthy and has a fairly fat tail I might wait to see results of that test before heading to a vet since if it is positive there won't be much a vet can do but ease his pain. If he is sickly and thin you might not want to wait to bring your gecko and a fecal to a local vet so he can be tested for other parasites and possibly treated and possibly saved. A good place to look for a certified reptile vet is arav.org.
Best of luck either way! Fingers crossed for your little guy!!
DrCarrotTail
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Also, providing the information in the sticky for this section might help people give better advice.
http://geckoforums.net/f130-health-medications/70912.htm
A picture would help folks understand his condition as well.
http://geckoforums.net/f130-health-medications/70912.htm
A picture would help folks understand his condition as well.
thank you, yes I agree I should have separate the new gecko, i honestly didn't thing the first two were sick, i didn't know their behavior was not normal until the new gecko arrived. The one now is looking good for now i will post picture in a bit im just worried about the loss of appetite since he was eating great before. i told my son not to touch him just in case;-/...i honestly didn't think it will come with all these issues although i know i started wrong...i deal with dogs, train breed and stuff and im very new to geckos, i should have done way more research before purchasing one ;-(
sex/age unknown, owned for a month and a half
20 gallon tank, reptile carpet , the only one in there, i have a heat mat and a lamo if needed, temps measured with a thermometer with probe and a regular thermometer 90on warm/75 on cool (ordered the uth tem regulator)
defecated two nights ago/normal
feeding calcium dusted crickets, mealworms
sex/age unknown, owned for a month and a half
20 gallon tank, reptile carpet , the only one in there, i have a heat mat and a lamo if needed, temps measured with a thermometer with probe and a regular thermometer 90on warm/75 on cool (ordered the uth tem regulator)
defecated two nights ago/normal
feeding calcium dusted crickets, mealworms
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Belly heat is needed to help them digest their food, an under tank heater (UTH) really helps them out, though a lamp could be used. Since you have both, I'd personally go the the heat mat.
Do you know if the previous owner was using any additional heat source? Even if the two geckos you'd originally acquired were babies, that tail is painfully thin. They might have been sick, but it could very easily have been from improper care.
Did you also get the cage and accessories from the previous owner?
Also, what exactly did the old owner tell you as far as cage setup, feeding, heating, etc? They might have passed on improper care :/
You also might want to consider removing the green stuff in the new leo's cage. It might eat it by accident which could cause blockage.
Do you know if the previous owner was using any additional heat source? Even if the two geckos you'd originally acquired were babies, that tail is painfully thin. They might have been sick, but it could very easily have been from improper care.
Did you also get the cage and accessories from the previous owner?
Also, what exactly did the old owner tell you as far as cage setup, feeding, heating, etc? They might have passed on improper care :/
You also might want to consider removing the green stuff in the new leo's cage. It might eat it by accident which could cause blockage.
the picture of the skinny one is soon before she died, she gradually became like that, plus she got lethargic and completely unaware of surroundings , she had hard time picking her hear or walking even, she dried out , it was very hard to watch,
the previous owner dumped them on me and left , said he didn't use any heat since the room he held them in was warm enough. might have been improper care, i bought a lot of things, they came with basic set up, and since they were with me i have never seen them eat!...i spend a whole lot of money for them to have all they need, i asked in the store million questions what else i can do to help them but nothing worked, i wish i have thought of the forum before
as far as moss goes he loves when its in his hides, when i removed it he just didn't use the hide at all so i put it back, never seen him eat it
the previous owner dumped them on me and left , said he didn't use any heat since the room he held them in was warm enough. might have been improper care, i bought a lot of things, they came with basic set up, and since they were with me i have never seen them eat!...i spend a whole lot of money for them to have all they need, i asked in the store million questions what else i can do to help them but nothing worked, i wish i have thought of the forum before
as far as moss goes he loves when its in his hides, when i removed it he just didn't use the hide at all so i put it back, never seen him eat it
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Make sure you're using a quality vitamin and mineral supplement like Repashy Calcium plus. Your current gecko looks to be a perfect weight for a male. I like mine "athletic" looking without being super obese as many I see. As leopard geckos grow their appetite will taper off. Monitoring their weight is a MUCH better gauge of their health than worrying about how much they eat. You can pick up a cheap gram scale online for $8-12 and weight your geckos once every week or two. If you notice a steady decline in weight totaling more than 10% of body weight then I would start to worry. It is natural for them to fast every now and again but not to starve themselves.
Sorry about the loss of your original two!
Sorry about the loss of your original two!
ok, ill do that, currently im waiting for a new moist cave that I ordered and the thermostat since monitoring the temps can be a full time job;0...y know when I see that the lever of care for this little guys is beginner i wonder if i just had a bad luck with the first two or it not really that easy, i loose my sleep over them , watching the last one ied was horrible since it took a while;-/ even thought im very new to geckos im not a dummy, i am a vet assistant(not working currently as i am stay at home mom), and a dog trainer, i love animals and generally speaking i know a little about them, i didn't thing there is so much that goes into geckos;-) thanks for all the info, i will observe him , i think he ate last night i pur 5 crickets and i only found 2 in the morning...i feed him every night is that too much???
i dust the crickets with the rapashy calcium plus every time....he used to eat like 8 every night plus bunch of mealworms, after shedding he always took a couple od days break from eating but this time its longer, i took out the moss, i left it only in the warm/moist hide
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I feed my geckos that are over 25g every 2-3 days. Those that are over 40g get fed every 3-4 days. Males especially don't eat that much. Many of mine refuse to eat more than once a week and I've read that periods of fasting between meals may be beneficial for them.
Leopard gecko are super easy to care for as long as you follow a few basic recommendations and don't over think it. Less is more for these guys (in my opinion). Regulated Under tank heater around 90 degrees, warm, cool, and moist hides, 10-30 gallon tank, no direct sunlight or light and non-particulate substrate alone with a quality vitamin/mineral supplement and a rotation of at least two types of good quality feeders. Many of the issues arise when folks don't do one of these basic things or try to provide too much without understanding the animal they're working with 100% and then failing to meet a basic need. Many times environmental stress can cause a very small issue, to become a much larger one.
Leopard gecko are super easy to care for as long as you follow a few basic recommendations and don't over think it. Less is more for these guys (in my opinion). Regulated Under tank heater around 90 degrees, warm, cool, and moist hides, 10-30 gallon tank, no direct sunlight or light and non-particulate substrate alone with a quality vitamin/mineral supplement and a rotation of at least two types of good quality feeders. Many of the issues arise when folks don't do one of these basic things or try to provide too much without understanding the animal they're working with 100% and then failing to meet a basic need. Many times environmental stress can cause a very small issue, to become a much larger one.
i agree 100 %, i overthink it cause im just learning, never had or really knew anybody with lizards so im learning on my own and making some mistakes. Getting the first two didn't help, cause it stressed me out. My thermostat arrived and the new hide, i put tiles in the bottom since i found a perfect ones in my garage, lol...no more changes i don't want to stress him more, now i will try to figure out how to set up the thermostat with the timer, lamps and under tank heater
i use the blue ligh for the night and regular white bulb for the day as needed, is the red one better???
thank you for your replies, it might be obvious to you professionals;-) but its all new to me;-) if anyone needs help and advise on a dog ill be happy to help hahah;-0
i use the blue ligh for the night and regular white bulb for the day as needed, is the red one better???
thank you for your replies, it might be obvious to you professionals;-) but its all new to me;-) if anyone needs help and advise on a dog ill be happy to help hahah;-0
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I find that most lights dry out the enclosure and over heat it. I would recommend not using it at all unless your house is under 65 degrees the majority of the time. Ambient tank temperatures are fine around room temperature and tend to be a bit warmer (75-80) because of the UTH. If they are close to 90 you're overheating your gecko. Glass aquariums are kind of like cars with half opened windows. If sunlight/heat/light etc. is shining on them they heat up a lot more than the room around them. The smaller they are they more they heat up since they have less area for the hot air to escape.
From the reading I've done I understand that geckos can see white and red light. Black light (possibly the blue you're talking about?) is the only kind I've read that they cannot see. I believe any direct overtank light or sunlight streaming into a tank is stressful. If you want to use a light you need to provide hides that are deep enough and dark enough that your gecko can get 100% out of the light. The open hides you have in your tank do not provide enough protection from the light to make your leo feel secure.
Of course there are other opinions on this but again, I believe that less is more
From the reading I've done I understand that geckos can see white and red light. Black light (possibly the blue you're talking about?) is the only kind I've read that they cannot see. I believe any direct overtank light or sunlight streaming into a tank is stressful. If you want to use a light you need to provide hides that are deep enough and dark enough that your gecko can get 100% out of the light. The open hides you have in your tank do not provide enough protection from the light to make your leo feel secure.
Of course there are other opinions on this but again, I believe that less is more
ok, got it.....now that i put a tile on top of the heating mat i see the tempt o be at 91 at the hottest spot, which is great, it was way to hight on the carper and that's why i bought the thermostat, ill keep checking the temps i might not even need it , the cool side is around 75, its a 20 gallon long tank, the thermostat is not great its not digital and have one probe im not even sure where to place it in the tank;-/
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The probe should go under the warm hide right over the UTH. You want to be measuring the temperature on the ground under that hide. NOT the temperature of the air in the tank (what I call ambient temperature above). The gecko needs to warm his belly on the heater not be 90 degrees all over
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Putting the probe on the UTH also assures it doesn't get too hot. If the heating pad gets over 105 degrees it can burn your gecko and cause serious injury if it gets much hotter than that.
ok, that's where i have the thermometer probe now, on the floor, in the hide...so basically the most important temp is the one right on the hot spot....the rest of the tank i don't have to be as worried about....thank you so much im going to set the thermostat on 90 than7
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My house temp tends to be between 68-78 depending on the season and time of day. I haven't had an issue with heat not being enough. I have racks so I take the probe from my thermostat and tape it down directly onto the heat tape and then measure the temps inside my bins. I set the thermostat to whatever temperature makes the bin floor about 90-92 degrees. On one rack the temp is set at 98 to achieve this and the other one is at 93. The temp for thermostats is usually set warmer since the probe is on the heat tape and the bins are slightly raised off it.
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