what type of geck do i have?

[rocket]

Hello this is my first gecko, the video is of my Gecko that i just got yesterday. the man told me that it was a Dwarf Gecko but it doesn't look like it is, however it is almost 8 inches long so it bigger than a dwarf gecko.

If anyone can tell me what type of gecko it might be that would be great.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D03Q2R3Q9qU

 

[rocket]

Update: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4_WiIaDKmM

 

[Jordycakes]

its a leopard gecko and it looks pretty hungry, looks to me like pencil tail either way look up "leopard gecko care sheet" there all roughly the same and get the stuff if needs!

 

[rocket]

I'm sorry but are you saying that she is a pencil tail leopard gecko? or is pencil tail something bad for a leopard gecko?

 

[Jordycakes]

Its bad for leopard geckos, its a term when there tails are that skinny.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

That is a leopard gecko.They store fat in their tails. When their tails get that skinny it either means they're sick or they have been underfed for a long time. It's awesome that she's hungry and eating but it's probably not a good idea to not feed as much as the gecko wants. If she overeats she could regurgitate the food. I would feed about 5-10 mealworms or crickets daily until she fattens up.

Keep us posted on her recovery!

 

[rocket]

She only eats about 3 crickets and 2 mill worms a day, I tried to feed her by putting the cricket close to her mouth but she won’t take it. I think about 4 is the max amount of crickets that I seen her eat. However I do have like 3 mill worms and about 5 crickets in her cage at all times. It takes her about 10 tries to catch a cricket. I was thinking about ripping the back legs off of the crickets before I put them in so that can run away, but idk just yet. Like I said I’ve only had her for a few days and she started to get darker on me and looks more active also. I really don’t want to force feed her just yet but I will if I have to.

Ooo two more questions, I was thinking about giving her a baby pinky, what do you guys thing about it you know just to fatten her up, and the other one is what type of leopard gecko do you think she is?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

With how thin she is high fat foods like a pinky could do more harm than good. I would stick to crickets and mealworms until she's a healthier weight. Three crickets and two mealworms sounds like a good amount. Pulling the back legs off of the crickets is a good idea.

Leaving crickets in the tank is a bad idea. Crickets can gnaw on a gecko and annoy them or even hurt them - especially one as thin as yours. Let her have time to sleep and digest in peace between meals. Leaving a few mealworms in an escape-proof dish would be a good idea.

I would not force feed her if she is eating on her own. It will only stress her out and could make her sicker.

 

[rocket]

OK thanks this sounds like a good solid plan. I'll get to work getting the crickets out of her cage. and I got to go buy an escape proof food dish. I put the mealworms in her dish and they climbed right out.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Anything ceramic like a small cat food or hamster bowl will work. They also make mealworm specific dishes that you should be able to find at your pet store. I use these but I always find a couple escapees each week.

It's tough to tell the morph on your gecko. I think she might be a hypo tangerine but she doesn't look very orange right now. A picture in direct sun may help but sometimes when they don't get proper housing or nutrition for a while their colors fade. With better care they may perk up a little or a lot and it may be easier to tell then

 

[rocket]

My gecko seems to like to eat large crickets more than the small ones. As of right now I am trying to breed the crickets and large mealworms. I just started so in about two weeks I should know if I was successful or not.

Btw I read that leopard geckos can eat roaches and I found videos of them eating dubia roaches. Just so I know what are your inputs on them?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Roaches are awesome as feeders - and IMO much more tolerable to keep around than crickets...haha. Mealworms take a few months to pupate, turn into beetles, lay eggs, and grow to munchable size so you may have to grab some more while you wait. Once you have a colony established you should have enough ready to feed most of the time

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

Get that geck some FOOD!!!
Add some wax worms (not much) to show you love him. Hope he gets fat! (You don't hear that everyday!)

 

[rocket]

Hey I take it back, I’ve never actually seen her eat mealworms, apparently they been getting out and hiding under her bedding. I put 3 mealworms in an escape proof container and so far none have gotten out and I even held one up to her and all she did was turn away, so I wonder how that guy said all she eat was mealworms?!?! So far all she will eat is crickets and only if I catch them and hold them up to her. Or I keep herding the crickets to her, but like I said earlier it takes her 10 tries to catch one.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

It probably takes her a while to catch them because she is so weak. In your video she even wobbles in your hand walking which healthy geckos do not do. If she eats crickets that's great - I would try to get her to eat 3-5 that are gut loaded well per day. I would not handle her at all, or at least keep it to a minimum of moving her to clean her cage. Handling causes stress and takes energy that she can't afford to waste. If she stops eating for more than 2 days I would take her to a vet immediately - she could have internal parasites or be really sick. It wouldn't be a bad idea to take her to a vet now.

I would definitely contact the pet store you got her from and tell them you did not get the healthy animal or species you were told you were purchasing and ask if there is anything they will do about it.

 

[rocket]

Well unfortunately I bought her from a man that didn’t even know it was a leopard gecko. He was dead set on it being a dwarf gecko until I told him some facts, but he needed to get rid of the leo.

I feed her 4 crickets today, all fat and plump. Should I get some wax worms and give them to her, like 1 a day?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I would not give her wax worms. Like humans, recovering geckos deal best with a relatively bland diet. Wax worms have a really high fat content and it might be difficult for her to digest them while her systems relearn how to deal with the regular input of calories. Once she starts gaining weight they can help her get back where she needs to be.

Purchasing a small inexpensive gram scale to monitor her weight could help you track her progress.

 

[rocket]

The scale is a good idea, thanks for everything so far.

 

[rocket]

I had to change her name, the wife said her name was to plain so it now Jasmine, but now she seems to be more active and yesterday all she ate was 3 crickets but today she ate 5 one after another. I stopped their but I think if I went to give her some more she would gobble them up.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

That sounds awesome! So glad to hear she's hungry and improving!!

If she wants more I'm not sure I would go more than five crickets in a feeding right away as too much could cause her to regurgitate. If she keeps down five today you could try increasing the number slowly by adding another every other day or so. You could also try giving her 3 or 4 twice a day to give her a chance to digest a bit in between feedings.