joshuadude
New Member
- Messages
- 51
Hey guys, so I had to rescue a leopard gecko a few days ago. I have fallen in love with the little guy already, but I am extremely worried.
To give you some background, my friends room-mate moved out and left the gecko there, with no food or anything. My friend tried taking care of it by feeding it crickets every few days, but they were extremely large, and there were dead cricket bodies all over the cage. Fast forward one week later, I now have the gecko home with me. The guy who owned it before me did not take care of it AT ALL. Its in an enclosure with a normal incandescent light that he left on for months, sand substrate, only one hide, and fecal matter all packed in the corner.
Now, I have never owned a gecko before but I have been learning very quickly via countless hours on the internet. I am tad worried about the little guy because he does not move at all, I have tried hand feeding him crickets with tongs (he did eat one). I have only seen him eat 2 crickets since I got him a few days ago. I have also purchased a red bulb for him, its about 100 watts and I got some thermometers as well, which read in the upper nineties on one side (the therms are right under the lamp) and no readings on the other side (theyre the cheap stick on thermometers). I plan on buying him a UTH and a thermostat come friday (amongst many other things for his inadequate aquarium) when I get paid, and I also plan on building him some proper hides that same day.
The thing that has me worried is, this little guy does not move. I mean, hardly at all. He will poke his head out of the little hide (which is in the center of the glass aquarium) but thats about it. I am also worried because I have not seen him poop, and I know hes eaten at least two crickets. The cricket thing also worries me, is this a normal amount? Hes about 5 or so inches. I did try to look at his belly to see if it was dark, he was a tad flighty so it was difficult to tell, but I didnt see anything. I have also only seen him drink water once. I have made sure to change his water every day though. I do also have a little dish of calcium that I tried dusting the crickets with, set beside his little hide.
I guess i'm just worried he's going to pass away before I can get the proper stuff for him. Does anyone know if I should have cause for concern right now? Thank you all very much in advance.
EDIT: Here is the question sheet, filled out.
About your leo:
- Sex - Unknown, I dont know if I should pick it up yet - it seems very distressed?
- Age & Weight - Once more, uknown. I have the lizard by default, I have no real information on it.
- How long have you owned your leo - Less than a week
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend) - Rescued
A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo - I have only handled it once, to look at its belly.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now. It has been acting this way since I rescued it.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal) From what I scooped out of the sand, it appeared to be solid.
- When was the last time he/she went - It has not pooped in the few days I have had it.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on - Explained above
Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size - ~15 gallons
- Type (ex. glass tank) - Glass
- Type of substrate - Sand
- Hides, how many, what kind - One hide
B) Heating
- Heat source
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)
- Method of regulating heat source
- What are you using to measure your temps
- Do you have any lights (describe)
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)
- Describe health, or previous problems
Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much)
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect)
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)
- What are you gut loading food with
All the other information asked for was provided in the text.
To give you some background, my friends room-mate moved out and left the gecko there, with no food or anything. My friend tried taking care of it by feeding it crickets every few days, but they were extremely large, and there were dead cricket bodies all over the cage. Fast forward one week later, I now have the gecko home with me. The guy who owned it before me did not take care of it AT ALL. Its in an enclosure with a normal incandescent light that he left on for months, sand substrate, only one hide, and fecal matter all packed in the corner.
Now, I have never owned a gecko before but I have been learning very quickly via countless hours on the internet. I am tad worried about the little guy because he does not move at all, I have tried hand feeding him crickets with tongs (he did eat one). I have only seen him eat 2 crickets since I got him a few days ago. I have also purchased a red bulb for him, its about 100 watts and I got some thermometers as well, which read in the upper nineties on one side (the therms are right under the lamp) and no readings on the other side (theyre the cheap stick on thermometers). I plan on buying him a UTH and a thermostat come friday (amongst many other things for his inadequate aquarium) when I get paid, and I also plan on building him some proper hides that same day.
The thing that has me worried is, this little guy does not move. I mean, hardly at all. He will poke his head out of the little hide (which is in the center of the glass aquarium) but thats about it. I am also worried because I have not seen him poop, and I know hes eaten at least two crickets. The cricket thing also worries me, is this a normal amount? Hes about 5 or so inches. I did try to look at his belly to see if it was dark, he was a tad flighty so it was difficult to tell, but I didnt see anything. I have also only seen him drink water once. I have made sure to change his water every day though. I do also have a little dish of calcium that I tried dusting the crickets with, set beside his little hide.
I guess i'm just worried he's going to pass away before I can get the proper stuff for him. Does anyone know if I should have cause for concern right now? Thank you all very much in advance.
EDIT: Here is the question sheet, filled out.
About your leo:
- Sex - Unknown, I dont know if I should pick it up yet - it seems very distressed?
- Age & Weight - Once more, uknown. I have the lizard by default, I have no real information on it.
- How long have you owned your leo - Less than a week
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend) - Rescued
A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo - I have only handled it once, to look at its belly.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now. It has been acting this way since I rescued it.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal) From what I scooped out of the sand, it appeared to be solid.
- When was the last time he/she went - It has not pooped in the few days I have had it.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on - Explained above
Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size - ~15 gallons
- Type (ex. glass tank) - Glass
- Type of substrate - Sand
- Hides, how many, what kind - One hide
B) Heating
- Heat source
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)
- Method of regulating heat source
- What are you using to measure your temps
- Do you have any lights (describe)
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)
- Describe health, or previous problems
Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much)
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect)
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)
- What are you gut loading food with
All the other information asked for was provided in the text.
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