Worry Wart

[jsedge]

Hi everyone- so I know I'm probably overthinking this entire situation but my first and only leopard gecko is acting a little strange and I know if anyone can put me at ease it is this community.
Anyway, I've had Milo/Mila for a little over two weeks now. I feed him a staple diet of mealworms and have supplemented crickets twice. He generally eats 12-15 small to medium sized mealworms per day. He's already grown noticeably and shed once.
He is kept in a 10g tank for now with repticarpet, three hides, and all the necessities (calcium bowl, water bowl, etc). He has a uth and I use a light during the day (set on a timer). I monitor the temps religiously- kept on a 88->79 degree gradient during the day and an 82->75 degree gradient at night.
Tonight I was planning on cleaning his cage but wanted to feed him first. When I went to feed him he ate three mealworms then seemed uninterested when I offered more. Also I noticed he seemed to be closing his right eye more than the other.
After trying to coax him into eating I decided I was going to clean his tank as the eye worried me a bit and I wanted to remove any dirt, dust, etc. that may have been bothering him.
After taking him out in the box I brought him home in, scrubbing the tank, fake plant, and hides with hot water, and switching the repticarpet for a second one I had I put him back in.
As soon as I put him back in he became the most active I may have ever seen him. He is still uninterested in eating. He is calming down now but was exploring and trying to climb the all the sides of the tank.
His eyes have no discharge and he has been eating and pooping daily. I tried to feel his tummy when he walked over me and it didn't feel abnormally hard although I don't know what he would be impacted on anyway. He doesn't necessarily look like he's going to shed but his colors are maybe a little off. Last time he shed it took about two hours from start to finish and he ate more than this.
So is he just not hungry? I often overthink things but it worries me that he would go from being a pig to not being interested in the least. Any thoughts anyone can offer would be GREATLY appreciated. I'm supposed to leave for vacation in two days (with my mom feeding him) and I don't want to leave him if he's sick.

 

[Crewdog00]

I can only speak for my Gecko but my Annie ate 15 mealworms in one sitting on Tuesday but wendesday she ate 12 and Thursday she ate 5 and jump forward to last night she at 12 feeders and to ight she only ate 5. Sounds like you Gecko is acting normal.

When I changed from sand to power towels my Annie ran around for a few hours and then went back to being lazy and sleeping in her warm hide. I swear they all have their own personal personalities just like humans.

From when a leopard gecko knows when it's feeding time to them pooping in their same corner to keep their home clean. It's amazing stuff if u really think about it.

 

[jsedge]

Thank you Crewdog for your input. I'm hoping that's it, that he ate a lot the past few days so tonight he's not starving. His poop earlier today was HUGE (too much information, I know ) so I don't know if that has anything to do with it.
Anyway, I left ten worms in how dish with a little piece of carrot and tomorrow I may buy some crickets to see if that stimulates his usually hearty appetite!
Thanks for the comforting comments though

 

[Crewdog00]

I just threw in 3 large crickets and she came out of her warm hide and hunted down all 3. When they are hungry they will eat. They aren't as stupid as some people may think.

I'm a worry wort too so don't feel alone.

 

[Crewdog00]

Oh btw I almost forgot. You can raise the warm side up a little. I use to do 85-88 and now I do 90-95. Made a huge difference with activity and hunger. Warmer means better digestion.

 

[Jaiden23]

I would also recommend raising the temperature on your warm side to the low 90's. The color change you could be seeing might be a result of that. Leos tend to darken when they're too cold. The warmer temperatures help with their digestion as well.

As for eating, I wouldn't worry yet. It could be a result of the temperature. He could also be going into shed again. It's not uncommon for young leos to shed weekly/biweekly, and alot of times they stop eating right before. Usually it is pretty obvious when they're going to shed, but I've been surprised a few times when they seem to skip that white/ashy phase and just go straight to shedding. Or he could just not be very hungry. Ours do that occasionally, and usually go back to pigging out the next day or so.

 

[Crewdog00]

Nice. ^*

 

[katie_]

I would also agree his lack of appetite could be caused by low temps

 

[justindh1]

I am someone who like the hot side even hotter than low 90's. My temps on the hot sides regularly get 95-98 with no issues at all. You have to think that the human body gets 98.6 degrees on average. Mid to upper 90's isn't as hot as people think. It's not going to burn anything at all. The importance is in having a heat gradient in their environment.

As for food, it could be nothing but it could be something. More than likely it is nothing. Most geckos at one time or another will not eat at every feeding. Generally I find that this is either because they are being fed really large amounts or the hot side temps are too low to allow adequate digestion of food. The colder it is, the longer it will take for a gecko to digest its prey. The more a gecko gets at each feeding the less they may eat the next time.

My recommendations it to bump the hot side to 95, feed regular amounts of feeders at the right intervals for the size of gecko you have, and just keep a eye on it. Some geckos will not eat for days, weeks, and even months. Your gecko will probably eat in no time.

 

[Crewdog00]

I am someone who like the hot side even hotter than low 90's. My temps on the hot sides regularly get 95-98 with no issues at all. You have to think that the human body gets 98.6 degrees on average. Mid to upper 90's isn't as hot as people think. It's not going to burn anything at all. The importance is in having a heat gradient in their environment.

As for food, it could be nothing but it could be something. More than likely it is nothing. Most geckos at one time or another will not eat at every feeding. Generally I find that this is either because they are being fed really large amounts or the hot side temps are too low to allow adequate digestion of food. The colder it is, the longer it will take for a gecko to digest its prey. The more a gecko gets at each feeding the less they may eat the next time.

My recommendations it to bump the hot side to 95, feed regular amounts of feeders at the right intervals for the size of gecko you have, and just keep a eye on it. Some geckos will not eat for days, weeks, and even months. Your gecko will probably eat in no time.

When my tank hits 95 or higher my gecko goes to her cool side. That's why I say between 90-93

 

[justindh1]

Oh btw I almost forgot. You can raise the warm side up a little. I use to do 85-88 and now I do 90-95. Made a huge difference with activity and hunger. Warmer means better digestion.

When my tank hits 95 or higher my gecko goes to her cool side. That's why I say between 90-93

To each their own! I prefer higher temps, some prefer lower, and some aren't sure what they like. There is really a wide range of hot side temps that people like. This is why I used words such as what I recommend and what I like. The main thing is to have a temperature gradient. I haven't had any issues with my geckos spending too much time on the cold side when my hot side is 95+.

 

[Crewdog00]

That's cool. Funny how each gecko has their preference. I love that about them I want another one so bad.