Help My Gecko!!

[indigo_daisy85]

Hey

I got a gecko about a week ago from a pet store and he seemed fine, nice fat tail etc but it seems he is losing weight and his colour doesnt seem so bright. I have been feeding him live crickets with the calcium / vitamin powder but Im not even sure if he has been eating them as when I cleaned out the cage a few bounced out... how do i get him to eat or is it normal for them to take time to adjust???

I also have questions about the set up of his cage. I have put a heater and light at one end with a cork log thingy at this end. At the other I have his water dish and another hide with wet tissues inside. The bottom is covered in paper and large pebbles.

THANKS! I NEED HELP!

[Ravnos]

What species of gecko? There are literally hundreds of different species available in the pet trade, all with different needs. Some need UV light, some don't. Some are nocturnal, and some diurnal so heating methods are different. Some need humidity, some are desert animals... the list goes on.

Anyway, what I can cover is that it is normal for them to take a time of a week or two to adjust. Sometimes this can mean they stop eating, sometimes it can mean all they do is hide. Some don't seem affected by a new environment at all. You can try different food types. Meal worms, wax worms, earth worms... some geckos even like to eat fruit baby food.

The pebbles you have, are they big enough for your gecko to possibly swallow? Most geckos are not real great at catching crickets. They often dive and get a mouthful of substrate - if maybe ate a pebble it may be blocking him up and can cause lack of appetite and should be treated by a vet immediately.

The changing in color could mean that he's about to shed his skin.

Rav

[indigo_daisy85]

Thanks, he's a leopard gecko... They are pretty big pebbles, not sure I could easily swallow one! Just put in some meal worms and I'll try some baby food! Thanks so much for the quick reply.

[Ravnos]

Ok, thats better. Leopard geckos are a nocturnal desert species of gecko. There is some debate if they need UV at all (because they tend to hide all day), I don't keep UV on mine and they seem to be doing just fine. The day time temperature of their cage should be about 85 degrees, and right at the heat pad can get to 90. These should be turned off at night and you can let the cage get to the low 70s without any problems. A 12 hours on, 12 hours off schedule is just fine. Use a thermometer to measure, don't guess, if he's too hot that might cause the symptoms you are describing.

Aside from that, mixing up the types of food. Meal worms, wax worms, crickets, earth worms - there are horned worms and butter worms too that you can order online if you're really daring. Try to keep track of how many you're feeding so when a few hop out, you have an idea of how many he ate and how many are left over. Its not uncommon for crickets to hide in the cage and the gecko simply doesn't find them. Feed in the evenings, before you go to bed. Your gecko should be active then.

Make sure you change out the wet tissues hide often so it doesn't collect mildew or bacteria.

Hopefully its just stress from the change in environment.



Rav