tank size

ratty_ratkins · #1 03-16-2004, 11:44 AM

hey guys, what tank size is best for a full grown leopard gecko. i have him in a ten... he has been doing good until recently i have had problems with him not eating. i think its the tank size. i took him to the vet, and he didnt find anything wrong.? but the vet wasnt really knowlegeable..... you think a bigger cage would fix him up.

(he is doo dooing so that means he is oviously eating)----right?----

angelaT · #2 03-16-2004, 12:06 PM

Yeah! A question that I can answer! You can try putting him in a 15 gal. or a 20 gal. long. I don't think that the tank size would be making a difference on him eating. They are usually aggresive eaters and the main thing that can slow the appetite is the change in the weather. My males will go for 2-3 weeks at a time and not want any food and then I'll offer them a worma dn they will eat one or two and then they are done. Their bodies slow in the winter time to prepare for hibernation and if they have any food in the system when they go into hibernation it can rot in their belly.
So he is probably just not hungry right now. Is his tail nice and fat? I'm sure you already know this but their tails are their fat reserve and as long as his little tail is still nice and fat then don't worry about it to much.
As for his cage..if a ten gallon is all you can do right now then he will be fine until you can get something bigger, but if you can get him something a little bigger, then he will probably get a little more active during the night and work up more of an appetite.
How old is he?? Are you certain he is a he?
I hope this helped at least a little.

Lizgirl · #3 03-16-2004, 04:06 PM

Great advice, Angela! I think you covered it.

Ratty, you might want to check out our vet reference page to find a better or different vet.
http://www.paw-talk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1591

ratty_ratkins · #4 03-16-2004, 04:11 PM

i am not sure he is a he. and yes his tail is HUGE!... maybe too big? he seems to be doing great, and hasnt lost wieght. but i havent seen him eat since november. i know he is eating tho. he just isnt eating while i am watching like he used to. thanx for the good advice

elfomatic · #5 03-16-2004, 11:14 PM

Some geckos have a thing about eating when you are watching them. Watch his food amount from the beginning of the day to the end of the day. If it changes, then your gecko is eating and you don't have anything to really worry about ... well, other than tank size which should be taken care of anyway.

angelaT · #6 03-17-2004, 10:08 AM

Well how long have you had she/he? If you want to know if he is a he or a she you can try holding (it) in your hand and either turning it over (which they sometimes don't like) or holding it above you head,, now what you are looking for is, V shaped pores (or dots) on the belly area right before his tail, now depending on how old she/he is he may not have them yet, but if his tail is real fat it should be old enough to sex. Now if you don't see anything chances are it is a she.
Can you take pics of the Leo so I can see the size of it's tail?

Back to the feeding: I'm sure you are feeding crickets right? Well if you are concerned with how much (it) is eating you can get some tweezers or tongs from the pet store, they are called 'Feeding Tongs' and start hand feeding the crickets to (it). Also if to many crickets are in the cage and they aren't getting eaten, the cricketscan start to stress out the Leopard Gecko and they also will start eating on the gecko!
If you don't feel comfortable hand feeding you could also just drop one at a time in there and if it doesn't get eaten then don't put anymore in there. Also don't offer any food for 2 or 3 days then feed them and wait another 2-3 days, I find it is less of a struggle if my Leos are good and hungry instead of just a little hungry that way they don't waste as much food and I don't sit there for 20-30 minutes just trying to get them to eat.
Hope tthis helps
and this is just things that work for me, and if it doesn't work for you then maybe along the way you will find a way that works really good for you and your Leos.

Oh and just to answer your question about it's tail being 'Too Big?'. There is no such thing! In fact some breeders or collectors just look at tails, it's like their health meter.
A big fat tail is an awesome sign.

ratty_ratkins · #7 03-18-2004, 09:37 AM

i have had him for a year and a half. sorry but i cant take pictures of him. i dont have a computer i have to use the one at school. well, the amount of food in his cage doesnt seem to change.... but he was oviously eating. i know for sure now. last night he ate a superworm while i watched! i was very relived. the thing is... he will not eat anything but superworms... and i know too amny are not good for him. any ideas on that?

angelaT · #8 03-18-2004, 07:00 PM

Not really because my males are finicky eaters and that is all they will eat as well, except for the occasional cricket but I don't keep them on hand all the time because it is a waste of money, since they don't get eaten.
I guess all I can say is try to offer them every now and then to see if he enjoys something different sometimes.

elfomatic · #9 03-18-2004, 07:48 PM

while it is not totally bad that he eats only superworms ... i would still continue to try introducing different foods. a diet that consists of mostly superworms and mealworms, etc. is very high in fat and will shorten your gecko's life considerably. it is great that he is eating and you should continue to offer him what he will eat but you might want to keep variety in mind as something to work on in the future as well..

ratty_ratkins · #10 03-22-2004, 02:49 PM

Hey guys. I probably didn’t need to but I got my leo a 40 gallon! it was given to me, so I decided why not spoil my leo! I also was at the petstore this weekend and noticed what they were doing with their leopard geckos. they had a small dish with mealworms in it, but the worms couldn’t get out. what a great idea! why in the world didn’t I think of this sooner? He had had the dish with the worms in it for 3 days and have not touched it. I don’t figure he knows there in there. I don’t think he is adjusted to his new cage. could that be why he hasn’t seemed to notice his food. I have caught him out of his hide box exploring tho.

elfomatic · #11 03-22-2004, 05:54 PM

yeah, dishes are great ideas -- lets you know for sure how much your little guy is eating. it also works with crickets: you just get a deep cup and scratch the sides up to the point that your reptile can reach in there. the crickets will be able to climb the sides up the that point ... but won't be able to climb out.

the only real issue with dishes is that some people believe that it is better for the reptile to catch food naturally ... hunting instincts and all ...

angelaT · #12 03-22-2004, 09:25 PM

Well before my females where trained to fed from the tongs I used a 'Miracle Whip' or 'Mayonnaise' jar lid and it worked perfectly. Alot better than the ones at the petstore, and they where free, well kinda!
I also put the calcium powder in the same lid so the mealworms/superworms would crawl around and coat themselves and then the girls would eat them and I knew they were getting their calcium too!
I think 40-gal is great! Despite what you read or what people say Leopard Geckos LOVE to climb! I put some of those 'Lizard Ladders' and the 'Lizard Hammocks' commonly used for Iguanas, I used them in my female enclosure and they went nuts, pushing eachother out of the way to get up in the hammock and I found it was a great way to take up alot of empty space.

ratty_ratkins · #13 03-23-2004, 04:23 PM

lol, just seems to me like a leo wouldnt climb... maybe i will try that. i will try the marical whip lid... i dont think he knows the worms are even in that bowl. are you sure the worms cant get out of that. my lizard only eats super worms... they are pretty big. i cant get him to eat anything else but i have tryed and am still attempting to try

angelaT · #14 03-23-2004, 05:31 PM

Well I don't know if a Miracle Whip lid would hold superworms or not? But you could supervise for a little while and see what ya think. You may want to use something a little deeper. When I was feeding the female juveniles I would put them in there three or so at a time and wait for them to eat those and then put some more in there and if they looked like they where getting full I would take the remaining worms out of the cage and not leave them in there, just in case.

ratty_ratkins · #15 04-01-2004, 03:50 PM

i know that the leopard gecko knows that the worms are in the bowl now... he seen them and acted like he was going to eat one... he even licked it, but didnt eat it. i have no idea what his problem is. i do think he is eating tho, just know where near as much as he had in the past. oh yeah, i have also offered him comercail "leopard gecko food" too, and he shows no intrest in that. it would be nice if he did, then i wouldnt have to deal with bugs... right? i didnt figure he would eat it

worm dish