new owner feeding query

Hi guys,

I bought my very first leopard gecko yesterday, I feel head over heels when I saw she had a few stubs instead of toes, and thought she would benefit from some loving!

Anyway, I've got the food out, got advised by a friend to shove a few meal worm in a shallow dish and let me eat at her leisure adding a few crickets every few days or so... but she kind of just hangs around the back of the tank not really going near the food, she sat in the water bowl for a good 20mins yesterday - but she doesnt even go in the moist box - which is a little worrying because she is starting to shed.

Am I being overly paranoid? I guess she may just be a little nervous but would rather be safe than sorry!

Ta!

Sophie

She may just be stressed out still from her change once she settles in she should start eating, are you dusting the crickets with anything ? there's a care sheet for leo's on this forum I suggest you have a look at it its really usefull and it gives you a load of info.

I've got quite a few care sheets printed out, I got info'd up before I bought her so I'd know what I was doing. Yea bought some calcium dust from the pet shop today and have been gut loading the worms with bug grub, oats, appleas and carrots so they seem to be thriving!

Thanks for the reassurance - only thing im worried about is the tank only seems to be sitting at around 20-23 degrees i read it should be 28-29? The heat mat is on but not doing much

If you'll fill this out, we'll better be able to tell you what could be the problem at the moment.

Code:

About your leo:
- Sex
- Age & Weight
- Morph (if you know)
- How long have you owned your leo
- Where was he/she obtained (Pet store, breeder, wild caught, etc.)
- Is your leo wild caught or captive bred

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
B) Fecals
- Describe-Do they look any different than normal
- When was the last time he/she went
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem/issue you are experiencing and how long it has been going on

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size
- Type (ex. glass tank, screen enclosure, tub kept)
- Type of substrate (sand, vinyl tiles, ceramic/stone tiles, etc.)
- Hides (how many, location and type (hothide, humid hide, regular hide etc.)
B) Heating
- What is your main heat source (heat bulbs, under tank heat mat etc) **Please include the brand and size of your UTH if you use one**
- What are your cage temps (hot side and cool side)
- Method of regulating your heat source (thermostat, rheostat, light dimmer etc.)
- What are you using to measure your temps (probe thermometer, infrared lazer tempo gun, stick on temp gauge, etc)
- Do you have any lights (describe type (red,blue, basking etc) and cycle duration)
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)
- Describe health, or previous problems of cage mates

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What are you feeding
- How often are you feeding your gecko and how much per feeding?
- How are you feeding (hand fed, tongs/tweezers, left in dish, ect)
B) Supplements
- What calcium suppliment are you using (please include brand)
- What multi vitimin are you using (please include brand)
-How are you implimenting your suppliment program (how often do you dust with each suppliment, do you leave calcium in the tank 24/7 etc.)
- What are you gutloading your feeder insects with

thanks gys, you're all so helpful!!

About your leo:
- Sex FEMALE
- Age & Weight 4MONTHS (NOT SURE ON WEIGHT)
- Morph (if you know)
- How long have you owned your leo 24 HOURS
- Where was he/she obtained (Pet store, breeder, wild caught, etc.)PET STORE/EXOTIC BREEDER
- Is your leo wild caught or captive bred CAPTIVE BRED

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo HAVE PICKED HER UP ONCE
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how SHE'S VERY SLOW MOVING AND SKULKING AT BACK ON VIV.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe. UNKNOWN
B) Fecals
- Describe-Do they look any different than normal NO POOP YET
- When was the last time he/she went NOT IN MY VIV.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem/issue you are experiencing and how long it has been going on BOUGHT HER YESTERDAY AND SHE IS VERY SHY, NOT GOING IN HER MOIST BOX OR NEAR FOOD/WATER

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size
- Type (ex. glass tank, screen enclosure, tub kept)GLASS TANK WITH MESH ROOF
- Type of substrate (sand, vinyl tiles, ceramic/stone tiles, etc.)SAND
- Hides (how many, location and type (hothide, humid hide, regular hide etc.)2 HIDES ROCK HIDE AND CAVE WITH MOSS BEDDING
B) Heating
-
What is your main heat source (heat bulbs, under tank heat mat etc)
**Please include the brand and size of your UTH if you use one** UNDER TANK - ULTRATHERM AROUND 4X10INCH
- What are your cage temps (hot side and cool side)THERM. SAYS AROUND 23DEGREES
- Method of regulating your heat source (thermostat, rheostat, light dimmer etc.) THERMOSTAT
- What are you using to measure your temps (probe thermometer, infrared lazer tempo gun, stick on temp gauge, etc)STICK ON TEMP GAUGE
- Do you have any lights (describe type (red,blue, basking etc) and cycle duration)13W BULB FOR GECKO FROM PET SHOP
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)NONE
- Describe health, or previous problems of cage mates NONE

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What are you feeding MEALWORM / CRICKETS
- How often are you feeding your gecko and how much per feeding? SMALL HANDFUL (AROUND 6)MEALWORM IN BOWL ALL DAY AND 2-3 CRICKETS 2-3 DAYS (AS ADVISED BY BREEDER)
- How are you feeding (hand fed, tongs/tweezers, left in dish, ect)LEFT IN DISH - HAVE TRIED TO ENTICE WITH MEALWORM ON TWEEZERS BUT SHE IS UNINTERESTED
B) Supplements
- What calcium suppliment are you using (please include brand)CALCI-DUST VETARK PROFESSIONAL
- What multi vitimin are you using (please include brand) HAVNT BOUGHT YET
-How
are you implimenting your suppliment program (how often do you dust
with each suppliment, do you leave calcium in the tank 24/7 etc.)BOTTLE CAP OF CALCIUM LEFT IN TANK - DUST MEALWORM BEFORE PUTTING IN BOWL
- What are you gutloading your feeder insects with BUG GRUB, CARROTS, APPLE AND OATS.

I appreciate all the help, don't want my little stubby getting ill if it is preventable! I'm probably just being over paranoid and once she settles in she'll be fine but I dont want to wait to find out if she is going to suffer!!

Well right off the bat, the sand is a really negative thing. Regardless of what the breeder said, it is irresponsible to give poentially life threatening advice in the form of sand substrate for four month old leopard gecko. This can lead to impaction, and eventually death. The best advice is plain paper towels as substrate or going to a home improvement store and getting slate tiles.

To me, your behavior issues sound like insecurity. Do you have a hide on the warm side that is not filled with moss? It could be, that she does not want to be in a humid hide and is therefore sacrificing being able to hide. It would be best to put I hide directly over the heat mat and show her gently where it is. After that, she'll probably be hiding for a good week.

As for not eating, I believe (Like James) that it is because of the recent change. All leo's go through it, and it is evidently no different for your little Stumpy.

On to the stumpy toes part, this means that she had trouble shedding properly and the breeder did not take the time to help her get the stuck sheds off. I would recommend that once you see she is trying or has shed, give her a soak in luke warm water to help her a long. When shed gets stuck on the toes, it constricts them and then they fall off.

Thats what I know, to the best of my ability, and I'm sure the rest of the community will have little bits of information. Do understand that what ever you see happen to your little Stumpy, that none of is new. Someone here will have had the same experience and will be able to help you out.

Welcome to the forum, we're glad to have you.

oh the poor little thing, well I have a whole caresheet on shedding and how to help them along if they're having trouble. That brereeder now seems like a right pillock and I will not be going back there.

As for the sand, it is extremely fine so from what I have been reading it didnt seem like it would be a problem, but I will take it out and replace it with your suggestions!

Yes I have another hide which doesnt have any moss in, but she's a little too small to get in there, may swap the moss in there and leave the cave empty which she can just crawl in and I'll start tempting her in there gently as of tomorrow. The slate tile seems like it would heat a lot better than the sand, as I have unde floor heating in my bathroom I know the benefit of tiles and heat.

Thank you so much, I'm glad I signed up to this forum. You guys are really helpful. Im really disgusted to hear that her toes are because of a shedding issue, if I think anything would be done I'd report them but we know that'll never happen!!

Well I'm going to love her unconditionally and make her feel nice and secure. I'll let you guys know how she is doing and if the situation gets any better.

Hope your little leo's are thriving!

Sophie.

im so glad you signed up for this forum as well. we love new members and helping them give their little leopard geckos the best lives they can, i know how silly the sand thing can sound but it is really bad for them especially seeing how were they come from doesn't really have sand to begin with. i love the look of vinyl floor tiles because there are some really awesome rock looking ones and they don't really show seems as much as the tiles do but thats just me. anyways if you need any advice on leopard geckos this is definitely one of the best places to get it in my eyes. there are so many people with tons of leo experience on here that i feel confident when asking questions. and don't worry to much about your little leo, moving to a new home is scary for them so they might not eat for a couple days, and the young ones don't like to come out of their hides at all so don't worry about that either, my little charm is 6 months old and still doesn't wonder out and about to much yet, but she sure is getting braver as she gets older. anyways welcome to the forums! ^.^

slate tiles look really nice in a leo viv (i have it in anke's viv) it also retains the heat really good aswell and its easy to clean.

Well thought I'd give you guys a little update, after all the advice (minus removing sand, yet to do that) I removed the moss from her cave hide and swapped some things around to put the hide nearer to where she was hanging around, woke up this morning and she is in there sleeping so I hope that helps her relax! I will go and grab some slate tiles this weekend. I'll upload a photo later of her 'saying thanks' to you guys for helping her settle in!

Thanks once again.

Sophie

Welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy your time here! I'm Kathryn.

As the others have said, remove the sand as soon as possible. Its really not safe for a leo, especially one as young as yours.
It sometimes takes a while for a leo to figure out what the moist hide is actually for. LOL. For the moist hide, are you using a cave hide? Its generally easier, (and holds the humidity better) if you use a tupperware container that has a hole cut in the side so they can go in and out. The tupperware container can be filled with moss or paper towels that are misted every day.

Make sure there are a lot of hiding places for your leo. Baby/juvie leos are very insecure and need lots of places to hide. You won't see your leo out and about very much while she's a young un'. As she gets older you can start removing the smaller hides.

She also may not eat for a few days as she is getting used to her new home. When I got my second leo, she didn't eat for about a week. It just takes time to settle in. Also, when you change anything around in her tank, thats just like getting a new home (when you change from sand to tile for example) so she may be a bit insecure when you do that, which is why it is a good idea to do it ASAP.

Congrats on getting your first leo! Be warned, it is addicting. I started off with one leo, and now have 3 leos, a golden gecko, a tree frog, and am planning to get something new soon. :P

I have preordered my slate tile which fits perfectly in the viv and wasnt as expensive as I though it plain black but when I get paid I'll get a nicer looking on. The sand is getting removed tonight and replaced with some kinf of paper towel for now! I'm glad I got warned early on. Yes was using the cave with moss but it's not the biggest cave so will invest in a larger one on pay day, not now I'm using her tall rock hideout with moss in and she can crawl in on top of the moss and curl up.

Yes, I feeling the addiction, I cant stop talking about her and looking for whats best to feed and all that - I am happy to spend an entire paycheque on my little stubbs!

Cant wait for her to finish shedding so I can see her colours properly!

Awesome! Slate tiles look great. I use the peel-n-stick ones, and they work great as well.

My first leo was a rescue from a terrible neighbor, so I hadn't done any research about leos, I just had to save her. LOL. Anyway, her tank came with wood chips, so I quickly learned that was a no-no for the same reason sand is a no-no. Of course, I learned that from the lovely people here!

Yeah, the tupperware containers work best for moist hides in my opinion, cause they hold the humidity so well.

Haha, I've had my first leo since early June, and I still can't stop talking about her! :P I'm sure my friends get tired of it.

Watching them shed is awesome. Its really weird watching them eat it, lol.

hi guys thought id give you a little update - heres some photos, i got a nice piece of slate today (luckily my dads a builder so cut it to size!) and put it in, the viv looks a lot better, much classier than before i think... she's also shedding which is brilliant because I get to see her true colours, she was literally just starting to go the pale shedding colour when i bought her so im happy about that! If anyone knows what morph she is i'd be delighted to know!!
BEFORE...

AFTER...

AND MY BUBBY SHEDDING...

p.s. when shoud i, if needed, help with the shedding?

If after all is said and done, you notice pieces on the top of the head and on the toes, then you should assist with a nice soak and wet ear swabs to remove the stuck shed.

she's doing pretty well soaking herself at the moment ive been observing her sit in her water bowl for a good 10-15 mins at each time! I change the water every evening when I get home from work to make sure she hasnt done any business in there and then soaks, because no one likes a bath when they've wee'd in it!

I normally only help my leo shed if it gets stuck around ankes toes then il soak them in warm water for about five mins just to loosen it it will then normally come off when she/he is exploring the viv

she looks like she is really happy with her new set up. way to go on the slate it looks nice.

do you have a moist hide? I can't see one?

thanks guys im happy with the slate, was worth the £2.99 per tile!

And yes I do have a moist hide, its in that larger rock pile thing, theres and entrance at the back

oooo cool
They are really neat

Give her 24-48 hours to get it all off herslef. Kep her moist hides nice and moist but not soaked. I notice stuck sheds on toes the next day but I rewet the paper towel in eros' moist hide, with hot water (I use a tupperware dish and a sphag cooler moist hide, don't worry it cools off fast and fills the tupperware wth a nice fog) he hangs out there for a good 10-12 hours and by the next morning he's gotten it off by himself.