feeding problems

Ive had my leo (gozo) nearly a week now and the shop i got it from had only fed it on waxworms which i kno i need to change he only took a few mealworms in the first 2 days i had him and is scared of crickets now he wont eat at all but iv noticed that he has gone very light in colour so i think he may be about to shed could this put him off his food
many thanks robbie

Mine eats when she is near shedding but yours may be constipated so give it a warm bath not hot but luke warm. See if it helps it poopie, also it could be addicted to wax worms. They are not a good thing to feed leo's constantly. Try to wein Gozo off the wax worms feeding him less and less of them. Or Gozo's floor temo might not be hot enough so he could be having digestion problems. Then agian yours just may not eat when about to shed so keep an eye on him for a few days and see what happens.

the hot end of his tank is 32 degrees C is this an ok temperature n thanks for the advice

Um.. I only know Ferenhite scale lol sorry but i know ferenhite is 85-93 degrees.

32*c is fine, that's low 90's f. He has eaten mealies so not likely addicted to waxies, the shedding could absolutely affect appetite for sure. Many leos go off food acouple days before and after shedding since they're full of shed in their bellies no room for bugs I wouldn't bath him if he's fixin to shed because it could cause the shed to come off prematurly leaving sensitive skin exposed before its ready. I don't think its constipated. If you could take a minute to copy/paste our care questionaire in this thread (its a sticky in the health section) that would better equip the membership to see how your husbandry is to see if there could be anything else adding to the lack of eating aside of the shedding.

Thanks

One thing quickly, make sure you have a proper moist hide so the gecko can shed properly. He's not going to want to eat until after the shed, and they normally go off food a day before and a day or two after shed.

Just make sure there's a moist hide and leave him be until after the shed. After the shed check him to make sure he does not have anything stuck to his toes, eyes, tail, head, etc..

my male leo gozo is still not eating he shed about four days ago and the shop i got him from was only feeding him waxworms n i got him to take a few mealies but now nothing he is still pooing as i chck everyday just cant get him to eat also im thinking of getting a female but need this sorting first unless you lot think putting a female in may encourage him to feed help please lol
robbie

When you first get your leo. he may of been stressed out by the transport and being put into a new home, give him at least a week and a bit before panicking about him not eat its perfectly normal!

Also, you may have to slowly wean him off the waxies as they are very addictive x

You are correct in saying you need to sort the male's eating before even considering adding a female. You'll need to greatly increase your knowledge of leo keeping befoe considering adding a second leo, and keeping multipul leos in the same viv isn't recommended by novice keepers if at all imo. Leos re solitary creatures and do not crave company. Have you filled out our care questionaire yet? It may be a better idea to just keep updating your original thread instead of starting a new onw just to be sure we have the whole story and all the background info so were not repeating advice already given. I'm going to merge this with your original post.

Ok topics merged. I would suggest filling out our care questionaire http://www.leopardgeckoforum.com/t134-please-read-and-fill-out-with-your-health-questions so that we can make sure there aren't any husbandry issues that could be adding to your leo's hesitance to eat.

should of stuck to snakes last time i take pitty on somethin in a pet shop

Aw leos aren't hard... once you stop panicing and just breathe it'll all be fine. Leos can go a long time, just like snakes, without food and be just fine. Just follow our advice, make sure the housing is proper, and he'll start eating once he destresses. In the meanwhile if you take a minute and fill out the care questionaire we'll be able to pinpoint any other problems that might be adding more stress on your leo. Don't worry, we'll helo you figure it out. Just like when you started with snakes, you know nothing until you take the time and learn.

help**

Care Questionaire:

About your leo:
- Sex - male
- Age & Weight - not sure but i know he is a full adult
- Morph - mack snow or normal
- How long have you owned your leo - bout 2 weeks
- Where was he/she obtained - pet shop
- Is your leo wild caught or captive bred - captive bred a assume

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo - not very often at the min as im trying to let him settle in to his new surroundings but he is a good handler very docile
- Is your leo acting any different today? no he has been pretty much the same since i got him stayin in his cave during the day but he must venture out at night as he goes to the toilet in the same place at the cool end of his tank
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, - dont really know alot about his past as the shop owner didnt really know the answers to the questions i asked
B) Fecals
- Describe-Do they look any different than normal no since iv got him they hav looked the same
- When was the last time he/she went - yesterday 09/02/12
C) Problem
- he is not eating the pet shop was feeding him on just waxworms he took 2 mealies the day after i got him but nothing since i went back to the pet shop and was told he eats morios but iv had no joy with them either and he is scared of crickets and he shed a few days ago

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size - 3ft x 1ft
- Type wooden viv with glass front il post a pic
- Type of substrate - calci sand i know this prob not the best but the shop said he has always been kept on it so i kept as much the same as i cud to try reduce stress
- Hides (how many, location and type - he has a cave ib the warm end a cave in the middle of the viv n he likes to hide under the plant behind his rocks in the cool end this is his toilet spot
B) Heating
- What is your main heat source - 12 x 12 inch heat mat
- What are your cage temps floor temp in hot end is 32oC not sure of the cool end
- Method of regulating your heat source - habistat mini stat
- What are you using to measure your temps - digital probe thermometer
- Do you have any lights night sky led lights 3 bulbs
C) Cage mates
- How many - none
- Describe health, or previous problems of cage mates

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What are you feeding - iv tried mealies crickets now im sticking with morios
- How often are you feeding your gecko and how much per feeding?- at the minute iv got 20 morios in his bowl and i count them every day to see if he has eaten any
- How are you feeding - the morios are left in dish he was takin wax worms by hand but now refuses
B) Supplements
- What calcium suppliment are you using pro rep calci dust
- What multi vitimin are you using vetark nutrobal
-How are you implimenting your suppliment program - at the min im dusting the worms and i dont leave calcium in 24/7
- What are you gutloading your feeder insects with - the oatmeal bedding they come in


well iv done my best hope this helps il post a pic of his new viv and the old tinythin he was in very soon

this is his new viv and below is what i got him in

also i forgot to add the a few days after i got him we started having a new bathroom fitted and he is kept in my bedroom next to the bathroom so it has been very noisey for the past week

I would def. Get him off the calci sand. It just alleviates 1 more potential problem. You need to gutload your feeders. Oats aren't food their bedding,they don't usually eat the oats and if they do it isn't a healthy gutload. Potato, carrots, apples (minus the seeds), pretty much any veggie scrap aside of spinach can be used to gutload your feeders. I think you keep too many in his dish, try keeping just 4 or 5 in there, they'll move more and that will hopefully attract his attention. Hand feed him as well, drop them in front of him, seeing them move will hopefully trigger prey drive. Try a different feeder like butter worms, a soft bodied worm could be more appealing. Raise his temps to 96-97* (think thats like 34*c), sometimes the warmer temps can help. I keep my boy at this temp and he eats better now than when I was keeping him at 90-93*. He just shed a few days ago, it usually takes eros a good 3-4 days after a shed to get his appetite back. Don't offer any food for the next 2 days, no dish, nothing. Get the sands out, use tile or paper towel for now, then try hand feeding him on monday. last year when eros brumated he went a month without eating and he was fine, didn't even drop weight that I could see. As long as he has a nice chubby tail he has a good fat storage to fall back on. He's pooping so thats a good sign he's not blocked up but it's unusual he would be pooping if he isn't eating, but it could be from the shed. Are there white urates on the end of the poos? Does he have a water bowel available 24/7? When you monitor his temps is the probe on the floor of the viv right over the uth? Do you ever mist his viv? I couldn't tell from your questionnaire, you said 3 hides, is 1a moist humid hide? are you sure the leo is male? any chance it could be a bulgy female? Can you post a picture of him? The previous owner had him on sand, was he with other leos? even tho your trying to reduce stress by keeping things similar to his old viv, he could have been just as stressed there on sand as he is with you.

Sorry about having so many questions, bit the more we know the better we can try and help. I know youre feeling a lot of regret bringing this leo into your life, it's hard to not feel disappointed when things don't go as we plan but it will get better, he could be brumating so just keep offering food by hand feeding once you get the sand out and if he's healthy (which I suspect he is) he will start eating. He ate 2 mealies before, he'll eat again. Just give him time and the proper habitat and he'll turn around.

YEY!!!!!!! get the flags out gozo is eating he didnt eat much but he ate and iv noticed a big change in him he seems to have settled in quite nice now he has went from staying in his cave all day to coming out n climbing and exploring and has ate 1 n a half morios this mornin i know its not much but its a start got his heat up to 34oC thanks very much for the help n advice im a much happier keeper now thank you again

yay... see... I knew he would come around. Patients is key with herps and its one of the hardest things for new owners to do cause all we want to do is hold and enjoy them which is counter productive. Glad to hear he's finallly coming around. Sounds like your boy is one that likes things a bit warmer like my boy