Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We got a pair of baby leucistic leopard geckos a couple months ago. They're out first reptiles. Anyway, when we got them they were aproximately the same size and both seemed healthy, active and hungry. Now it seems like one continues to grow and looks healthy while the other hasn't grown and is looking sickly. They've also gotten more shy about eating in front of us, so it's difficult to make sure that they're both eating. We've been putting more than enough crickets in the tank, evidently, since not all of them get eaten. Should we sepparate them? What can we do to encourage the small one to eat?

any help would be greatly appreciated!
weston and lynne

your little one may not be eating right beacause the bigger one, who im sure is faster and stronger aswell, is taking up most of the food. its common for this to happen when leo's are placed together.

i recommend you do separate them, and give special attention to the little one. keep track of how many crickets you are feeding it. also make sure it has a source of heat (such as a heatpad), i understand this stimulates appetite.

if separating them doesnt work, the little one may be sick, in which case the vet is your best option.

good luck
aaron

I agree with the last post.

Any time it looks as though one or more geckos are not eating as well as their cagemates, it seems to be a good general rule to separate them.

btw, leucistic doesn't really exist if you ask most breeders/gecko hobbyists. you must have purchased through petco/petsmart since they are the only businesses that still use this label.
Most people call them "patternless" or patternless albino.

Try putting them in a separate container to feed them. This way there is no competition, you can see exactly what gets eaten, and there is nothing left running around in the tank they live in.
Let them eat all they want in a 15 minute span, maybe longer for the thinner one.

If your aquarium is long like mine (i have a 20 gallon) u can try putting a pieace of cardboard down the middle and seperating them until both of them reach the same size. Thats what i did and my leos are almost the same size!

you can also rearrage the under tank heater so it is in the middle of the tank.

I leave mealworms in a bowl in my guys tanks all day, then feed them crickets at night.