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Juvenile Leopard Eating Little

kuitsuku Feb 28, 2008 07:51 PM

I got a juvenile gecko on Feb 3rd and the day I brought him home he ate 5 small crickets instantly. The next morning I noticed he regurgitated them, which didn't worry me at that time. I read online that they learn from this and don't eat as much so it won't happen again, but I'm worried that he hasn't been eating any crickets from that point on. I always have five mealworms in a dish for him and sometimes one will disappear, but eventually I'll find some of them digging around the cage so I put them back in the cup and it's hard to tell how much he's really eaten.
Today I tossed in some really small crickets and he ate one, but ten minutes later regurgitated it. Should I be worried at all?

Oh, and I tried feeding him wax worms but the crickets...ate them? I guess you can't have wax worms and crickets in an enclosed area together.

This picture was taken 3 weeks ago right after he shed: http://sutaro.com/Pictures/Tetra_Gecko.png

The photo below this is one I took a few minutes ago. Is his tail a good size or too small for a juvenile? I don't think it's changed from when I got him.
Image

Replies (3)

coheed196 Feb 29, 2008 07:19 AM

i dont know why he would be throwing up, but i can tell you that his tail is too skinny. The general idea is that the tail should be at least close to the width of his body. I really can't tell you anything other than to check your temps. and it would probably be a good idea to get a fecal test done.
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coheed196
1.1 raptor leos (gordo, sunshine)
0.1 beardie (scarlet)
1.1 veiled chameleon (e-yore, trixie)
1.1 panther chameleon (apollo, polly)
0.1 jackon's chameleon
0.1 albino burmese (peaches)
1.0 pit bull (ajax)

Kuitsuku Feb 29, 2008 08:34 AM

The cage varies in the 80's range during the day, 70's during night. There's also a heating pad on the side that he sleeps so I can assume it's even warmer in his house. I do have a hotter bulb which I use for my chameleon, but I don't want to overheat his cage.
I'm going to try changing the substrate in his cage to paper towels. Right now it's a brand of mulch that claimed to be safe for him, but I hardly ever see him walking out on it. In the mornings he's sometimes standing on top of his home, away from the floor.

Kuitsuku Feb 29, 2008 07:25 PM

As I was changing his substrate to paper today, I let him run around without anything in the cage but crickets and he hunted them. It was the first time I saw his tail wiggle before he pounced. =)
I think the ground might have been too dark for him to distinguish between cricket and substrate, but he seems to be a happy camper now. Thanks!

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