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Rescued a Leo...Need Help

JadeTigress Mar 22, 2008 01:27 AM

I saved a leopard gecko today from a pet store where they were keeping her (I'm pretty sure it's a her) in pretty bad conditions. I've been planning on getting a leo for awhile, but when I saw this little girl yesterday I couldn't leave her at that store. She came with the 10 gallon tank that she was in at the store, so I'm keeping her in that for right now. Once I can, I'm going to transfer her to a 20 gallon. But for right now, what would be the best way to get a good temperature gradient in a 10 gallon? I plan on getting a UTH tomorrow, so for right now I put the tank on a normal human heating pad, just so she could atleast have some heat. She didn't have any sort of heat source at all at the pet store, and she felt very cold when I first picked her up. Would a UTH be the only thing I would need for a 10 gallon?

Also, based on her size, what should I be feeding her, how much should I feed per feeding, and how often should I feed?

And, if it's possible to tell, do you have any guess as to about how old she might be?

I think she's a gorgeous little girl. I still don't have a name for her yet, though. And excuse the green tint on her feet. It's from the green calci-sand that the pet store people had put in her tank, which I promptly replaced with paper towels when I got home.
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Replies (4)

JadeTigress Mar 22, 2008 01:31 AM

Well, since the picture doesn't seem to be working for whatever reason, she's about 6 inches long.

olstyn Mar 22, 2008 08:36 AM

Apart from possibly inheriting someone else's problem by taking in an animal from bad conditions/unknown history, it sounds like you're basically doing things right so far. I'm seriously beginning to think that pet stores do this on purpose in order to get sales from soft hearted people who pity the animals (you are far from the first person to post a story of this nature). Especially given that she was in bad conditions, a check-up at the vet would be a good idea, just to make sure any parasites or diseases get detected right away so that they can be treated. If you have any other reptiles, make sure you're keeping her separate from them, and VERY IMPORTANT, wash your hands thoroughly between her and any others you interact with; if she has something, you don't want it to spread, and good hygiene practices are the first line of defense there. You should maintain this quarantine routine for a minimum of one month; lots of people recommend 2 months or more, and I'm hard pressed to disagree with them.

A 6 inch leopard gecko is a juvenile (adult size is 8-10 inches), so she should be pretty eager to feed, as she's still growing. Either medium or large crickets will work. Give her as many as she'll take (probably 4-6), once a day, preferably at dusk or sometime in the night. I'd probably use large crickets and watch her carefully when she eats to make sure she doesn't have trouble getting them down. If it looks like she's having trouble with the large ones, switch her down to mediums until she grows a bit more.

It's hard to say with any certainty what her age is, as size depends on diet in addition to age, but if I had to guess, I'd say probably 6 months or so. Again, though, it's very hard to be certain.

A UTH will work fine for achieving the desired temperature gradient in either a 10 or a 20 gallon tank. She will benefit from some sort of day/night cycle, so you'll probably want to set up a light on a timer. Beyond that, her needs are pretty simple; a hide on the warm end, a hide on the cool end, a water dish, and a humid hide.

Please ask if you have more questions.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

JadeTigress Mar 22, 2008 04:03 PM

I got her heat set up today, and I've got a digital thermometer in the tank, too. And I got her an extra hide for her cool side, and I made a humid hide, and I got some dust for her crickets and put some calcium in a milk lid for her. So as far as her cage set up goes, I think she's taken care of. But she hasn't eaten at all or defecated yet. I've only had her since yesterday, so I know she might not want to eat because of the stress of moving. I've been checking on her every couple hours or so just to make sure the temp. in her tank is right, and to see if she's eaten anything. How many days of not eating is normal? When should I start worrying? Since she hasn't defecated either, my huge fear is that she's impacted, since she was kept on calci-sand for however long the pet store had her. I won't be able to get a hold of the vet until Monday since they're closed for Easter, and then I won't be able to get her in until the vet has an opening, so I don't know when I'll actually be able to take her to the vet. Is there anything that I should be looking for, as far as impaction or anything else goes?

I'll just link her picture, since the other way didn't work.
Here's her picture

olstyn Mar 22, 2008 04:52 PM

Good to see that she's got a decently fat tail; she can last a while w/o eating if she must. The usual expectation is that it shouldn't take her more than about a week to start eating after coming home with you. Her coloration indicates that she's either significantly stressed or about to shed. If she's about to shed, it would not be at all unusual for her to go off food for a few days beforehand, so here's hoping that's all it is. Obviously only time will solve the other possibility.

Impactions can result in lack of appetite lack of defecation, so you're not completely off-base to be worried about that possibility. However, with the amount of tail fat she has, once you do manage to get her to the vet, she should most likely have enough of an energy reserve to make it through the treatment ok if she is in fact impacted. Obviously a veterinary exam will reveal more than me looking at one picture on the internet can, but from what you've said, you're doing everything right. You've definitely improved this little gecko's life already; keep up the good work and with any luck at all, she'll grow up big and strong for you.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

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