Reptile & Amphibian Forums

just bought a 3inch leopard gecko 2 days ago.since it's a "leucistic or a blizard" (i'm not sure which one) and there is another one which have the same color,so i'm quite sure it's a CBB.it have no injury whatsoever

kept it in a small plastic aquarium with corn cob for bedding.i have;
-have not put a hiding place until tonight
-i keep playing with it always since i bought it.(tame though)

i have been giving it very small criket since this morning.but the only response is,stalking slowly to the criket but turn back halfway.and it seem's affraid when the criket is close.

so what's wrong?is it just not adjustting to it's new home,miss his other friend,or is it something serius?

thanks for any info.

Why did you even get a leopard gecko if you do not have the slightest ideas about basic care?! You need to go and do your reading before you can even begin to start caring for one. Good luck and I hope that they will live until you learn how to care for them..

Don't use corn cob bedding, use paper towels. You should not be holding for the first week. Hiding places are very important or you will stress them, before buying any animal you should be equipped with all the supplies. With the paper towels you can roll it over and use it as a cave. The gecko may not eat for the first few days, and eventhough the leo may seem tame, he may be greatly stress. I find that strange behavior for a leo of only 3 inches.
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1.2.1 Leos
2 WTF
2.1 FBT
0.0.2 RES
Too many fish

Hi, ditto the above - get rid of the corn cob bedding. If your baby goes for a cricket and eats a bit of it, it will swell somewhat with water. This can cause a complete blockage of your leo's digestive tract (impaction) which can and does kill. Paper towels are WAY safer. Sand also is unsafe for babies, though some people keep their leos on fine grain sand once they are mostly grown.

All leopard geckos need hides, even babies! The hide doesn't have to be fancy. An empty toilet paper tube will do nicely. You can even crunch it down a little so its more 'cozy'. He/she needs a hide on the warm side & one on the cool side too.

Just to be sure you know, leopard geckos need heat directed to one side of the tank (warming about 1/3 of it). The warm side of the tank should be 88 to 90 degrees farenheit, the cool side about 80 degrees. An undertank heater (UTH) is best since it gives off 'belly heat' and helps them digest their food. Without proper heat they may seem calm yet are really stressed and can't digest food right.

He/she also needs a humid hide which you can easily make from a disposable tupperware type container. For a baby, a one cup size is about perfect. Cut a hole in the side about half an inch above the ground so it can get in and out. Put a damp paper towel folded to the right size inside, and you're good to go! The humid hide is really important so the leo can shed easily. Otherwise they can lose fingers & toes very easily, which is sad and pointless.

You will catch some flack for not having done your research first, but HANG IN THERE! We all want you to get it right, just would have been better if you checked it all out before you got your little leo.

Please DO keep posting and asking questions. Many people here have lots of experience and we do want to help.

Good luck!!

>>kept it in a small plastic aquarium with corn cob for bedding.i have;
>>-have not put a hiding place until tonight
>>-i keep playing with it always since i bought it.(tame though)
>>
>>i have been giving it very small criket since this morning.but the only response is,stalking slowly to the criket but turn back halfway.and it seem's affraid when the criket is close.
>>
>>so what's wrong?is it just not adjustting to it's new home,miss his other friend,or is it something serius?
>>
>>thanks for any info.
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Andrea A.

One more thought, feeding about dusk might help since they're usually asleep during the day and in hunting mode when it starts to get dark. I usually feed just after my own dinner time and find they're very responsive then.

Good you're making sure the size is appropriate. Small leopard geckos will not eat full grown crickets.

Be sure not to leave the crickets in there overnight .... unless its not eating anything at all ... even then I wouldn't leave more than 3 or 4 crickets in and I'd remove them after a single night. Crickets can harass leopard geckos (and they do), leading to stress and poor appetite. The longer crickets are in there, the less likely your gecko is to actually eat them.
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Andrea A.

HI...like you I am a new owner of a Leopard, and I have learned to read posts only that relate to topics that are of concern to me. While there are many nice people with relevant information, be aware that you will be talked down to, and berated, just because you ask a question that should be common knowledge in some peoples eyes. Dont take it personal, just think very carefully and write your questions as carefully!

The only thing i have a problem with is people asking questions they need to know to own a leo when they already have one, you should be finding it out BEFORE. It very obvious thats what is going on in this case.

exactly! a leopard gecko is something living and needs respect so they should be learned about before someone even attempts to take care of one, this problem of not knowing about them could easily lead to death

Okay, it would be great if everyone found out how to take care of an animal before they got it. No question.

Now ... someone already has an animal and asks how to take care of it. Do we all tell him/her they should already know, smile smugly to ourselves, and go watch T.V. or do we answer the questions and help get the animal set up right?

Not meaning to get down on anyone here, just suggesting that its more helpful to answer the questions. Even if they should have checked first.
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Andrea A.

You want peace, we want you to get a care sheet so you know how to take care of your gecko.

Well I did the research, I bought the books and I asked questions here and on the chat rooms, and I got mostly negative responses about being a novice care taker. Sorry but I have aBS in Biology, I have a 4 year old, and I'm 34, so I think I'm pretty well capable of raising a pet. I asked about a pet store bought animal that is not eating well at all and quite honestly I didnt get very many useful responses. I base my opinion on the people that went off degrading me for being a novice. This is why I dont ask anymore questions. There have been a few nice, caring people that have offered advice, but the majority think that because they have raised a gecko for years or have more than one, that they are above us novices. So that said, what would the experts do with the following? A store bought gecko...didnt eat much for the first month, began to hand feed for a couple weeks, but now, nothing again. Is very skinny, all the husbandry seems to be correct??? Thanks in advance

I do not know why anyone was putting you down when you asked questions concerning your leo. You did the research and thats more than most people do so congradulations on that. I am far from being an expert only having bought my gecko a few months ago but i did however read every post made on this forum for a month before buying my gecko and read every care sheet i could find. To your situation, i can only make suggestions based on my limited experience. For starters i would try to get the leo and a fecal sample to a good reptile vet. It might not be eating because of worms. You can also try switching up the food items. I am not sure what you are feeding now but maybe try a variation of crickets, mealies or supers if you have been feeding only one exclusively. If you are worried about your leo losing too much weight you can give it a few wax worms to fatten up. But be careful because leos can become addicted to waxies and might refuse all other food. Has anything changed in your setup? Is the leo under any stress from anything? Stress could be causing it not to eat. Well this is all i can think of. Hope everything works out, keep me updated.

Rob Woods

i'm suprise this message got alot of reply.well actualy i had not bought the leopard.my friend ask me to care for 1 of his leo when he's going outstation,which he ask me in the very last minute.so how could i had prepare for this?all though i'm currently keeping 25 tortoise of 10 different species (i keep indian star tortoise as my first tortoise,no problem whatsoever),i have no experiance in lizard keeping.

my leo had not eaten yet.i have put a little hide box and use paper towel.seem's to be active and healty.but my leo is often awake in the morning (or when there's light) and sleap in the nighttime,is this normal?

and i'm living in malaysia.which is a tropical country.and the humidity is always high.is this ok?

thanks

Do you know what your friend was feeding him? Some leopard geckos get used to one type of food and don't want to try anything else. Here in the United States its usually crickets or mealworms.

Is it pooping? If so, it must be eating something and that's good. Active is good too. Many leos are awake mostly in the evening and morning, that's normal. Try feeding when the leopard gecko is most active. You might need to be out of sight also, as the leopard gecko might be intimidated.

Leopard geckos are usually kept in low humidity with a "humid hide" to go into for higher humidity (often used when shedding). Higher humidity probably won't be a problem but keep an eye on the skin especially on the belly and tail.

Good luck, I do hope she/he eats soon for you!

>>my leo had not eaten yet.i have put a little hide box and use paper towel.seem's to be active and healty.but my leo is often awake in the morning (or when there's light) and sleap in the nighttime,is this normal?
>>
>>and i'm living in malaysia.which is a tropical country.and the humidity is always high.is this ok?
>>
>>thanks
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Andrea A.