Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone... I have decided not to return them for now...

I will keep trying to get them to eat, the trip back to the original owner and such will only cause more stress...

So for now, lets try to troubleshoot a little...

I have 3 leos, unsexed...
2 month old Albinio
and a patternless and tangerine a little over a month old

The albino is housed seperately as he is a bit larger than the others, he also eats the most...

The patternless eats every couple of days, he is the smallest. He only has eaten mealies so far

The tang eats the least, and to this date has only eated a mealworm a cricket.

Originally the Albino and the patternless were housed together and the tang housed seperately, but I became afraid of dominance issues with the biggest and smallest so I put the albino in a seperate tank...

I would divide the 30 gallon into two sections, but the heating pad was pretty specific in saying DONT PUT BACK ON AFTER REMOVING and I don't want to burn my house down... And I can't divide the tank long ways...

Each tank has three hides... Dry on each side and moist near the warm side...

Temperatures are around 88

They are kept in a dark closet where it is relatively quiet.

I use paper towel substrate.

I keep a dish of mealworms in the tank, but they are a bit too big for them I think, and I won't be going out today (live in superbowl city this year.) They don't move around, so they don't attract much attention unless the regular lamp is on.

I have a red lamp for night viewing, which I don't use much right now so I don't disturb them.

They don't eat from tongs/hand as they are still skiddish.

They are pretty active, if I peek in on them they are usually outside hides looking around.

Hi

I for one am proud of you for making this decision. You can do it I now you have it in you.

Take Care, TLB

I forget how long ago you got them? Is the 88 temp on the warm side or eveywhere.
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danny h.

1.3 leopard geckos

Notice: The bad mealworm looks smooth all around and the bands around it are dark brown. This mealworm will probably pupate in a few days.

The good mealworm looks segmented (not smooth) and the segments look full and turgid. The bands are also lighter in color. This is the mealworm in its most active stage.

The smallest mealworm in the picture is about the size you want to feed to your baby geckos (hatchling sized gecko). These might be hard to get if all you have are big ones. I put a dime in for size reference.

To keep your mealworms turgid and in the "good" stage, you need to provide a source of water at all times (carrot, potato, yam, apple, etc). If there's no source of water around, they'll turn into the bad mealworm and pupate.

I know alot of people don't really care about what kind of mealworm they feed to their geckos, but this is what I follow. The reason I don't feed mealworms in the inactive stage is that these mealworms are going to pupate soon, and their putting alot of their energy into becoming a pupa (so they're less nutritious) and they don't move much with makes them easy to overlook in the gecko's point of view.

They're good to keep around though, let them pupate, turn into beetles have them lay eggs for you, and you'll have thousands upon thousands of little mealworms to feed to your geckos.

-Lemur 6

How big is each gecko's enclosure? Babies can get stressed out form being in an enclosure that is too large. If it were me I would go to Wal Mart and buy three Sterilite or Rubbermaid plastic shoeboxes, set each up with paper towel substrate, small water dish, small feeding dish (those round plant trays work really well, and they are only a few cents a piece at Home Depot) with calcium powder in it, and a hide box. Set them up on a shelf with a heating pad at the back set at medium. You want the back half of their enclosure to be right at 90 degrees or so. Once you set them up this way, leave them be for a day, then try dropping in three 1/4 or 1/2 grown (depending on the sizes of your leos) crickets into each box. If they are healthy and parasite free, they should eat if set up this way.

I apologize if you took offense at my post, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I am just one of those people that speaks my mind, and at times I can be brutally honest. I promise you I am thinking only of the welfare of your leos and of your feelings.

Hope this helps.
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Peace-
Kelli Hammack
H.I.S.S.
email me

I have 2 in a 30 gallon and 1 in a 10...

How much will all that cost? where can I get a heating pad?

The sterilite tubs cost around $1 a piece at the dollar store. Maybe $2 for paper towels. And like $10 or under for a human heating pad that you'd put on your sore muscles or something to that affect.
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Geckos will someday rule the world!

4.7.2 Leopard Geckos
2.1.0 Chihuahuas
2.1.0 Rottweiler Mix
1.0.0 Siamese Cat
1.0.0 Dwarf Hamsters

Josh
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Hmm where do they sell those heating pads?

You can get them at Eckerd Drugs, Walgreens, Walmart..umm...places along those lines. Target..
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Geckos will someday rule the world!

4.7.2 Leopard Geckos
2.1.0 Chihuahuas
2.1.0 Rottweiler Mix
1.0.0 Siamese Cat
1.0.0 Dwarf Hamsters

Josh
----------------------------------

Rubbermaid shoeboxes are only around $1.00 each at Wal Mart. Lowe's has a 6 pack of shoeboxes for under $5.00.

A heating pad can be purchased at any grocery store or drug store. They are usually around $10.

Plant saucers are 39 cents each at Home Depot or Lowes.

Hide boxes you can make yourself out of an empty plastic TV dinner tray, or an onion dip cup. Not too hard. Or you could even use the palnt saucers as hide boxes, just cut out a hole in the side.

The total cost of all of this stuff would definitely be under $20.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Peace-
Kelli Hammack
H.I.S.S.
email me

thanks I'll get those and try that, I will need to drill holes for ventilation right?

Yes, you will need to either drill holes around the top edges of the boxes, or you can do what I do and use a soldering iron and burn holes. Soldering irons are about $10 at home depot BTW.
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Peace-
Kelli Hammack
H.I.S.S.
email me

If you do end up using a soldering iron to burn the holes, make sure to do it outside because the fumes really stink.
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Peace-
Kelli Hammack
H.I.S.S.
email me

Hi

You could save yourself some money by sectioning your 30 gallon off for now until they get bigger and will eventually enjoy a larger tank, that way you don't have to spend anymore money right now.

Take Care, TLB

Like I said, I would but I would have to buy another under tank heater for that, so in the long run, that means I would have to buy an additional 2 heat pads... and they are 20-30 bucks a piece

A human heating pad works just as good as the Zoo Med ones, actually they work better IMO, and they are only $10 and are larger than the reptile heat pads.
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Peace-
Kelli Hammack
H.I.S.S.
email me

Hi

I just mentioned it because I have one tank divided right now so that both geckos have access to the same heat source, thus not having to buy another one.

Take Care, TLB

My heat is at one end of the tank and dividing longways will be a pain, and I am not supposed to remove and reapply the pad

ddf

man, you got an excuse for every suggestion. this is getting boring.
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danny h.

1.3 leopard geckos

I'm not sure if I should be insulted or what by that statement.

I know you and your leos will be just fine. If you need help just yell. I can see you are in more capable hands than mine right now. Don't Quit!

Tim
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LEOs: 6.9.0
1.3 High Yellows-Barney,Betty,?,?
2.0 Hypo Tangerines-Bam-bam,Rex
0.3 SHCT's -Journey,Wiggy,Lil'bit
1.0 Rescued Normals -Shleprock
1.3Tremper Albinos Mr.Slate,?,?,?
1.0 Tang Tremp Albino - Rocky

I'm happy for your decision. I think you are on the road for success now. Watching babies grow and mature under your care is one of the most thrilling things to experience.
email me if you have any concerns.
Best of luck to you!
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Photos