Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im a first time reptile owner, so i decided to get a baby leopard gecko. I first put sand in there, but i was told by most of you in the forum not to. So i went back to Petco and got green carpet. My baby was fine for a couple of weeks with it, but my mom said right when i came in the door that she was laying on her back for a while. So i went upstairs and she wasnt on her back, but her leg/toes was stuck in the green carpet. I also noticed that she bit her tail off. I slowly and carefully removed her toe from the carpet and replaced it with a clean handtowel for now. I know shes already stressed out because of it and that biting her tail off was a defense mechanisim, but i dont know what else to do to make her more comfurtable with her surroundings and me. She eats normally and everything. Any help please?

thanks
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1 Albino Leopard Gecko- Corona Light

Stick with paper towels - that's one big thing out of the way. They're easy to clean And safe.

Also, make sure she's in a small habitat for now now - I think shoebox size? (Robin, correct if I got my sizes wrong!). Too much space for such a young leo can get stressful.

Good Luck!
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So Many Alleles, So Little Time...!
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~~The Gecko Barn~~

i know her tail will eventually grow back but how will this effect her? is there anything else i can do for her, i dont think she likes me alot, but i just heard babies are skiddish.
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1 Albino Leopard Gecko- Corona Light

Oh wow so sorry to hear that. I use paper towels for all my leos babies to adults. You would need to make sure there is no infection. You can put neosporin ointment on it to help it heal unless it is an open gaping wound then I would take it to a vet. I would use dry paper towels and still give it it's humid hide and everything else, the tail will regrow but just not the same as it was. Keep a close eye on it and go from there. If it looks really bad then just go to a vet to make sure it did not do any other damage, not seeing any pics of it I would do that just to be safe anyways. Good luck.

i put a little neosporan on it and its not an open gaping wound but its basically just a little dried blood at the end, it just looks like a stump. Poor girl, she acts like it doesnt even affect her! Is there any way i can get her to like me any better? I only put a little bit on the end, but not too much. Is there anything else i should know? how can u tell when it gets infected?

thanks!
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1 Albino Leopard Gecko- Corona Light

Swelling, redness,pussing,oosing ect. are signs of infection. I would not handel it for a few days to let it calm down. I am sure it is not you it is more than likley really uncomfortable and unstable at this point and very very sore so when you pick it up it hurts it is all. Give it time to heal and rest and it should be more handelable then once healed alot more.

Your baby didnt just chew its tail off. Leopard geckos (as well as many other lizards) are equipped with autonomy. When a predator grabs them, they can automatically drop their tails. The tail will twitch for a while to distract the predator. When your leos nails got caught in the carpet, it used its only defense to try and get away. Paper towels and slate are the only safe substrates in my opinion. Make sure your babies tank is clean to prevent infection. Also, she will be more prone to starvation now that she's lost all of her food and water storage. Make sure she eats every day. Also, my 3 leos still dont like me, i've had them almost a year now. They have finally stopped running everytime they see me, but i dont out very often. My experiences have been completely different than everybody on here who say that their leos like to come out and act like more of a pet. So your leo may come around or may not. Patience is the key. Remember, all your lizards know is that you are big and are a potential predator, so dont blame them if it takes them a while to come around.

there is one cricket running around in her tank but she wont eat him. I know that she probably cant see him or something, but she just ate about a day ago, and she eats about 7 or 8 of the 12 that i gave her. Should i still buy more and let them run around in her tank? And when she gets older can i bring back the carpet?

im sorry for asking so many questions!
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1 Albino Leopard Gecko- Corona Light

if you dont like handling crickets buy a crcket corral from drs. foster and smith. its like 4 dollars plus shipping. you shouldnt keep more crickets than she can eat especially if she is a baby. the crickets can bite your leo and possibly cause an infection which will be a bigger hassle on you. i HATE bugs so i just put the corral into the tank when i go to feed her and smack the wand untill 7 or 8 crickets come out. also my leo is a juvinile and she is still really skitish. its been about 2 weeks now and she still runs at the sight of a human and with all the stress your leo is under it will probably take some time for her to warm up. i hope i helped a bit and i hope everything goes well for you and your new baby. oh I more word of advice unless the person at the petsore is some sort of specialist DO NOT listen to them. i've been victem to these people. they told me my anole would eat dead crickets when they won't eat anything that isn't small and moving needless to say i almost had a sick anole. wow that was long, sorry.

i dont mind handling crickets so that shouldnt be a problem

thank you all!

ill have an update in a couple of weeks
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1 Albino Leopard Gecko- Corona Light

It's actually not a good idea to leave the crix in the enclosure, they're known to "chew" on the leos, and the longer they are in there, the less they have in their gut, and with an empty gut, they're no good to your leo.
I have tile for a subtrate and it works out awesome, it's easy to clean, safe, and it's great with the temp., and it looks alot nicer than papertowel.
Hope this helps

Whats kind of carpet did you use did you use repti-carpet?
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>>1 Albino Leopard Gecko- Corona Light
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But thats just my 3 cents Email

yes i used something like that or it was that.. im pretty sure it was repti carpet.. i think one her claws got stuck in it
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1 Albino Leopard Gecko- Corona Light