Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently got a baby leopard gecko. It doesn't come out of its "hiding place" very much and it hasnt been eating much (i've have it for almost 2 weeks and its only eatin 4 mealworms) I'm not sure what to do and if there's any good advice anyone has on the tank or anything else I would appriciate it A LOT!

Tell us all the info you have (age/sex/type of housing, type of hide, heating, lighting, what suppliments you use, have you had a fecal exam done, is it housed with others, ect). It will greatly enable us to give valid advice.
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Brian Skibinski
Milwaukee Reptiles
Brian@MilwaukeeReptiles.com

It's a baby..it's about 4 inches long and I'm not sure what its sex is. I have a 10 gallon tank which it lives in alone. I use a heat lamp. And quite honestly I don't know what a fecal exam is...I'm probably a terrible owner but thats why I'm trying to figure out what I could be doing better.

You should check your temps to make sure the hot end is around 88-90 and the cool end around 78-80 (digital thermometers work well for this). Also make sure you use a humid hide. You might also want to try crickets and other food items.
The ten gallon tank is a fine size for a hatchling. Make sure it always has fresh water and that it can easily get to it.

Doe the record, a fecak exam is an exam performed (usually by a vet) on fresh fecal matter from the leos. It tests for parasites as well as some other issues. They are usually fairly inexpensive ($15 around here, more if it tests positive and you have to treat it).

Hope that helps.
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Brian Skibinski
Milwaukee Reptiles
Brian@MilwaukeeReptiles.com

well my leo is like that except it definitely eats more. i will tell you though that leos are not too terribly active but a baby will definitely eat more than that. If you are feeding it regular mealworms, it should eat about 2 a day or 3-4 small crickets as a baby, and my adult eats about 1 large cricket a day because it really isnt that active. I hate to say but it sounds like somethings wrong. MAybe an impaction? see a vet i would say and the fecal inspection is a poop smear (sorry to be crude) to test for internal parasites. i hope this helps. It may also be dehydrated. SO see a vet please and if you care and are asking for help on here NO you are NOT a bad owner.

Paullywog

Well...It can't be impaction b/c she's on bark...it could be dehydrated but it has plenty of water. I'm going to try giving it some crickets before I take it to the vet. Thanks.