Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. Im new to leopard geckos and reptiles in general. my girlfriend recently got me a lepoard gecko (she has one and a bearded dragon) for my birthday about 3 weeks ago. I think that he ate some of the sand in the tank (i didnt realize at the time that i got him how dangerous it was) and i think he is now impacted. he has a dark spot on his belly. he is also very young i need to know if there is anything i can do to help. he has not been eating or going to the bathroom i dont think. the last time i think he ate was last thursday and his tail is very skinny. i already changed the sand out of the tank and replaced it with paper towels. is there anything i can do to help him. please help me and any other advice on raising a gecko would be helpful as well.

Shaun

one more question. my gecko shedded recently and there is still stuff on his toes. however i cannot easily grab him and soak him. there is a humid box on the warm side of his tank. how should i go about taking the dead skin off.

I'm sorry that your Leo is hard to pick up, but you really do need to soak him in some very shallow warm water. This will help with the sskin on his toes and will also help him defecate if he is impacted. Sand is never a good idea but I can tell that you know this already. A dark spot in his abdomen doesn't mean he is impacted. Leos have very thin skin and you can see their organs. Where is the dark spot located? Their liver appear dark blue and is located on the right side of their abdomen. Also, try feeding him a variety of foods. Sometimes they will get bored with just crickets. Mealworms are the best, and give some waxworms to fatten him up. (But not too many, they are very high in fat.) Hope this helps.

the dark spot seems to be in the lower central part of his underside. its hard to tell what color it is because of the difficulty i have picking him up (he constantly yells and runs away). i will try the mealworms and wax worms though. thanks.

You're fine

if you need to transport him... to a bath which usually works for minor impactions, try coralling him into a smaller container instead of picking him up with your hands.

Little guys are naturally very scared of us, it just means your leo is alert

If your leo has been having bowel movements it most likely is not impacted. If your gecko is younger than 6 months (or less than about 5-6" you should not keep it on sand. If you want to use sand in the future make sure you don't pile it up, more than 1/4" is way too much. Also you need to check your temps, make sure you have a humid hide, a bowl of fresh water and a dish of calcium available at ALL times and make sure you are feeding appropriate sized feeders. Whew, that's a lot of stuff! Good luck with your new gecko, keep us posted!
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Sand is never advisable, no matter how old your leo is...... It also does not matter how much or little you use and putting calcium in the tank will not keep it from licking the sand..... To be on the safe side, do not put a grain of sand in your leos cage..... Why risk impaction and possible death when you can totaly avoid it???? I hope your little leo pulls through..... Good luck.....