new old gecko

BreeZeR · #1 (**permalink**) 08-16-2002, 01:39 AM

well. I have just been to "calles dyrerige" in denmark, and bought myself a 2 years old female leopard gecko....

this is the first reptile I ever had, so i have plenty of questions I hope you guys can answer to :

1) I have only been feeding her meelworms, but one day I woke up, I saw that she have puked up many worms after eating them.. and she does have a rather thin tail, but the tail is just as thin as it was when i bought it... is this normal for a gecko ? is it sick ?

2) I have my gecko in a temporary cage.. its about a 15gallons aquarium, I only have newspaper and a towel in the bottom, and I havent got the equipment I need to give her the right temperatures yet, but I will get it in a few days... ( the degrees is about 25 celcium.. is this a fine enough temporary cage ?

3) I am almost finnished with my new cage, it is very big and i have made a neat scenery with mortar.. she have two plases to hide.. one on each side.. but my problem is : I don't know what to have in the bottom... newspaper ? sand ? some kind of special reccomended sand ?.. I really need a fast answer to this !

4) The gecko is very nervous.. When I have her on my arm, se doesn't relax, she just looks scared and sometimes try to run of and sometimes she makes a whiney noice... how can I get her more used to me ??

5) What food, other that meelworm, do you reccomend ??

I hope to get many positive answers to this !

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BreeZeR The BrainFreeZeR|`!

bensnacks · #2 (**permalink**) 08-16-2002, 01:50 AM

G'day breezer, Welcome to the site.

I don't really know geckos much I'm sure the other guys
could help you out.
In the mean time have a look at the 'caresheets' section to the
left of screen they have one on Leo's there that would probably help you out. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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BreeZeR · #3 (**permalink**) 08-16-2002, 01:52 AM

thank u thank u ! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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StaticKaos · #4 (**permalink**) 08-16-2002, 02:21 AM

Woah.. you've got some bad problems here.. 1 reason why it may of spit up the meal worms is that they have been known to eat their way out the stomachs of geckos.. Because if they aren't chewed all the way, they can stay alive.. Another reason is maybe the heating in tha tank isn't good enough, or it wasn't feeling secure.. The temps REALLY need to be regulated, im guessing that is why yours wasn't eating right.. Crickets are a good source of good by the way.. You can by a powder to dust the crickets with to give them vitamins, which will go to the gecko. a thin tail is a bad sign, means its unhealthy.. Need to beef that tail up.. Also.. Hide boxes are very important, needs to feel secure.. For substrate I use Calci sand.. its safe if eaten, gives them calcium.. Plus it comes in many colors an they can burrow in it..
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SteveP · #5 (**permalink**) 08-16-2002, 02:38 AM

As stated, change over to gut loaded crickets for the bulk of the diet. Lizards generally love mealworms (like candy), to the point they'll stuff themselves with them and then puke them up. Treat the mealworms as treats and offer just a couple after a meal of crickets. I prefer to portion out feeder insects to lizards rather than just dump and go. Put a few in the cage, see if they all get eaten, put a few more in, see if those get eaten, etc. When the lizard slows down eating...that's usually more than enough, then remove the uneaten insects.

As StaticKaos pointed out, the fatness of the tail is the sign of health. A plump tail typically indicates a healthy animal.

She likely looks scared because everything around her is new, unfamiliar. Once you have her permanent cage set up, and her settled into it, she should do fine. Keep in mind until settled in this is a stressful time for her, and if she may not be in the peak of health keep an eye on her overall condition. Fine sand, like Calcisand, is a good substrate.
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gecko_paws · #6 (**permalink**) 08-17-2002, 03:06 AM

Hi Breezer,

Welcome to RTB. Static Kaos your not serious about mealworms eating their way out of leos stomachs are you? I heard that was a bunch of BS. The mealworms suffocate down in the geckos stomach quickly.

My leo's have never had a problem with mealworms and I feed them the giant mealworms gutloaded. Breezer, you should really vary your diet with your leo. Mealworms and Crickets for the bulk. Roaches are ok and even silkworms are fine for a treat. Try not to feed them waxworms too often, leo's get addicted to them and might not eat anything else. Or don't feed them any waxworms. Waxworms are really really fattening and not nutritious and will put weight on your gecko quickly. They are like leo twinkies! Oh and remember to dust your crickets and mealworms or gutload them with calcium enriched grain.

As for you gecko reguritating, how many mealworms did you feed your leo? Some leo's will eat and eat mealworms until they puke. The same goes for crickets too! I've had a gecko that has reguritated after eating tons of crickets. I don't usually feed my gecko more then 10 mealworms.

As for the cage setup, you should keep it at about 75 to 80 farenheit in the cool area and about 85-95 F in the warm area. Under Tank heaters are excellent for regulating temperature. You should really get one of those.

For substrate Paper towels are the best thing for your leos. But if you want to use something that looks better then I suggest Calci sand or lizard litter. I use lizard litter because it's cheap and it says its digestable and dust free, unlike calci sand. Plus it's really hygenic and absorbs and doesn't grow mold. I've never had problems with it. Some people say that it's bad for leos because it's sharp surface. Then again calci sand can make your leo's have urinary tract infections because they like to drag their anus after relieving themselves. And because leo's crave calcium that they will ingest too much of the sand and can become impacted or loose their appetite. Basically you shouldn't have any problems with substrate since your leo is two years old.

What is your more permanent setup going to look like and how big is it?

As for the tail thing, A fat tail is a healthy gecko. So get her in that permanent cage and start fattening her up!!
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BreeZeR · #7 (**permalink**) 08-18-2002, 12:29 PM

thank you for all the help, I am going to finnish the cage today so I am going to take som pictures of the cage and the geco and upload them here afterwards [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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Seany · #8 (**permalink**) 08-18-2002, 01:36 PM

Welcome to RTB.net... a small Leo can have problems with meal worms. I DON'T suggest it.
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eddie · #9 (**permalink**) 08-18-2002, 03:44 PM

Static...

If you're gonna give out info on meal worms and leos, at least make sure it isn't an URBAN LEGEND!

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>spit up the meal worms is that they have been known to eat their way out the stomachs of geckos.. Because if they aren't chewed all the way, they can stay alive. </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

I can't recall on my fingers and toes that I have heard this one...
It is NOT true.

One of the biggest concerns with regurge in leos is letting them have too much food.
They should be fed just what they can take in with-in 5 minutes and then the rest removed.
Another concern is the fact that you do NOT have all the proper set-up supplies such as UTH , heatlamp, anything.
Reptiles need warmth to digest their food!
With no warmth the food becomes rancid and will come out the easiest way, which is usually out the mouth.

The leo should have a nice plump appearance, but since you have only had her for a few days, and without heat, then she isn't going to show any weight gain at all, especially with the regurges.

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