Need Leopard Gecko Help!!!

[TSTEWARTFAN]

Good evening Disboarders. I am hoping you can help me with a pet gecko.
We have had him for about a week and a half, and he really hasn't eaten anything. We did our homework (or so we thought) before we bought the Gecko. We have read the books, checked numerous web sites, and it's our guess the temperature of the vivarium is not right. We have tried several different lights, the under the tank heating pad, and combinations of the two, but we can't seem to regulate the temperature properly. It's either too hot or too cold. If it's ok on one side, it's not OK on the other. We have a 10 gallon tank. Another possible factor is where we live. The house gets cold late at night, and during the day when we have the heat turned down. Can any experienced Leopard Gecko owners reply to this with suggestions as to what we can do? (bulb wattage and such) I am afraid the Gecko is going to die soon if it doesn't start eating.

Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

 

[TSTEWARTFAN]

Bump!

 

[jajuan]

I don't know the answer to your question. But...I do know that they get very stressed and may not eat for a while. We got one from the junior high. We love the little guy and wanted to take him on our trip with us for Christmas. I emailed someone that had a website on geckos and they said it is too stressful on them to be go on a car trip, but that they could survive for two weeks without food. I would never leave him two weeks without food...I just didn't have someone to come daily Maybe he still has some food stored (they say in his tail) and he will start eating soon. Good luck.

 

[ReallyCinderella]

Hi,
My son has had leopard geckos since he was five (he's 16 now). We've moved long distance several times and the poor things have had to adjust to temperature swings from Tucson summers to Chicago winters! We first got the lizard because it's the perfect pet for a "creepy pet crazed" little boy! (no snakes in momma's house!)
We had a problem with our first gecko because he wouldn't drink anything ... they can go a couple of weeks with little or no food, but they really need to be hydrated. We tried misting him, everything. He was just a baby and eventually he died. The guy at the pet store said geckos are very suspectible to gut impactions. I wouldn't worry if he isn't eating much right now. He's probably just getting used to new surroundings. You also might want to watch how much he's handled -- that can stress them out and they won't eat. If he's cold, he'll just get his booty over to the heat rock or sunlamp. As long as your tank is set up with that type of thing, he should be just fine temperature-wize.
I don't know how old your gecko is, but you may have to fiddle with what you feed him. The little guys can't deal with crickets or mealworms that are too big. We usually fed them the small crickets (but a lot of them!) until they were fully grown. And ours never seemed to like mealworms much (which was OK with me!)

They're pretty self-sufficient little critters and your kids will love them. What's not to love about a lizard that doesn't run fast, doesn't bite and stays pretty small??

Good luck!