Help please

About a week ago I got a Leo from someone who gave him, his hide, water dish, 30 gallon long tank, and a few crickets to me free of charge.

They told me they hadn't cleaned the tank in the 2.5 years they had him because he was doing fine so that was the first thing I did. After cleaning the tank I decided to move him to a plastic tub and onto paper towels instead of crushed walnut shells like he had been on.

Problem is that in the time I've had him he has only eaten one cricket. Even then I'm not honestly sure he ate one I might have just miss counted.

I've tried meal worms but he doesn't even bother with them. I've tried feeding at dusk and at dawn, but no luck so far. Temps are about 80 to 85 degrees and humidity is around 45-50 percent. He's active when out of the tub, otherwise he mostly chills out in his hides. At night he'll hop up on top of the hide and lay there and drink some water sometimes.

I'm starting to get a little worried about him so would appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks!

How are you feeding?

Are you leaving the mealies in a dish overnight?

Are you providing a basking area or just a general temperature of 85 deg.?

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

How are you feeding?

Are you leaving the mealies in a dish overnight?

Are you providing a basking area or just a general temperature of 85 deg.?

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I've just been putting about 4 or 5 in the tub with him coated in a calcium supplement stuff they gave me. I've tried leaving them in all day and also tried taking them out after an hour.

Yes I've left the mealies in a dish overnight. The first night the damn crickets ate them the second night I took the crickets out.

Right now it is a general temp of 85 will be getting a heat pad tonight to help create a gradient.

The crickets ate the mealies? How do you know it wasn't the gecko?

I would also get a proper heating on the enclosure. No basking spot = slower metabolism = reptiles eat less.

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

The crickets ate the mealies? How do you know it wasn't the gecko?

I would also get a proper heating on the enclosure. No basking spot = slower metabolism = reptiles eat less.

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Because when I went and opened the top of the tub up three crickets were standing there chowing down on the little bowl of meal worms.

Yeah I was trying to get away with the heat lamp as a basking spot, but I guess I'll need to get a UTH either way.

My Leo will ONLY eat off tweezers (handfed) and drink from a spoon.

If I leave food in his enclosure, thats where it stays.
He was born with his front legs turned in, so he's not fast enough to catch crickets.

Perhaps hand feeding would work until your baby gets used to being fed well.

whatever you do...don't use your fingers...named mine "Gator" after I made the mistake of feeding him with my fingers...lol

good luck!

I'll have to try out the tweezers and see what happens. Last night I left 5 crickets and 3 meal worms in there with some gut load for the crickets to discourage them eating the worms. The worms were there, the crickets were there, the gecko was there, but the gut load was gone so the only thing eating is crickets it seems.

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Originally Posted by OhBalls

My Leo will ONLY eat off tweezers (handfed) and drink from a spoon.

If I leave food in his enclosure, thats where it stays.
He was born with his front legs turned in, so he's not fast enough to catch crickets.

Perhaps hand feeding would work until your baby gets used to being fed well.

whatever you do...don't use your fingers...named mine "Gator" after I made the mistake of feeding him with my fingers...lol

good luck!

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Did you get the heat/temperatures straightened out? The substrate on the warm side should be 88-92, measured accurately...a temp gun or digital thermometer w/a probe work best. How are you measuring the temps now?
Also, crickets are nasty little things and will actually nibble on your gecko. It's best to take them back out after an hour or so and try again the next day.
If you just got her she may just need some time to settle in, it can take a week or so. Moving and a complete viv change will throw a Leo for a loop, try to leave her alone as much as possible and let her relax and get used to her new surroundings. Do work on those temps though, it's very important that they are right :)

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Originally Posted by Clementine_3

Did you get the heat/temperatures straightened out? The substrate on the warm side should be 88-92, measured accurately...a temp gun or digital thermometer w/a probe work best. How are you measuring the temps now?
Also, crickets are nasty little things and will actually nibble on your gecko. It's best to take them back out after an hour or so and try again the next day.
If you just got her she may just need some time to settle in, it can take a week or so. Moving and a complete viv change will throw a Leo for a loop, try to leave her alone as much as possible and let her relax and get used to her new surroundings. Do work on those temps though, it's very important that they are right :)

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To be honest I'm having a bit of a problem getting the temps to stabilize where they need to be. I've got a 75watt red heat lamp and a medium sized zoomed uth working together on the basking side and its hanging right around 79.3 - 81.2 (measured with digital thermometer w/ probe). It's the same exact setup as I use with my snakes and I never have any issues with getting the temps right. I've got it in a walk-in closet so drafts aren't an issue. This afternoon I'll get a 100watt bulb and see what happens.

Aside from changing water I'll try not bothering her for a week or so and see what happens.