geckowiththeglock
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Got a new leopard gecko yesterday afternoon, got him from a friend who wanted to give him away. He is over a year old, maybe two, and is currently being kept in a 60x40x30cm exoterra terrarium. I look forward to upgrading him to a bigger enclosure when I could afford it.
He has been fed a diet exclusively of mealworms, served in a bowl and left in his terrarium for a couple of days. I live in a tropical country so the ambient temperature of his enclosure ranges from 28-32 Celsius at day (82-90), and 27 (81) or so at night, depending on the spot and the exact time. I have the fan on and occasionally the a/c to lower the temps down. I will be getting him a very low wattage basking lamp so he could thermoregulate, aiming for a 34 (93) degrees basking spot. I will also be getting him a wider variety of feeders including dubias and black soldier fly larvae, but I will wait until his appetite comes back. I will also try tong feeding him instead of just leaving his food in a bowl. (Don't have the tongs yet)
He is also on aspen bedding, which will be switched out ASAP into a temporary paper towel substrate. Luckily so far he is not impacted, but I wouldn't risk it.
According to my friend who had him for about a year, she said that he has been a little inactive, and has been shedding a lot- like 5 times in a month, with a decreased appetite. However, his weight is fine, he even has a very chubby tail and is slightly overweight, no stuck shed, no discharge from eyes, nose, etc.
When I got him yesterday he almost immediately went into his favourite corner of the tank and slept. And he just slept. He has not eaten, he has not drank anything, he has not pooped, he had barely even opened his eyes for the past 24 hours. He simply shifts in his sleep. I tried to handle him, which admittedly was not a good idea as he must have been stressed- and he responded by chirping which I knew was a sign he did not like it. I let him be and he walked around a little bit, ignored the mealworms, and then went back to sleep. He doesnt even sleep in his hides, and he has 3 of them, one of it being a humid hide.
And that was it. I left him alone then, (aside from the occasional nose boops. too cute.) and still he remained asleep till now, which is nighttime of his second day. Even with the nose boops he just licks his face, then resumes his sleep.
I know it's normal for geckos to sleep a lot in daylight. I stay up pretty late, and I checked on him every 30 mins to see if he's moved, and no. No movement. Just sleep. Should I be worried about his health? Should I be worried at all? Or do I give him a longer adjusting period before deciding if this is worth a vet trip?
He has been fed a diet exclusively of mealworms, served in a bowl and left in his terrarium for a couple of days. I live in a tropical country so the ambient temperature of his enclosure ranges from 28-32 Celsius at day (82-90), and 27 (81) or so at night, depending on the spot and the exact time. I have the fan on and occasionally the a/c to lower the temps down. I will be getting him a very low wattage basking lamp so he could thermoregulate, aiming for a 34 (93) degrees basking spot. I will also be getting him a wider variety of feeders including dubias and black soldier fly larvae, but I will wait until his appetite comes back. I will also try tong feeding him instead of just leaving his food in a bowl. (Don't have the tongs yet)
He is also on aspen bedding, which will be switched out ASAP into a temporary paper towel substrate. Luckily so far he is not impacted, but I wouldn't risk it.
According to my friend who had him for about a year, she said that he has been a little inactive, and has been shedding a lot- like 5 times in a month, with a decreased appetite. However, his weight is fine, he even has a very chubby tail and is slightly overweight, no stuck shed, no discharge from eyes, nose, etc.
When I got him yesterday he almost immediately went into his favourite corner of the tank and slept. And he just slept. He has not eaten, he has not drank anything, he has not pooped, he had barely even opened his eyes for the past 24 hours. He simply shifts in his sleep. I tried to handle him, which admittedly was not a good idea as he must have been stressed- and he responded by chirping which I knew was a sign he did not like it. I let him be and he walked around a little bit, ignored the mealworms, and then went back to sleep. He doesnt even sleep in his hides, and he has 3 of them, one of it being a humid hide.
And that was it. I left him alone then, (aside from the occasional nose boops. too cute.) and still he remained asleep till now, which is nighttime of his second day. Even with the nose boops he just licks his face, then resumes his sleep.
I know it's normal for geckos to sleep a lot in daylight. I stay up pretty late, and I checked on him every 30 mins to see if he's moved, and no. No movement. Just sleep. Should I be worried about his health? Should I be worried at all? Or do I give him a longer adjusting period before deciding if this is worth a vet trip?
I'll continue to keep an eye on him and if he doesn't eat in another week or two I'll set up an appointment with our local reptile vet.