some behavior that needs clarifying

[invaderzimgir]

I know i've posted a lot recently about different geckos but let me explain what's happening with this one. I have 3 geckos. each in separate enclosures. 1 gecko is still a baby, has never changed enclosures, is doing fine. my other two geckos i bought from a co-worker about two months ago and lived at my house for about 3 weeks. these geckos are a few years old. I took them to school (as some of you may remember from a previous post) and kept them in my classroom for about 3 more weeks. enclosure stayed the same, just moved locations. when they were living at my house they seemed fine, eating regularly, no weird behaviors. after moving them to my classroom, the male started to seem more timid, stopped eating as much and didnt spend a lot of time in the warm hide. at this point (last week) i took him home and put him in his own enclosure. at about the same time every night he's been what it seems like, trying to escape his cage. about an hours worth of standing on his hind legs and trying to climb up. he tries to climb everything, a lot of wall dancing. he wont eat the mealies in his dish and has only munched on 3 crickets in the past 2 days. the seasons are changing and it is getting a bit cooler in the house. maybe this has something to do with it. i'm most curious about the hour long bursts of movement each night, looking like he really wants to get out. he's been pooping every day or so, kind of small ones. he does eat every day it's just not a lot at all. 1-2 crickets. my other gecko's are behaving just fine and eating healthily. maybe the multiple environment change and the seasons changing and i also changed his substrate a few times. he also waved his tail around last night for a minute, super slow and methodical, and it was straight up in the air. i've done some reading on here to find out that that tail behavior is mostly a threatened behavior, or stress. any help is appreciated.



sorry for the block of text..

 

[tiedxupxinxknots]

I know i've posted a lot recently about different geckos but let me explain what's happening with this one. I have 3 geckos. each in separate enclosures. 1 gecko is still a baby, has never changed enclosures, is doing fine. my other two geckos i bought from a co-worker about two months ago and lived at my house for about 3 weeks. these geckos are a few years old. I took them to school (as some of you may remember from a previous post) and kept them in my classroom for about 3 more weeks. enclosure stayed the same, just moved locations. when they were living at my house they seemed fine, eating regularly, no weird behaviors. after moving them to my classroom, the male started to seem more timid, stopped eating as much and didnt spend a lot of time in the warm hide. at this point (last week) i took him home and put him in his own enclosure. at about the same time every night he's been what it seems like, trying to escape his cage. about an hours worth of standing on his hind legs and trying to climb up. he tries to climb everything, a lot of wall dancing. he wont eat the mealies in his dish and has only munched on 3 crickets in the past 2 days. the seasons are changing and it is getting a bit cooler in the house. maybe this has something to do with it. i'm most curious about the hour long bursts of movement each night, looking like he really wants to get out. he's been pooping every day or so, kind of small ones. he does eat every day it's just not a lot at all. 1-2 crickets. my other gecko's are behaving just fine and eating healthily. maybe the multiple environment change and the seasons changing and i also changed his substrate a few times. he also waved his tail around last night for a minute, super slow and methodical, and it was straight up in the air. i've done some reading on here to find out that that tail behavior is mostly a threatened behavior, or stress. any help is appreciated.



sorry for the block of text..

Well what are the temps? Hot and cold sides and during the day/night?also are you using a digital thermometer? One of the possible reasons why he is behaving like this is because winter is approaching and its getting colder. As for the climbing, its not a big deal, some geckos just do that, be relocating and new enclosure takes time getting use to so that may be why he does it. The tail waving is aa sign of stress or a reaction to feeling threatened. Maybe he can see his reflection or doesn't like to be handled.

 

[Jayme]

In addition to what Carlos has said, I was thinking he could also just be restless and exploring. And since there is a barrier in the way of his exploring, he's trying to get around it. When my leo does this, i double check the temps, and if they're fine I take her out and let her roam around on my bed. Usually piling the blankets in such a way that they create lots of caves and tunnels entertain her for a good while, and then she starts acting normally again when I return her to her cage.

 

[invaderzimgir]

Well what are the temps? Hot and cold sides and during the day/night?also are you using a digital thermometer? One of the possible reasons why he is behaving like this is because winter is approaching and its getting colder. As for the climbing, its not a big deal, some geckos just do that, be relocating and new enclosure takes time getting use to so that may be why he does it. The tail waving is aa sign of stress or a reaction to feeling threatened. Maybe he can see his reflection or doesn't like to be handled.

temps are good i think, 90-95 on the hot side and then 75-70 on the cool side. i have a digital thermometer. i'll try taking him out a little and letting him roam around my bed. see if that helps. maybe he just wants to kick it outside of his cage.

 

[gecko4245]

temps are good i think, 90-95 on the hot side and then 75-70 on the cool side. i have a digital thermometer. i'll try taking him out a little and letting him roam around my bed. see if that helps. maybe he just wants to kick it outside of his cage.

70-75 is low. Increase to 75-80 that might be a reason he is eating so little. The air temps should be 85 too on the hot side.

 

[invaderzimgir]

70-75 is low. Increase to 75-80 that might be a reason he is eating so little. The air temps should be 85 too on the hot side.

alright, i thought air temp really didn't matter too much? since they get their heat from their bellies. he seems to be laying around a lot on the hot side, just eyes closed laying there. eats about 2 crickets a day then wont take anymore. wont eat the meal worms i set out for him...

 

[gecko4245]

alright, i thought air temp really didn't matter too much? since they get their heat from their bellies. he seems to be laying around a lot on the hot side, just eyes closed laying there. eats about 2 crickets a day then wont take anymore. wont eat the meal worms i set out for him...

yes, it matters. How does his poop look? I would take him to the vet to make sure he does not have any leftover sand in his tummy or parasites. maybe take a picture of his poop and post it and a pic of him if you can.

 

[tiedxupxinxknots]

alright, i thought air temp really didn't matter too much? since they get their heat from their bellies. he seems to be laying around a lot on the hot side, just eyes closed laying there. eats about 2 crickets a day then wont take anymore. wont eat the meal worms i set out for him...

you are right air temps dont really matter as much but when they drop below 75 then it could be a problem. Geckos need to thermoregulate and dont always stay on the hot side and frankly, anything under 75 is too cold, getting it around 80 would be perfect. As for eating 2 crickets a day, its ok during the bromation season, just monitor the gecko's weight and he may eat more if the temps are raised.

 

[gecko4245]

alright, i thought air temp really didn't matter too much? since they get their heat from their bellies. he seems to be laying around a lot on the hot side, just eyes closed laying there. eats about 2 crickets a day then wont take anymore. wont eat the meal worms i set out for him...

I have been keeping geckos for 15 years so believe me their body temp needs to be 85 to digest properly. It makes no sense for a reptile to only have a warm tummy.

 

[invaderzimgir]

poop looks normal, firm brown part with a little white each time. i remember him pooping out the little bits of sand from the 24 hours he lived on the vita-sand. he's been pooping regularly, once a day-ish. how much less do leos eat in the winter? he was eating pretty veraciously when i got him in august, 8-9 crickets in a sitting. now he's only eating 2 a day. I'd post a pic if i could but i left my camera at school. i mean, it is day time so it's to be expected that he just lays around most of the day. i dont see a lot of action out of him until around 8-9pm. starts dancing on the cage sides and climbing everywhere. maybe i'm just overreacting?

 

[gecko4245]

poop looks normal, firm brown part with a little white each time. i remember him pooping out the little bits of sand from the 24 hours he lived on the vita-sand. he's been pooping regularly, once a day-ish. how much less do leos eat in the winter? he was eating pretty veraciously when i got him in august, 8-9 crickets in a sitting. now he's only eating 2 a day. I'd post a pic if i could but i left my camera at school. i mean, it is day time so it's to be expected that he just lays around most of the day. i dont see a lot of action out of him until around 8-9pm. starts dancing on the cage sides and climbing everywhere. maybe i'm just overreacting?

It's normal that they are no active during the day. If the air temps have dropped he will eat less so that is possible. Anything under 75 is too cold for the daytime especially. Too dry or too cold will make them it less.

 

[tiedxupxinxknots]

poop looks normal, firm brown part with a little white each time. i remember him pooping out the little bits of sand from the 24 hours he lived on the vita-sand. he's been pooping regularly, once a day-ish. how much less do leos eat in the winter? he was eating pretty veraciously when i got him in august, 8-9 crickets in a sitting. now he's only eating 2 a day. I'd post a pic if i could but i left my camera at school. i mean, it is day time so it's to be expected that he just lays around most of the day. i dont see a lot of action out of him until around 8-9pm. starts dancing on the cage sides and climbing everywhere. maybe i'm just overreacting?

i didnt know he was pooping sand, but i doubt gecko has sand problems since it goes to the bathroom everyday. My Gecko ate about 10-12 mealworms a day and now in winter she only eats about 3-4 every other day and hasnt lost weight. Yoi could be overreacting, just keep the temps around 90 in the hot side and around 80 on the cool side. 85 might be a lil to hot on the cool side since 5 degree change isnt that big, your gecko also needs to cool down which is why he knows best when to go to the hot and cool side.

 

[gecko4245]

What I do is add an extra water dish so that the humidity does not go under 40. This is also why people have been having problems with shed. That's why they slow down because if the humidity goes very low they can become dehydrated and not be able to digest their food. In the wild they find moist shelters to hide under during very dry and cold temperatures.

I meant 85 air temp on the hot side along with the floor being 90-95 75-80 on the cool side.

 

[invaderzimgir]

What I do is add an extra water dish so that the humidity does not go under 40. This is also why people have been having problems with shed. That's why they slow down because if the humidity goes very low they can become dehydrated and not be able to digest their food. In the wild they find moist shelters to hide under during very dry and cold temperatures.

I meant 85 air temp on the hot side along with the floor being 90-95 75-80 on the cool side.

sounds good. i have a lamp with a dimmer so i'll throw that up on the cool side and raise those temps a little bit, and hopefully it will up the air temps in the cage as well.

 

[gecko4245]

sounds good. i have a lamp with a dimmer so i'll throw that up on the cool side and raise those temps a little bit, and hopefully it will up the air temps in the cage as well.

Just make sure it does not go over 80 on the cool side. It might work out just putting it on the hot side along with the heat mat. Depending on how much heat it gives out. Even having it on the hot side should raise the temp on the cool side a bit.

 

[gecko4245]

Just make sure it does not go over 80 on the cool side. It might work out just putting it on the hot side along with the heat mat. Depending on how much heat it gives out. Even having it on the hot side should raise the temp on the cool side a bit.

edited It will be best if he has more options. Some like it warmer than others.

 

[invaderzimgir]

edited It will be best if he has more options. Some like it warmer than others.

do you think it'll raise the ground temps too much? or should i not worry about that. i have a digital thermometer so i guess it'll just be about getting the right amount of dim so it doesnt push up the ground temps too much.

 

[gecko4245]

Just try it and see what temps you get in different spots.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I have been keeping geckos for 15 years so believe me their body temp needs to be 85 to digest properly. It makes no sense for a reptile to only have a warm tummy.

I think you might want to do a little more research on thigmatherms versus heliotherms. Leos are thigmatherms.

Also ambient air temps aren't that crucial to your leo, look where they come from, the afghan desert, india, etc all get well below 70*f at night and they survive just fine in that environment. All colder air temps means is your leo cools off faster and will need to reheat sooner. Keep your floor temps between 88-96*f (at the higher end if your leo is young/old/ill) and your leo should be fine as long as your meeting all of the other husbandry needs.

 

[gecko4245]

I think you might want to do a little more research on thigmatherms versus heliotherms. Leos are thigmatherms.

Also ambient air temps aren't that crucial to your leo, look where they come from, the afghan desert, india, etc all get well below 70*f at night and they survive just fine in that environment. All colder air temps means is your leo cools off faster and will need to reheat sooner. Keep your floor temps between 88-96*f (at the higher end if your leo is young/old/ill) and your leo should be fine as long as your meeting all of the other husbandry needs.

I have done enough research believe me In the wild they have no choice but to find the warmest place to hide during extreme temperatures. It does not mean it is what they prefer and what is healthiest. For years I give my leo's a bunch of options and they all prefer to be completely warm. They have a spot that only has belly heat and they have a spot that has both, belly heat and warm air temps. What do they chose? The area where they have both warm air and tummy heat. They are your biggest teacher and tell you what they prefer.