Help! Gecko not eating

[MissHarlen]

My African fat tail gecko female, about 9mo old, hasn't eaten for me since I got her a month ago. I had her on natural substrate for a week or so and then switched her to paper towels as per the advice of many people.

My worry is that she's impacted and I'm not sure what to do. The most she has eaten for me is a few licks of mealworm guys off my finger.

Exotic pet vets are so expensive you know?

 

[basin79]

Natural substrate should be a safe. What exactly was it? You've not seen any droppings?

I'm unsure about these sadly. Are they like leopards that store fat in their tails? How does her tail look? She could just be settling in. However if she hasn't passed any waste then I'd take her to a vet.

 

[Jurdon]

What’s her weight like? And while I understand invert vets aren’t exactly a thing, if you own a vertebrate you should be prepared to have to take it to the vet. Not saying it’s necessary in this situation, though.

Are they like leopards that store fat in their tails?

They’re much like leopards, althought their tails do seem to be shorter + fatter in comparison. They also tend to have a slightly stockier build.

 

[juliem21]

Natural substrate should be a safe. What exactly was it? You've not seen any droppings?

I'm unsure about these sadly. Are they like leopards that store fat in their tails? How does her tail look? She could just be settling in. However if she hasn't passed any waste then I'd take her to a vet.

Hi. I've had a male african fat tailed gecko for 4-5 months now and know him pretty well. Scratch that, I'm actually not entirely sure how old he is cuz the store didn't have any information on when he was hatched. I also could be wrong about his gender... Anyways he's not eating. I know that's really vague and basically, everyone has come across this problem but idk. He has a 10 gallon tank all to himself, with a wooden hide, a rock hide and a tupperware box with a lid and hole carved in that is used as a humid hide. he also has a water bowl and small calcium dish. for heating, i use a 25W day light and a heat lamp at night cuz my room gets chilly. I don't have a heating mat, and that's where i think ive gone wrong. I cant remember the last time my gecko defecated, so maybe he's impacted. I thought he might be so i soaked him in some warm water for 5 minutes the other night to no avail. The humidity is in the 60s or 80s, never lower. He's already shed so he cant possibly not be eating because of that. His tail is getting thinner since he's barely eaten in over a week. I dont know what else to do really. I really like my pet but its really difficult to take care of him sometimes cause theres not much information on him as leopard geckos. Think its a good idea for me to find him a new home?

 

[basin79]

Hi. I've had a male african fat tailed gecko for 4-5 months now and know him pretty well. Scratch that, I'm actually not entirely sure how old he is cuz the store didn't have any information on when he was hatched. I also could be wrong about his gender... Anyways he's not eating. I know that's really vague and basically, everyone has come across this problem but idk. He has a 10 gallon tank all to himself, with a wooden hide, a rock hide and a tupperware box with a lid and hole carved in that is used as a humid hide. he also has a water bowl and small calcium dish. for heating, i use a 25W day light and a heat lamp at night cuz my room gets chilly. I don't have a heating mat, and that's where i think ive gone wrong. I cant remember the last time my gecko defecated, so maybe he's impacted. I thought he might be so i soaked him in some warm water for 5 minutes the other night to no avail. The humidity is in the 60s or 80s, never lower. He's already shed so he cant possibly not be eating because of that. His tail is getting thinner since he's barely eaten in over a week. I dont know what else to do really. I really like my pet but its really difficult to take care of him sometimes cause theres not much information on him as leopard geckos. Think its a good idea for me to find him a new home?

Do you have a piece of slate or similar you could put under the heat bulb? Obviously stay and make sure it doesn't get too hot. Your gecko should seek it out and get belly warmth. See if that helps.

Again though make sure you stay next to the enclosure to record the surface temperature of the slate.