# Leopard Gecko not Eating again!



## Tarantel (Oct 5, 2011)

My gecko Kevin won't eat at all for the past two days. I fed him his daily five mealworms yesterday and he just stared at them and walked away. Same thing happened today. Otherwise he seems to be normal. I dust his food with calcium and vitamin powders once a week. I used to do it every day but some seller at a reptile expo told me once a week. Was he wrong and could this be cause of his problems? I don't think the cause is impaction because he has been pooping. I don't think it's old age because he is only about a year old. Please answer. I don't want him to die. I'm very worried about him.


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## RyanW (Oct 5, 2011)

Leopard geckos will eat straight calcium/vitamin powder as they need it. If you get an all in one like Sticky Tounge Farms Miner-all all you have to do is maintain it in a small dish in the cage with your gecko, they will eat it all on their own. Missing a meal will not hurt a Leopard Gecko even a little. Just keep an eye on his tail to make sure it is plump. With his fat storage he could last months without food.


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## 1Lord Of Ants1 (Oct 6, 2011)

My female only eats one large dubia roach every 2 weeks, at first I as very worried by this but I soon realized she's completely normal and fat. They can survive A LONG time without food.


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## TexasT (Oct 6, 2011)

How long have you had Kevin?  Do you know how old he is?  The research I have done regarding leos recommends keeping a small dish (plastic bottle caps work well) filled with calcium W/OUT D3 in the cage at all times so that it is available if needed.  When feeding young leopard geckos, you want to dust the feeders with calcium WITH D3 and an appropriate vitamin/mineral supplement at almost every feeding.  Eventually you will only need to supplement 2-3 times a week or so.

As far as why he isn't eating, it could be that he's simply not hungry and will start eating again soon, but there are a couple of things I would definitely look into.  What type of heat source are you providing?  UTHs are really your best bet since they provide needed belly heat and also, the light from heat lamps can stress the gecko.  Do you have an accurate thermometer to moniter the exact temp of the "hot" side of the cage?  Too cool of temps might slow down the appetite.  Also, even though he has been eating mealworms without a problem until recently, you might want to try offering a couple of appropriately sized crickets or even a couple of waxworms and see if those spark any interest.

How does his tail look?  Is it thick and fat or is it skinny?  As long as the tail has a good store of fat in it then he can definitely go longer than you might think without eating.  But if the tail seems thin/skinny I would be more concerned.  Good luck!

Reactions: Like 1


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## Shrike (Oct 6, 2011)

Can you tell us a bit about your set up or provide a picture?  Loss of appetite could have something to do with husbandry.


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## BQC123 (Oct 6, 2011)

TexasT and Shrike have it covered pretty well. If there is a heating issue it could be just starting to show now due to seasonal temp. drop. The change of seasons sometimes effects animals kept caged in proper conditions. I am concerned about a diet exclusively of mealworms. Do you feed, or have any other food available? Try to offer a more varied diet.  A couple days not eating is nothing to worry about though.


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## Tarantel (Oct 6, 2011)

Kevin was bought from Petsmart about eight months ago as a juvenile. I don't remember exactly how big he was. I have dubia roaches available but I don't like feeding him them as i'm worried he'll choke. I have an undertank heater but the temperature measurer is on the cold side and reads 70 degrees at the moment. I don't have any waxworms or crickets. His tail is quite plump. Here is a picture of his terrarium.


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## Tarantel (Oct 8, 2011)

*He ate!*

Kevin has not eaten in three days and today he also did not eat his mealworm. I decided to give him a small _dubia_ roach and he ate it. He seemed to have difficulty eating it, almost swallowing it a few times then puking it back up, then trying again. Should I just feed him a small dusted _dubia_ once a week now (my colony can't support feeding every day) or are they too big for him and I should try and get him to eat mealworms?


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## TexasT (Oct 8, 2011)

You need a thermometer to measure the temps on the "warm" side of the cage also--thats really more important than knowing the temp of the cool side.

Is there a reason you can't get crickets?  If he's having trouble eating the dubias then they are probably too big.  He likely needs small crickets.  I would also feed more than once a week.  Usually 2-3 times/week is most appropriate for adult leos.  

And like I said before, it would be a good idea to provide a small dish of calcium w/out D3 in the cage to be available at all times and use calcium w/D3 to dust any feeders.


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## Tarantel (Oct 8, 2011)

The reason I can't get crickets is because crickets are an abomination. I can't catch them with tweezers, they jump, they escape constantly, they die and they stink. I could get some if it's really necessary though.


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## BQC123 (Oct 9, 2011)

Tarantel said:


> The reason I can't get crickets is because crickets are an abomination. I can't catch them with tweezers, they jump, they escape constantly, they die and they stink. I could get some if it's really necessary though.


I hate crickets, but at times we need to use feeders that we don't like. If you have no B. dubia of appropriate size you need to get crickets. It will be temporary until you get your colony up to working capacity. Buy more roaches to jump start the colony if needed. 

Also, go buy a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer. Put it in the cool side with the outdoor probe in the warm end, right over the heat. Not picking on you, but if you don't have a way of telling the temp of warm and cool end, and keeping that in a proper range, you really shouldn't be keeping a lizard. Their bodies are totally dependent on external temps to function and must have a way to regulate that temp. to the proper level. Having, and knowing your thermal gradient is very important. This should actually be accomplished before bringing an animal home, and monitored because it will change throughout the year. Get the temp squared away, along with some proper feeders. I think your problems will go away.


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## Tarantel (Oct 9, 2011)

BQC123 said:


> I hate crickets, but at times we need to use feeders that we don't like. If you have no B. dubia of appropriate size you need to get crickets. It will be temporary until you get your colony up to working capacity. Buy more roaches to jump start the colony if needed.
> 
> Also, go buy a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer. Put it in the cool side with the outdoor probe in the warm end, right over the heat. Not picking on you, but if you don't have a way of telling the temp of warm and cool end, and keeping that in a proper range, you really shouldn't be keeping a lizard. Their bodies are totally dependent on external temps to function and must have a way to regulate that temp. to the proper level. Having, and knowing your thermal gradient is very important. This should actually be accomplished before bringing an animal home, and monitored because it will change throughout the year. Get the temp squared away, along with some proper feeders. I think your problems will go away.


Can I just buy another thermometer or is there something special about indoor/outdoor thermometers?


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## TexasT (Oct 9, 2011)

I'm not sure what you mean by indoor/outdoor thermometers as far as using them for measuring temps in your tank.  You need a digital thermometer with a probe.  The probe goes on the floor of the enclosure above the heating pad to accurately measure the temp that the leo is actually coming into contact with.  The part with the digital read-out attaches to the outside of the cage so it can be easily seen.  You can find these easily at Petco/Petsmart.


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## Warren Bautista (Oct 9, 2011)

:wall:      :wall:

Reactions: Like 1


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## Shell (Oct 9, 2011)

+1 to everything TexasT said. 

If you won't buy crickets to feed properly, maybe you shouldn't have him. I hate crickets, but I use them.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Tarantel (Oct 9, 2011)

I'm going to buy crickets. When I was doing research before I bought him, every website said mealworms were better/easier. He won't eat them now so I guess I'll buy crickets.


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## BQC123 (Oct 9, 2011)

I use thermometers from the home improvement store. They have a probe (outdoor temp) and a main unit (indoor temp). The unit on mine is small( 2" x 4" x 1/2" thick). I mount the unit on the cool end of enclosures, and the probe in my hot spot. The ones I use also show humitity and min/max temp so I can watch for fluctuations.


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