Leopard Gecko not eating.

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Hi, I know a lot of you are educated about many different types of reptiles and probably own more than one type, just like I do.
I have two leopard geckos. One who constantly eats and could probably eat all day. Very healthy boy.
However, I have another leopard gecko who is slightly younger than he is. My husband and I have offered her many variety of bugs. Dubia roaches, mealworms, crickets. She won’t eat anything. She has the exact same set up as my male leopard gecko.
We’ve taken her to the vet and he checked her for a URI (She was clean) and gave her some appetite booster. That didn’t help.
I’ve tried everything the vet suggested. I’ve researched. I’ve done everything and I still can’t get her to eat. She just completely ignores it and turns her head up. She is always full of energy, wide open. She’s not lethargic or weak. I will also find a fresh pile of poo in her tank every now and again.
Can someone please give me some suggestions on what I could do to get her to eat?
Anything!
Thanks!
 

Claudiusx

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hi there,

Sorry I really dont have any experience at all with Geckos, but there are a few members here that do. Hopefully one of them will see your thread here and lend a hand :)

-Brandon
 

Linzloohoo

Hatchling Member
Hi! How old is your gecko? Tail nice and fat? My rexi is about 4 years old. Last winter she literally didn’t eat anything for 6 months. She was in brumation, but when it got to be June and she still wasn’t eating I was getting worried. she started eating again in July. Throughout her entire 6 months of not eating her tail remained nice and fat, she even had her fat stores under her arms filled up, although those depleted throughout the months. Throughout this time she also preferred her cold hide. If yours is older than 1 year, and tail is still fat I wouldn’t worry so much. Do you have a recent picture?
 

celliott303

Member
Original Poster
106541-6606993028.jpg
Here she is!
I'm really not sure how old she is. We asked the pet store when we got her how old she was and they said they didn't know. Since she's still so tiny, I'm assuming she's just several months old. Brumation was one of our thoughts, but we just aren't sure because the temperature in the house hasn't changed and our male leopard gecko behavior hasn't changed.
 

Linzloohoo

Hatchling Member
She looks nice and healthy! Nice fat tail. I would guess she’s around 6 months old, so maybe not brumation, especially since she is so active. When ours when brumating we didn’t see her for months, had to lift her hide and check that she was still living lol. Although since her tail is so nice and big she might just be off her food until it shrinks down some. Is her warm hide around 90-94 degrees? Under tank heater or lights?
Males do tend to be bigger than the females, plus they are all different.
Little lady just trying not to put on too much weight this holiday season ?
I would only start to worry if she starts acting lethargic + her tail decreases in size considerably + she’s still not eating. Her tail will shrink some because she will be using the fat stores in it for energy, once it shrinks a bit I believe she will start eating again.
 

celliott303

Member
Original Poster
Yes, her warm side never goes above 91 degrees!
I've found that she prefers the cool hide more than the warm hide. However, I really think it's the preference of the cave that is on the cool side. The cave on the cool side is smaller and I know bigger areas can stress them out. Should I be concerned about her being on the cool side all the time? Should I switch the caves? I know I keep asking questions but I really appreciate your help! :D
 

Linzloohoo

Hatchling Member
I wouldn’t worry about her being on the cool side, she knows what she needs at any given moment as far as temps go. Remember our daytime is their nighttime. So it makes sense that they are in the cool side during the day. In the wild they come out from their hiding spot at dusk and sit on the rocks that are still warm from the sun. It’s possible she just likes that hide more though, have you tried switching them?
Rexi was almost always in her cold hide until recently, for some unknown reason she has switched her daytime preference and now stays in her warm hide most the time.
And don’t worry about asking questions! That’s what this forum is for, glad to help!
 

celliott303

Member
Original Poster
I did switch them one day and she still stayed in the same smaller cave. I ended up switching them back because I didn’t want to change her set-up from what she’s used to.

Also, at dusk, she never comes out and sits on her warm rocks. She’s really active but she’s always seems to stay on the cool side of her tank.
 

Linzloohoo

Hatchling Member
Using lights or under tank heater? I’ve switched between the two throughout the years. While using a under tank heater mine will be in warm hide more often, but when I was using lights she would stay on the cold side. I think the light would make the ambient tank temp too warm for her liking.
 

celliott303

Member
Original Poster
Gotcha!
Yeah, my husband and I have been using the lights for both of our Leo’s. Our male seems to enjoy the lights. I guess each leopard gecko prefers different things lol
 

Linzloohoo

Hatchling Member
Definitely, maybe try a under tank heater for her, she might like it more. They aren’t too expensive. Worth a try. For mine I got a thermostat with a probe to keep the temp at the right spot. Just make sure you raise the tank off it’s surface a bit, I just used some small pieces of wood under the tank to raise it maybe an inch. I learned the hard way that the heater will leave a scorch mark on any wood.
 

celliott303

Member
Original Poster
Hi!!
No, she still isn’t eating. I’ve tried every day but she’s still sticking her nose up. Her tail hasn’t been shrinking much either. However, I continue to find fresh poo in her tank every few days.
She’s still active and running around. The only thing I can think of is brumation :/
I know they’re supposed to adore waxworms so I’m gonna try those next. No idea why I haven’t tried them yet already lol
 
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