African Fat Tail Still Not Eating

Hello to all,

I have had this AFT for over two weeks now since Feb 14th.
Been trying to get him to eat and nothing seems to interest th little guy. It is just under 6 inches long and so I think it is considered a juvenile? I have tried crickets, Meal worms, Wax worms, and now watermelon to see if I can get him to take something. To no avail as of tonight.

I am worried that he is not getting anything and wonder if he is starving or what. His tail is looking kinda skinny but not too bad.

Any ideas of what I can do or how long without him eating is too long.

Thanks,
Robert

 

Hi,

I have the following for setup:

15 Gal tank
Coconut fiber for substrate
UTH on one end
Hide on heated end
Moist Hide on opposite end
Small feeding dish
Medium Water dish
One temperature gauge
One Hygrometer
Basking lamp
Some plants on each end for cover


I mist the tank a few times a day to keep the humidty close as possible to 70 %

The average temp on the warm side is around 80 degrees or slightly below.

I turn the basking lamp on when I leave for work around 7 or so and turn it off around 6pm and then start the lights out for darkness.

We try to feed him around the same time each night.

Thank you for any help you can provide!

Regards,
Robert

 

How cold is it getting at night?

 

Maybe around 75-77.
Is there a min/max for night?

 

Looks like you need to bump up your temps during the day. Here is the caresheet for appropriate temps and care.

African Fat-tailed Gecko (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus) Caresheet

 

What can I use to bump up the temps?

Do I need another heater or should I get better guages as well?

I have a 75 watt bulb in the lamp at the moment.

Thanks,
Robert

 

I had two small round gauges from petco but you just now picked up a Oregon scientific weather 500 digital indoor/outdoor system. It tracks both temp/humidity. With min/max temps/humidity

 

Good choice on the digital gauges.

What does the top of the enclosure look like? Is there a way to trap the heat in a little more? A 75 watt should get much higher, if the lid is partially covered. I get my 20 gallon up to 90 at times, with just a 60 watt. I have blue house insulation everywhere the dome to the fixture is not.

Also, do you have any hides for your Gecko? Plants, upside down tupperware, half logs or anything else? Also, try covering up 3 sides of your tank. It will help your gecko feel more secure.

 

Hi,

I just got home and set up the wireless thermometer system.
I placed the sensor in the enclosure directly on the substrate on the heated side at the front of the hide. It now reads 84.0 F. Humidity 89%. The old gauge reads 78 degrees F. The indoor temp is now 79.2 degrees F.

I turned the basking light off around 45 minutes ago.

I have the following for setup:

15 Gal tank
Coconut fiber for substrate
UTH on one end
Hide on heated end
Moist Hide on opposite end
Small feeding dish
Medium Water dish
One temperature gauge
One Hygrometer
Basking lamp
Some plants on each end for cover (Meed More based on feedback)

See attached photos for better description..
Regards,
Robert

 

Raise the temperature a bit this can be done with a red or black light, just make sure to watch the temperature. Do you know any of the background on this animal and was it eating before you got it. Mine have always love chasing dusted crickets at all times of the day and night.

 

Thanks,

Are you saying that I should add another lamp in addition to the lamp that is already being used?

It was warmer when the lamp was on so I am not too concerned about the daytime temp anymore.

I honestly do not know the eating habits of the gecko before it left the store. I bought it at Pet Kingdom (www.petkingdom.com)in San Diego where I live. Maybe I should consider going back to them and letting them know that it is not eating since I bought it.

 

Okay,

I just came from the store and purchased bigger crickets. It seems as though maybe the crickets we had were too small and did not interest the little guy.

So tonight my daughter and I dumped around 8-10 crickets in to get him pumped up and he jumped on three of them right away.

After which he seemed content to just go back to chillin again.

Now I need to figure out how many is enough for him to maintain a healthy diet?

Any info would be great!

 

what are the temps at night

 

that question was already asked and answered.

 

I didn't realize.