super shy fat-tail

Question
2 months ago, I got a fat-tail female.  I am not 100% certain, but I believe she was housed in a (small) tank with 4 other males.  I believe this because the people at the pet store *thought* she was the only female.  There was also one fat-tail at the store who was strutting around like he owned the place.  I didn't realize there were other fat tails even in there until they lifted up a log to show 4 geckos half buried in sand.  I almost bought all of them right there to get them out of that situation, but space and finances didn't allow for that.  At any rate, my fat-tail, who lives on paper towels instead of sand, spends 100% if her time in either her dry or moist hide.  The only time she comes out is to move directly from one to the other, and I have only witnessed that a few times.  Maybe once a week I might see her tail/hind legs poking out of her cave, but other than that she stays almost entirely hidden.  She seems to have a lot of energy when she is fed, and when she is handled, she seems pretty content to wander around my lap/arm, and she doesn't make any attempt to struggle or run away, though she also seems to be looking for a spot to burrow, but as soon as she's back in her tank, she's heads right for her hide and is gone again.  A few days ago, I got a fish tank decoration that when laid on its side provides some shelter while not being entirely enclosed, but she hasn't used it yet.  I have even checked in the middle of the night when I've woken up to see if maybe she only comes out when she knows no one will be around, but even then she is hiding.  Her daytime temperature is in the low 80s.  The pet store couldn't tell me, but according to their guess, she is probably about 5-6 months old now.  Is this normal behavior?  Is there any way I can encourage her to be a bit more social/comfortable enough to spend some of her time out of her hides?

Thanks

Answer
Hi Julia,
First, they are nocturnal so they aren't active during the day. Another problem I see is that her temperatures aren't allowing her to reach the temperature she needs so she will spend more time trying to warm up. She needs to have a warm area (overhead and floor space, in a hide) that is in the 88-9 degree range.
Geckos are generally shy, but there are exceptions of course and there will be some that are social.
If you have super bright lights on in her tank, with them being nocturnal, bright lights can bother their eyes.
Here are a few links to more care info.
http://hubpages.com/hub/African-Fat-Tail-Gecko
http://www.sundialreptile.com/care%20sheet--fat%20tail.htm