Reply Leos

Question
QUESTION: Sorry to bother you again but I just wanted to ask a few questions - The tank I have the Leos housed in is a 55 gallon long I've read in a few places that thats more than enough space for two leos can they still be experiencing overcrowding? I tried your suggestion with the crickets and My larger leo ate a few but the smaller (who has been growing considerably in the past months) still doesnt seem interested in eating she did however start a second shedding  only a few days after her last and the area she seems to be having trouble shedding off is her face around her mouth and   nostrils and I dont feel I should be dabbing that area with a q tip or anything but she looks miserable i have her hide spot well dampened with paper towels and all the temperatures seem correct should I be worried and do you think I should still  seperate them even with the large tank? Thanks for responding to yet another lengthy question  

Paul

ANSWER: Hi Paul,
In that sized tank, if they are going to get along, they should be able to provided you do not have two males. IF you have two females, and have it set so they each have their own hides, etc..then it might work.Also, with that sized tank you can actually just divide it with something like a piece of cardboard down the middle. I would try the cardboard(each side having  correct hides, heat, etc) and see how that helps with the eating.
If you are gentle with the moist cotton swab you won't hurt her. Mist her first with warm water.  Also, make sure she has something in the tank she can rub against such as a smooth branch or stone..or even a piece of reptile carpet.  Just make sure there is no sharp or rough edges that she can scratch her self on.
Do you have the moist hide on the warm side?  If not, place it there as that should help with the stuck shed..but as I said, if you are careful, very carefully rub the stuck shed with the cotton swab.  If you don't feel secure in doing that, they you may want to seek out a vet that can help with showing you how to rub the area. I don't want you to try something if you don't feel confident in doing it.
Are you able to get some wax worms?  That may entice her to eat..if you do offer them, only a few..as a treat on occasion.  I would really rather see her eat the crickets and not hold out for the wax worms!!! Waxworms are known as gecko candy because the leos tend to love them too much and they are extremely high in fat content, which when fed all the time can lead to fatty liver disease in the leos.



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QUESTION: ok moved the hide spot to warm side seemed to help her face a bunch with the moist paper towels Its my suspicion that the leos are male and female as I have not seen them fight save for one or two times there was a mealworm between them (they also have separate hide spots and seem to enjoy laying around in the basking area almost cuddled together) she still had a bit of skin around her mouth so im going to try and rub it off with a q tip see if she becomes interested and Ill give her a few waxworms and see how she responds to that I'll let you know what happens - if it doesnt work i'll divide the tank and see if her mood improves Thank you so much!!!!

ANSWER: Hi Paul,
Glad to hear its going well.  I do want to suggest that you don't allow your leos to breed until they are at least a year or more in age.  Breeding too soon will produce weak babies from stressed out parents. You may still have to keep them separate to prevent too early breeding. Also, you will have to keep an eye on them so they do not stress out with over breeding.  Here is a link to some things pertaining to breeding.  http://www.thegeckospot.com/leobreeding.html  If you do decide that you want to hatch eggs, etc..be sure to have a supplier of pinhead crickets or other tiny insects for the hungry babies.  
If you are able to get some watermelon, you might want to just offer some to your leo that isn't eating.  She may just lick at it but with her not eating, hydration is very important.
It will be nice if your leos do continue to get along.  If they were purchased at a pet store, you might have two females as that most pet store suppliers incubate the eggs at a lower temperature which will produce females.  Its just one way they save money with having a lower temperature to run the incubators at. You will be able to tell just by comparing the two as to same or opposite sex.  Lets just keep fingers crossed its not two males. If that happens to be the case, be prepared to separate them real soon!!!  Good luck and let me know how it goes with them.

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QUESTION: Ok Had to make a trip to the Vet yesterday for what i suspected was mouth rot but turned out to be an injury to her jaw and due to the injury her shed skin around the mouth had somehow become backed up in her throat!! it was about a 3 inch long line of skin backed up in her throat and stomach :( but it was removed and we have her on antibiotics (it is a female) and I have since divided the cages she's still not eating yet hopefully once she heals up!

Answer
WOW!! Thanks for telling me that!! Very interesting cause!  Sounds like you have a good vet there. With antibiotics, chances are her gut flora will go low, which ruins their appetite.  Antibiotics do the same thing to reptiles gut bacteria as it does humans..its why its recommended that humans eat yogurt when they are taking antibiotics..to replenish gut bacteria.  They make products for reptiles such as bene bac, nutri bac and acidlolopliz+  Each can be dissolved in water and given with a syringe.   If she has a nice fat tail, she should be fine with not eating..but do offer nice fresh water to her to keep her hydrated.