sick Leo?

Question
QUESTION: We recently purchased a Leo 5 days ago from a pet store.  I've noticed that the gecko has not been eating very well.  The pet store told us to give her 4-6 crickets per day.  I have been dusting the crickets with calcium and gut loading the crickets as well.  The past two nights, she has eaten one cricket and last night it looked as though she had thrown up the only two crickets that she ate.  Her tail looks to be getting a little thinner, too.  is there any thing we can do or is this normal for a gecko in a new home?  Her tank is b/w 82-86 degrees through the day and 70's at night.  Help!

ANSWER: Hi Sommer,
Generally, vomiting is not normal new home stress...it can be a sign of too large of crickets(no larger than the space between their eyes, nor longer than their head)..or it can also be a sign of a bowel impaction or blockage...which...if the store had them on sand, is a very big possibility.  It can also be a blockage from internal parasites.  Stress increases their parasite load...A vet needs to do a fecal and possibly x rays to see if there is indeed a blockage.  Has she pooped at all?  I've included a basic care sheet for you on leopard gecko care...your temps do need to be raised a bit also...warm area in the 88-90 degree range. I also use an under-tank heater which supplies more heat at night if they choose to use it...
BASIC CARE FOR A LEOPARD GECKO
Leopards are pretty easy to care for but they do need
special care.  Here are some of the basic needs of your
gecko.
HOUSING: The need to have at least a 20 gallon long tank for
one Leo. This needs to have a secure fitting screen top...they can be quite the escape artists!!! They need to have a humid hide box.You can make
this with something as simple as a small plastic dish with a
hole cut in one side and a small mesh bag filled with some
Sphagnum moss, coconut bark or Peat moss that you mist.  
I made mine out of the small plastic folgers coffee containers...I cut an opening in the lid..and put the moss in..they LOVE it. I use the terrarium moss in mine.
I use that on the warm side of the tank. Be sure to provide a cool hidebox on the other end. I also provide a mid temperature hide...which is in the middle of the tank.I use the critter caves which you can purchase.  NOT the ones that have heat in them!!!!
Provide secure climbing areas for your gecko.  Fake plants, rocks and branches are all fine to use. be sure there are no wires or sharp ends to any fake plants you use.

SUBSTRATE:(that's the stuff on the floor of your tank) News
paper, lizard carpet or paper towels work great and are easy
to clean and are much safer than any loose substrate.  Sand or other loose substrate is not recommended as that they can be deadly to the leo when it is ingested(eaten, even by accident while eating their insects)...

TEMPERATURES:  They need a warm area of 88-92 degrees and a
cooler area  in the upper 70s,  low 80s.   At night their
temperature can drop to the low to mid 70's.  
Never use a hot rock for a leopard gecko...or any reptile.
They can severely burn any reptile.  You can use a heating
pad under the tank,under tank heater, or you can use a regular household
lightbulb in a dome fixture with a ceramic socket in it to
keep the warm area at the 88-90 degree area.At night, no white light. If room temperatures stay above 70 degrees, no extra night heat is needed. The undertank heater or heating pad should cover about 1/3 of the tank....be sure to raise the tank up about 1/4-1/2 inch off the stand when using an undertank heat source to prevent heat build up which can cause the glass to break and hot spots in the glass. Be sure to have a good layer of newspaper, carpeting or, even a thin flat rock(such as tile) on top the area that the undertank heat source is placed...if you use a thin rock or tile, it helps to distribute the heat very well.
You can  use the special nighttime lights that are designed for reptiles. I like using a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat for  nighttime heat.  
DO NOT use black lights or party lights as they can cause eye damage!!!!
The wattage you use will vary based on room temperature and size of tank.  
LIGHTING:  Leopard geckos do not need UVB lighting but it does not hurt them to give them uvb.  They should have some type of light during the day, be it a uvb tube, regular florescent light, reptile day light or regular household lightbulb. NO white lights at night!!!

FEEDING: Geckos should not be fed  crickets or other insects that are bigger than the space between their eyes.  Generally, hatchlings can be fed more than once a day,juvys can be fed twice a day, adults are fed once daily or every other day, in the early evening. Crickets and other food items such as silk worms, super, and an occasional treat of a wax worm, need to be dusted with a calcium supplement two times a week and also they should have a small dish of calcium in their tank.  I use the lid of a milk jug for the little dish of calcium in their tank.  For dusting the insects, Use a calcium with no added phosphorus.  
Insects must be gut loaded(fed) for at least 48 hours prior to feeding your gecko. Remove any uneaten crix or superworms after 15-20 minutes.....  Place a piece of cut potato in the tank so that if you have missed any uneaten insects, they will eat the potato instead of nibbling on your gecko!!!
*************You have to be sure to feed your crickets and insects the right foods
before feeding them to your gecko.  If your crickets/insects are not healthy and well fed, your gecko will not get the nutrition
he needs. You can gut load your crickets and insects greens, veggies, cereals or specially designed commercial foods for crickets or the insects you are feeding. ************
Be sure to have a small dish of clean water for your gecko
at all times!!
You can offer them some baby food or fruits on occasion ...
Mine will even eat a small piece of watermelon now and then.
WATER:  always provide a dish of drinking water.  If you choose to mist your gecko to drink, its best to not get the tank too wet as that they do not do well with higher humidity.  Sometimes its better to take your leo out of their tank to mist them to get them to drink!!!

HANDLING:  Some geckos enjoy being held...others prefer not to be handled at all.  Be sure to be very gentle when holding your leo and NEVER grab them by the tail!  Their tails are extremely fragile and will break.  
I do suggest finding a vet that can treat reptiles BEFORE you actually need one!!!  To find a vet that is able to care for reptiles:
http://www.anapsid.org/vets
http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm
For more information on leopard geckos:
http://www.thegeckospot.com/leocareindex2.html
http://www.drgecko.com

If you have any more questions, or don't understand something, please let me know





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: In answer to your question, Yes.  She pooped yesterday but has not pooped today.  I cleaned out her cage today and there are not any new droppings.  I have a basking lamp on one end of her cage where her cave is.  This is usually where she spends the day.  It is 100 to 105 degrees where the lamp is and 82 to 86 on the opposite end.  Should I get a heater for under the tank as well?  Also, the crickets being to big is a huge possibility.  We live about an hour away from the store where we bought her and have been buying crickets locally and they were much bigger.  This morning, I went to where we bought her and purchased the smaller crickets.  I hope this helps her.  Thank you so much for all of your help.  You've been great!

Answer
I would lower the basking temps...  the undertank heater is a nice addition if you want it...it helps with ground warmth.  You only cover about 1/3 of the tank size with it... I have a layer of sand with slate floor tiles on top the sand.  The sand is not accessible at all to my leos.  What the sand and tile does is help distribute the bottom heat and help insulate the leos from too much belly heat.
You might have to go to a lower wattage heat source to get a cooler temperature at one end of the tank. In the wild, leos sleep in rocks and crevasses during the day...the rocks are heated from the sun...so the caves we provide are simulating nature for them.
Sounds like the too large of crickets may be the problem....
Its great that you are able to get smaller ones too!!  In the future, you might want to look into ordering them on line.  Lots cheaper...if you don't mind having a tank to keep crickets in that is!!!!