hatchling leopard gecko

Question

Salem   Hello Donna,
I am contacting you over a baby leopard gecko I picked up at a reptile expo last week. I got two that day and one is doing fantastic. The other however seems to have some difficulty walking since the day I bought it. I noticed a red dot on one of its legs which I initially thought might be a break. After to speaking to some people, I was told it was probably related to a hatching problem. As of now the gecko has not eaten on its own. I tried feeding it some baby food with ground up waxworms and calcium but it barely licks it up. The gecko is very very tiny so maybe it has not gone through its first shed, I am not sure. I am wondering if there could be an underlying problem. I am worried about the its health and wellbeing. I will include a picture and my husbandry below. I would really appreciate any help

-enclosure: 21x11 custom made glass tank housing 2 babies
-substrate: gravel-like carpet insert
-hides: 1 dry cool hide around 75 degrees
         1 moist warm hide around 90 degrees
-maximum temperature: 92 degrees
-minimal temperature: 70 degrees
-water available at all times in a bowl, misting moist hide twice a day
-feeding: throwing in calcium powdered pinheads, trying to get it to eat the babyfood mix
-baby size: 3.5 inches

Answer
Have you contacted the breeder about this gecko?  It should not have been sold to you in this condition, and it may be best to return it to the breeder, so that person can try to get it properly started and evaluate it.

You should have a receipt, and most expos will have a vendors list that you can refer to, if you don't remember who they are.

If you're determined to save it, and don't want to return it, step one is to isolate it in its own enclosure.  The presence of the healthier animal will stress this little one out, and represents competition.  The other animal may even pick on the weak one.

Next, offer food once a day, and remove everything that hasn't been eaten after 15 minutes.  Insects in the enclosure can crawl on the animal and stress on it, and may even try to bite it while it's sleeping.

Pinhead crickets are much too small for a newborn leopard gecko, I would go with 1/8th to 1/4 inch crickets.

If the baby is displaying a lack of coordination and general weakness, you may want to take it to an experienced reptile vet for a real evaluation.  The vet can provide a mix called carnivore care (a lot better than babyfood), and instructions on how to administer it to the gecko, and may be able to diagnose if the gecko has a broken limb, or other problems.

Daytime temperature in the enclosure should be 80F air temperatures with a 90F basking spot, and can drop to room temperature at night (so long as it's above 70f).
Under-tank heat (controlled by a thermostat of course) is best for leopard geckos.