This question seems to be a common complaint when reading the various gecko forums etc... I did a little research and came upon this "Hub" on Hub pages that listed fairly accurately some of the common reasons a gecko may stop eating...
FROM:WHITNEY05 on Hub Pages
Whitney is a college student with a passion for writing and animals. She is a researcher and avid internet surfer
Whitney is interested in animals of any species and any topic. You can check out her hobby business of breeding reptiles, specializing in various geckos at goReptiles.com.
Reasons a Leopard Gecko Stops Eating
When you start to notice that the tail shows signs that it is losing mass, you then need to figure out what's wrong. There can be a number of reasons that the gecko has stopped eating enough to begin to lose tail mass.
-First you should check the temperatures in the enclosure to make sure that they are the right degree. The hot side needs to be between 90 and 92F. Measure the temperatures in the enclosure with a digital thermometer with a probe. The stick on thermometers are NOT accurate by any means, and that includes if you place it on the floor of the tank.
-Consider what substrate you're housing the gecko on. Loose substrates such as play sand, calci-sand, vita-sand, silica sand, wood chips, bark, potting soil, gravel, crushed corn cob, walnut shells, or any other substrate that is sold in a bag that you could find at a hardware store. Loose substrates can cause impaction, which is potentially fatal.
-Are you housing multiple geckos together? If so, the larger gecko may be bullying or stressing out the smaller gecko. This can occur in geckos of the same age and nearly the same size- one will always be just a little bigger than another. Remember just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Leopard geckos are nocturnal, meaning most of their activity occurs at night, while you sleep.
-Have you recently changed the geckos enclosure, added
decorations, removed decorations, rearranged your room, moved the leopard gecko's cage, or anything that would involve changing the environment in or around the leopard geckos enclosure? If so, this could cause the gecko to stop eating for a few days to a week or so, depending on the gecko and the amount of change. Change doesn't affect all geckos, but it does affect some.
-Is the gecko new to you home? New geckos may not eat for a few days, up to a week due to stress of changing environments.
-What was the gecko being fed prior to you bringing it home? If you change what the gecko is used to, it might not take to the new feeder too well.
-Where did you purchase the gecko? The most common and most convenient place to buy reptiles is the pet store, but this isn't always the best place. Pet stores commonly have ill reptiles that either suffer from parasites, bacteria, and fungus. Many times reptiles at pet stores are housed on sand or other loose substrates, which means that the gecko could come home with impaction for you to deal with. Many reptiles at pet stores are housed inappropriately, such as too many reptiles in one enclosure, multiple males in an enclosure, sick reptiles with healthy reptiles, inaccurate temperatures, and multiple species in an enclosure. All of these things can contribute to illness.
Leopard geckos have been popular pets among reptile fans for a long time, and their ease of care and even temperament make it obvious why this is the case. They eat and breed more readily than nearly any other type of lizard, and can be cared for effectively even by amateurs. Of course, it's still important to know about how to take care of these fascinating lizards. In the following posts I will give you some basic facts and care requirements.
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