I have a new gecko in a bioactive vivarium that we haven’t seen since getting her 4 weeks ago. She eats BSFL and dubias from her dish at night, but we’ve never been able to see her. I’d like to make her hunt for the dubias but I’m concerned she’s so shy she might starve if she has to catch her food. I don’t think the dubias dig and bury themselves but I’m not positive of this, I know the larvae will wiggle under the substrate. Would it be okay to make her hunt for the roaches and leave the bsfl in a dish, or should I take the bsfl away also, or should I wait until she starts coming out to make her hunt? I’ve had no luck coaxing her out with food tongs or anything else we’ve tried. Any ideas or tricks I can try to get her out of the hides? Is it possible she’ll never come out during the day? (She’s getting no uvb light) Any opinions, ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
If you could share what species of gecko you’re working with and a photo of your enclosure I’m sure @armiyana @erie-herps @ghoulishcresties could chime in with some tips.
It sounds like she feels vulnerable. You may want to add more coverage
How big is the enclosure? How old is she? Can you add a picture of the enclosure? I agree that she likely doesn’t feel comfortable in her enclosure. The easiest way to fix this is to add decorations or move her into a smaller enclosure.
This is her, she’s a Leo. She’s in a 40 gallon bio, active vivarium. Thanks for the replies I appreciate the help!
That is amazing! So that rules out her feeling exposed. I would just give her some more time. Remember, she most likely can from a breeder who kept her in a rack. This is just a big change and may need a little more time to get used to it
You could try covering the two sides and if it’s in a high traffic area you could try to reduce movement/noise around it. Those are the only suggestions I have. Giving her time is the biggest thing, she just needs to get used to the large area.
Okay, I’ll give her more time. Thanks for the advice and reassurances that this is normal. I’m getting concerned that she never has any exposure to the UVB light, so I’m giving her some calcium with D3 in it until she comes out. If she ever comes out, (she does have a lot of places to hide in there. The slate hide on the left side has three levels and she can climb up and down inside of it…maybe I wouldn’t want leave it either, lol.) I’ll update if she comes out, thanks again, I appreciate the help and advice greatly!
I forgot to mention that the enclosure is absolutely gorgeously put together. I would just leave everything as is for right now to try and minimize stress. She is going to absolutely love it! Just thought I would ask, how big/old is she?
Thanks, I worked hard on the vivarium, (maybe there’s too many hides?) but I appreciate the kind words. I thought I would wait awhile to reply and give an update…and - she still hasn’t come out during the day or dusk or anytime we can see her. An inspection camera found that she likes the hide on the left-hand side, it has three levels with different temperatures and then she basks (and leaves poop and unrates) on the top slate. She was born in June 2023, she was 42 grams when we got her but haven’t weighed her since. She eats BSFL and Dubias heartily after we go to bed, lol… I’m starting to believe that this Leo is just so shy she may never come out.