I rescued a gecko and need help. Please!(long)

About 2 weeks ago I rescued a leopard gecko that had been found in someones yard. This is my first reptile and I have a few questions. Can someone tell me if it looks healthy. How do I tell what sex it is. I have been getting confilicting information from the pet stores on how to feed him. One told me that because he had lst his tail that I should feed him wax worms, another told me to feed crickets. Right now I feed him about 2-3 wax worms and 3-5 mealworms a day. I have bought live & canned crickets and he won't touch the dead ones and I think he only ate 1 live one. What else can I feed him? I give him a calcium/vit D supplement on the worms. Do I have to Feed the worms first? and how do I do that? Also I'm not real good with the crickets so if he can eat something else that would help. Here are some pictures of him. Thanks for your time.

Other than the missing tail he looks amazingly good for being found in a yard in NH. Is there a cut on his lip or is that just the coloring?

Google for some care sheets, but if he isn't showing any outward signs of problems, then the usual care should be OK (no need for baby food and such)

Mealworms are fine if he likes them, but a variety of foods is always a good idea. Don't feed him too many waxworms, they are not as nutritious as other food items, and some leos like them so much they start to turn up their nose at the ehalthier choices. A few a week are OK. Make sure you dust the food with calcium (pure calcium powder) and leave some in a small dish for him to lick, also, some vitamin powder once a week of so should also be dusted on the food. An under tank heater is a good idea to get the belly temps high enough for him to digest his food properly. You have a great choice of substrate there already. make sure to have a humid hide with some damp moss or damp paper towels to help with shedding and hydration.

Oh yeah.. feed the food items too, with things like potatos apples carrots and grain... skip the canned stuff, it's nasty.

You should be able to tell if it's a boy by looking for some bulges at the base of the tail and a V shaped area above the vent with waxy looking pores.

He is very lucky that he was found and brought to you!!!

Good luck and keep us updated (the tail will grow back, BTW)

Well, I think Charlie is a girl, there is just a slit near the base of the tail and no waxy pores. Yes, that is a little cut on her mouth, it hasn't changed much since I got her so I don't know how old it is. The tail already looks much better, It was pretty raw and ragged at first, now the end is smooth. I have some moss under one of the rock caves and I have been misting it with water. She has already shed once, 2 days ago. Does she look full grown? When you feed the worms do you still keep them in the refrigerator?

Ok, well, it sounds like the mouth cut isn't stopping her from eating, but you need to watch close for any sign of infection. Perhaps she wasn't lost long, maybe got into it with a cat or something, since the tail drop was recent.

The humid hide needs to be inenclosed somewhat, like a tupperware container with a hole, not just to keep the humidity in, but to keep the rest of the tank from getting too humid and breeding bacteria. It's a good sign that she shed already without problems.

Let the worms sit out and get warm before feeding. They will also be more active that way which will trigger the feeding response.

I can't tell for sure, but she looks full grown or close to it. There is a pretty big range of adult size, but the markings look fairly adult. The greenish tint over the eyes may indicate a younger leo though... maybe someone else here is beter at guessing.

I'll work on a humid hide tomorrow. Thank you Geckogardener for all the info!

I was just wondering how your new adoptee was doing

I can't help but wonder if there is someone who is really missing it though... It appears like it was well cared for before it escaped from somewhere.

Charlie is doing great. I checked with the neighbors near where she was found and no one claimed her. I have some photos from the first day and compared to now she seems skinny so maybe she was lost for awhile.

That's wonderful. Isn't it nice to actually see the changes in photos? Sometimes I am amazed when I look back at rescues that I thought were OK when I got them in, and they don't even look like the same animal a few months later.

You know, there's always the possibility that it was "set free". People can do some pretty dumb things with reptiles. It sure is lucky that it was found, and ended up with someone who is doing the research to care for it right..

Well, I have a horse, dog, cat, fish and am looking to get a pony so I guess fate thought I needed a reptile. The more I learn about them the more I think I could get addicted to them they are very cute!

Yup, they are certainly addicting... and the cute factor is unquestionable!