hello!! new here because i was able to get my first reptile last week. she's a three year old aft who i absolutely adore, however i have some concerns that i honestly can't tell if they are warranted or not, or if it's just nerves from having my first gecko.

purchased her off of morph market and she arrived on thursday. was the chillest in the world when she arrived, walking on my hands (even tried to jump out of her enclosure a couple times while i was moving branches around lol) and seemed interested in checking out her tank for a good half hour or so when she first got here (early friday morning).

she arrived seemingly happy and healthy, but she hasn't eaten since she'd arrived (out of her bowl or with tongs), and i've basically never seen her leave her warm hide (yes, i know afts are nocturnal, but i can't believe i haven't seen her out at all).

i'm less worried about the coming out of the hide issue, but more-so the not eating. i have no idea when she was last fed before she was shipped to me, and any questions i asked the seller about her and food-related stuff went entirely unanswered.

i had asked the guy i purchased her from more than once about her eating habits and what she'd previously been fed, but every single time i got no reply, or he'd answer the other questions i had, just not related to that.

any advice would be greatly appreciated. i've done my research, so i know how to take care of her i'm just honestly not sure if my concerns have a reasonable foundation or if i just need to give her some time to adjust. i want to do this right, and give her the life and love she deserves. thanks so much for reading!

I got my first AFT in May, the man told me he was at least 2-3 years old. I had him in a 20 gallon long. Bioactive with a dwarf umbrella plant and snake plant, milkback isopods, and springtails. (first two photos)

when I bought him I saw he was in bad shape and when I got enough trust to evaluate him i found he only had 8 intact toes left and had hard times climbing and keeping his grip (though it never stopped him from trying). All of his other toes were some degree of lost (likely to bad sheds). He didn’t seem to enjoy interactions all that much so I wanted to give him more space So he can at least have a good place to live. I heard a 40 gallon is ideal. I looked and most of them had more height than I wanted, without his toes he didn’t have enough grip to climb safely the last thing I wanted was to add height and he get injured in a fall. I decided to build an enclosure.

PSA to anyone who wants to try this, I don’t recommend it unless you hate yourself haha

I took two used 20 gallon long aquariums and cleaned them

i took apart the frame with a box cutter and took apart the glass panels, cleaning with rubbing alcohol as I went. once every panel was removed I did one more run over scrapping off any residual silicone. when taking apart the top I tore off the top frame, it was too hard to keep in once piece. I was able to save the bottom easier. in retrospect I could’ve saved the top too but I’d have to have been much more careful and I hadn’t done this before so I didn’t know the correct way to do so.

i didn’t get any photos of when I cut the long side for a substrate barrier and doors, my bad. I then took animal safe 100% silicone and siliconed the pieces together, taping them to hold them as they cured

the final size was 24”Wx30”Lx12H” for about 5 square feet of terrain.

i siliconed a moss pad to the background to help with humidity and make the background look nicer. I also siliconed the door hinges on. the substrate is 50% hydrated coco chip+coco fiber 25% organic topsoil 10% reptisand 10% moss 5% aquarium rocks. I added a wide variety of low branches and rocks and added a good amount of water for the plants. I put in a jungle rose, four purple waffle, two succulents, and a snake plant I then also added in a ton of leaf litter

so I have the ubv light, the heat lamp, the grow lights, I added a spider plan and much much more leaf litter. I put Gator Tot in and he explored all over. He also is digging little hides under the branches and cork bark planks I put in for him.

if anyone knows any way to improve this set up please let me know.

Also i learned my lesson and no longer is that stool for a stand I have a solid three tier metal stand. haha

My girl Opal is in shed this week and I unfortunately had to bother her pretty extensively as some maintenance needed done in the area of her humid hide. So I had to physically move her out of the hide. As I was doing my thing, she had managed to find herself a place to hide her head under a leaf. As I got it all done and every placed back, I moved my hand and managed to brush that leaf. She actually struck at me and made a hiss I had never heard from her. A little research later and I learned this is a sign of extreme stress and fear. I just feel bad I put her in that situation at all and it is a good lesson to move just a bit slower during such a sensitive period for her. There is trust enough between us that she knows I bring food and that me picking her up isn't necessarily a threat. Just remember to be super gentle and slow if you have to handle them during shedding time!

Ever since my last post my girl has been doing so much better and finally eating. However I went on a trip recently and had my sister watch her. I came back to her water bowl basically empty and I noticed this is what her urate looks like. I dug her out of her hide to make sure she was ok, she seemed fine (although a little grumpy from being woken up). I immediately refilled her bowl and upped her humidity a little. I plan on monitoring her and praying that she's only dehydrated. I'm just so mad and wanted to vent. Maybe also see if there's anything else I should look out for or be concerned about.

Hey guys, I just recently got an AFT a few days ago, I have an overhead lamp and a uvb that I keep on during the day for her, but I was wondering if it was okay to keep a small heating mat with a thermostat on for her during the night? It’s a small one that would only be under the warm hide. I wanted to have it just to give her the option to be able to use it if she wants it, and also wanted her to be able to use it for digestion since she eats at night. Any advice is appreciated!

I want to keep a AFT in a 24x12x16. i plan to put a 2nd floor made out of slate for more room

Storytime! I was living in an apartment in a sketchy area where people partied pretty late. It was around midnight on a weekend and my gecko was out exploring on my sofa while I watched her. All of a sudden, she stopped exploring, stood on high alert, and stared intensely at my front door. I followed her gaze and saw the shadows of two feet appear in the crack beneath my front door. Then, the door handle jiggled. Clearly, someone was trying to enter. I ran over to the door, applied the dead bolt, and waited with my phone in hand until the (probably disoriented and drunk) person moved away. I've had worse happen since then, but I was amazed at how perceptive our babies are! They may not bark like dogs, but their behavior can signal danger before you're aware. Anyone else have a story like that?

This is my girl Maple. She is very very sweet and friendly. I got her from a breeder in April. I was told that she was about a year old when i got her. 2 days ago i was putting groceries away, and she likes to come out and watch me when i get home. She came to the door of the tank so i put my hand out and she crawled right up into my hand. I put her down after a couple of minutes and she went to her food bowl (i feed her around the same time every other day) I started to feed her and i turned my back for literally 30 seconds to grab another mealworm and looked back at her and she was flipped on her back and not moving. I have never seen her do this before. She is completely fine. I also have a camera text to her tank and watch her frequently for fun. I started to panic, flipped her back over and carefully opened her mouth (i thought she was choking) but she was completely fine. She chilled for a second. Went into her hide. Then came out and was acting completely normal. I give her calcium and make sure i hand feed her so i know that she eats. She is handled at least 2 times a week, i have never picked her up on my own, i always let her come to me and crawl up into my hand as i am always scared i am going to startle her/handle her when she’s not in the mood. I cannot find anything online about AFTS doing this? I saw some people saying that leopard geckos will do it when they are stressed but i really want to know if anyone else’s have done this and how it can be prevented? This is my first time having an AFT.

Are these markings good or bad? This is my first fat tail gecko I have ever hatched, I have never seen these markings before and I wonder if they are like unique? Or just below average.

I had a non-escape proof bowl and a few super worms got out and turned into adult beetles. They just kind of wander about the tank. I thought it was just two but I lifted up a piece of cork and there was 6 under it! I want to know if this is ok for my fat tail? I heard they can be a cleanup crew for the tank, but I want to make sure they won't bite or stress her out..

So ive been looking into getting a smaller reptile for over a year now, and have been researchingthem for i dont even know how long now.

I had a lepord gecko as a young teen that my grandparents didnt let me take when I moved hence me not having him.

Ive been looking into fat tails and have fallen in love and want to make sure I create the best home for it to ensure the little one thrives not just survives.

Id really appreciate recommendations and tips, ive done plenty research but now if like to actually talk to people and get personal opinions and experiences so I can be as prepared as possible before I even start too look into purchasing one.

(Tell me your best tips, tricks, feeding, substrate heating, lighting opinions, ethical breeders. Anything you would have found useful ^^)

My 10 month old gecko twitch sometimes especially while feeding but while handling she did it like every few minutes, is it sign of a disease,personality or normal behaviour

I assure you, he is very much alive, just very comfy.

My female AFT is new to laying eggs, but this is her third clutch of infertile eggs. Anyone know why this would be the case? After she laid she was 38 grams. I have been giving her a lot of calcium as well. I know it’s common for their first clutch to be infertile, but this is her third. She isn’t utilizing her lay bin, along side my other AFT, but she is laying in her moist hide.

Anything helps

Just wanna be upfront that im not one of those "the pet isnt doing what i wanted im gonna get rid of it" people so your answers wont make me wanna do that.

I got an AFT back in december and he's definitely accustomed to me as at worst he rears up slightly when i put my hand in too quickly, but he never runs away and has even chosen the hand several times.

The question is mostly do they ever get to the point where they will actually come out of their den more? He's pretty much always in the humid hide, if i see him at all its usually every 2-3 days he's under the big flat rock i got in the hot side of the cage; but usually after the lights are out.

Pretty much every single time i have guests they see the tank and wonder what i got but cant see him because he's hiding. And of course you should never try to find them so course i dont do that. I added one of those underground caves hoping he'd choose to hide in there sometimes but other than when i first put it in and he checked it out nope never seen him in it.

Ive seen lots of older leopard gecko videos but i dont think ive seen any older AFT videos.

Hello everyone!

April 25th I become the mother of my girl. She is an albino African fat tail gecko!

She came from a not so great home and was pretty skinny when I got her. I haven’t gotten the chance to weigh her but I’d like to say she’s definitely put on some weight since I got her

She is very happy to eat from tweezers and often peaks her head out around the time I turn her lights and lamp off.

But the reason I’m posting is because I feel like she spends alooot of time in her hide, like a lot. And I’m wondering, does she only come fully out when I’m asleep? Everytime I’m done feeding her she goes right back into her hide and gets back to napping. Maybe she’s just a sleepy girl?

Her diet consists of dubia roaches, medium crickets, and occasional meal worms! Ofc dusted in calcium every other feedings. And when she’s looking extra cute she gets a snack because she still needs to gain some weight

I’ll insert some pictures of her and her enclosure

The picture of her is the most recent one when I took her out to do a health check to make sure she looked good!

Her enclosure stays between 55-68 humidity and her warm side/ basking area is 85-94 and the cool side is 68-70. She spends most of her time under a large piece of slate directly under the heat lamp

There’s a little grey bit on the end… should i be worried? If so, what should i do?

Hellooo everyone.

I just got my aft. She is currently in her quarantine tank to make sure she is acting normal.

Does anyone also keep their babies in a quarantine tank and if so, foe how long?

I'm a new owner and this is the first reptile I've ever had. Had her for a couple weeks now so I figured she was settled in enough to get used to her new home. She's okay with eating out from my tongs, I put my hand in her enclosure for about a few minutes every day so she can get used to my smell. I barely see her walk around the enclosure, she usually stays in her cave. Either I don't stay up late enough to witness her more active moments or she doesn't like me seeing her move

I handled her for the first time tonight. Found her curled up in the greenery and scooped her up from the bottom while monitoring her tail, breathing and stance to see if she was stressed out. She seemed alright, was like "Oh okay so I guess we're doing this now"

Kept my movements slow, let her crawl on my arm and stomach like she did when I first met her at the store. Kept monitoring breathing and tail movement, her tail wasn't flicking and she was heaving breaths from stress.

Few minutes later, I brought her back to her enclosure and she nearly seemed ready to jump in haha

Then she skitterred across the ground and ran into her hide.

Sorry if it's a stupid question, but is this just regular shy behaviour from an aft's first time being handled or did I stress her out too much? I'm wondering if I missed any piece of important info from the shopkeeper or my Internet research

I was cleaning my room when he decided to meet me by the doors of his enclosure. After having a stare down, I noticed his left eye looks a bit sunken in? I might schedule a vet appointment just incase but I want second opinions. His behavior hasn't changed a bit and I was actually going to feed him tonight. He gets his crickets occasionally dusted with calcium with D3 and I need to get some multi vitamin from my partner as it's at his house. I'm about to go look at older pictures of him and compare to the photos I just took. So, does it look slightly sunken or is it just how he is?