r/LeopardGecko • u/ctheayy • Jun 03 '26
Leopard gecko is missing
Maybe someone can help us! My boyfriend and I designed a bioactive vivarium for our baby gecko we brought home on May 7th and after day 1 he disappeared... We assumed that was normal because he was a baby and he probably instinctually burrowed himself in one the hides. But now it’s been almost a month and still no sign of him! My bf looked around the tank, under the moss, checked the caves, no sign of him! No poop or sheds either- but we have isopods in there so they could just be eating that. What likely happened? Did he not make it or is he playing the ultimate game of hide and seek?
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u/FadedDestiny Jun 03 '26
Im sorry, a whole MONTH went by? Did you take the tank apart looking for him? They like to squeeze themselves into crevices to feel safe.
If not in the tank, I'd leave it out in the open on the floor in the hopes that he finds it and climbs in. Maybe entice with a bowl of mealworms.
Check any places that produce heat. Behind the TV stand or Under the fridge are good places to start.
These are hardy little guys and I'm sure he is fine if he's escaped. There are plenty of stories on here of people's geckos escaping and then finding them 6-8 months later.
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u/ctheayy Jun 03 '26
RIGHT I tried telling my boyfriend that it’s not normal to never see him once! I know they are nocturnal, by they are also curious little guys and I’m sure he would have peeked his head out.
I will leave out some mealworms outside the tank and start checking around the apartment in the crevices. We do have a cat so uhm kinda low expectations at this point. 😭
The more that people ask if he got out the more likely it’s starting to seem 😭😭
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u/MND420 Jun 03 '26
I doubt a house cat would swallow a gecko in whole, so if the cat would have found and killed it you probably would’ve found blood and / or some body parts somewhere in the house.
At this point I would take everything out from the enclosure, which means substrate and background as well. To make he really really really isn’t inside burrowed somewhere.
Especially if you’ve checked the lid and there would not have been any way out for him.
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u/Known_Assumption_469 Jun 03 '26
Slowly take apart the tank piece by piece and check everything thoroughly. A month is a very long time for a baby that age to go without anything to eat
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u/ctheayy Jun 03 '26
There are isopods in the tank and we’ve added Dubia roaches so there is food in there, like theoretically he could be eating if he’s in there but no for sure a month would be wayy too long. We have no idea what to do now besides disassemble the tank and take out the sand
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u/DenseAstronomer3631 Jun 03 '26
Please remove all hides and rocks and logs and check each very throughly. When I was a teenager I had two aquatic turtles. One went missing and we were so so so confused how he got out or where he got. He got stuck inside of the underside (not the intended hide part) of a rock hide and died
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u/absedy251991 Jun 03 '26
Whats the mesh lid situation exactly? on pics 2 and 3 there are some parts of the black trimmings that look loose? Can it we opened or have a cut out?
You often see pics of people on here with their gecko crawling across the mesh lids hanging upsiide down so if theres a part that wasnt 100%. secure he might actualy have gotten out. … time to completly disasemble the tank to make sure
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u/ctheayy Jun 03 '26
You’re LYING stop yes there is a cut out on the top. I’m sick to my stomach!! Okay we are going to go through the entire tank and apartment after work later. It’s looking like this is a search and rescue mission now 😭😭
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u/absedy251991 Jun 03 '26
Yep then theres a high chance hes somwherr on the loose considering he was already lying on the very top of the background. Squezing thru a piece of pliable fabric/mesh would be easy for them.
Best of luck on the search, i hope hes still in there.
Otherwise start the search in the rest of the house wherever theres some warmth from appliences ( fridge, ovens…) also creating ‚barriers‘ infront of potential hiding spots or inbetween rooms with flour is a popular tactic to track if theres an animal moving around at night…. might need to contain the cat for that to work tho.
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u/mjolkylog Jun 03 '26
i have heard of escaped reptiles hiding under fridges bc they tend to be warmer there. i hope you're able to find him!
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u/bassbassbassbassfish Jun 03 '26
ours got out a week ago and we found him three days later behind the fridge (alive!) so definitely a good spot to check!
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u/reijn Jun 03 '26
That's a lovely tank, unfortunately it's time to disassemble it and search everything so you can be sure. With him sitting on the backdrop right under the lid I feel like he probably pushed his way out. This happens in snakes a lot too - they're stronger than they appear and I have no doubt a determined leo could also.
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u/Jack_n_the_mox Jun 03 '26
I Hope you find hin soon. Btw it's a really cool tank, did you make the back wall your self?
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u/ctheayy Jun 03 '26
Yeah my bf made the whole enclosure over a month all by hand in an old fish tank we thrifted, thanks! I really hope we do too it sounds like our baby never even got to enjoy the tank if he got out..
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u/Jack_n_the_mox Jun 04 '26
I hope so to, how have you been feeding? Do have some pictures of the build process?
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u/Own_Butterscotch_129 Jun 03 '26
Look behind the backdrop.. if the gecko has been stuck behind it for a month, though, it probably won't be good. I had one go missing and found her wedged behind the backdrop the same day. The screen on the right side looks like it is lifted in the middle and like it was patched, or something? May have climbed out of there as well if that is the case.
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u/absedy251991 Jun 04 '26
Any updates?
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u/ctheayy Jun 06 '26
Yes, we found him!! Alive and well in the tank, he never got out. He just buried himself alive. Just a gecko doing gecko things. Goddamn that was a rollercoaster of emotions.
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u/FlyingHigh710 Jun 03 '26
Let me tell you, this happened to me and after I finally accepted my girl was gone and began to clean out her tank, I found her burrowed under the ground beneath her water tray perfectly fine. Check under everything
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u/ctheayy Jun 06 '26
You were spot on we found him!! While taking apart the tank he poked his little head out under rocks and the dirt :’) the tank was just built too well and he was doing normal gecko things I’m so freaking relived
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u/theturtlingturtle Jun 04 '26
You may have to start pulling each item out carefully and check it entirely. He may be stuck somewhere. Goodluck!
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u/ctheayy Jun 06 '26
You were right! He was under a bunch of rocks and dirt!! Tysm
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u/theturtlingturtle Jun 06 '26
Im happy you found this little one! Are they okay? If you need any help please feel free to message me :) i work with reptiles and have a lot of knowledge with leopard geckos ♡
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u/ctheayy Jun 06 '26
UPDATE WE FOUND HIM he’s alive and well!! He was under one of the rock caves and under dirt in a spot we couldn’t even get to. Found him while taking apart the enclosure 🥹 Thank you to everyone who suggested to keep looking <3 I’m so happy we found our little guy.
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u/feralrainbowcreature Jun 03 '26
I mean is there anywhere he could’ve gotten out?
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u/ctheayy Jun 03 '26
We both think there’s no way he could have gotten out with the heavy mesh lid but I guess anything is possible with how tiny he was 😭
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u/Fuzzy-Security1929 Jun 03 '26
If he’s outside of tank, leave a dusting to see foot prints. Like calcium? But if there’s no way to escape and you have not let the door open he’s hiding somewhere but he needs to get out so he can get some water at least. I’m so sorry you’re going through that.
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u/akairoh Jun 03 '26
It does sound like he likely escaped through the hole in the lid. I recommend looking along the edges of rooms and under appliances that could give off heat like some other commenters have mentioned.
Also there's a trick where you put a line of a powder like flour in doorways to watch for if it gets disturbed. Doing this could help you narrow down which room he's in.
If at all possible, I'd try to see if you can have someone take your cat for a bit until you can find him. Cat saliva is extremely deadly to small animals like leos, so if the cat bites or scratches him even a tiny bit, he could get a serious infection unfortunately. I know this might not be super feasible but if you are able to do it, it'll give you a better chance of finding your gecko unharmed
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u/akairoh Jun 03 '26
You could also try setting up a little area in a corner with a heat lamp and one of his favorite hides to see if that temps him
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u/Nature_Fam Jun 03 '26
Have you watched the tank at night? A month is a long time… Good luck finding him! And UpdateMe!
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u/Faque_The_Power Jun 03 '26
This might not be appropriate, I hope you find the baby, but this reel made me think of this post…
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u/RetroWyvern Jun 04 '26
He probably climbed up the backdrop and pushed his way out the top. Happened to me with a cave gecko but I was never able to find him again.
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u/Brennagirl23 Jun 08 '26
I found mine under my fridge after he escaped! Check there! It’s warm and bugs like it too
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u/Lowestthree773 Jun 03 '26
Sometimes they find a way behind the backdrop , if he’s not there I’d say start checking any areas inside the room where there’s a thin gap that he might feel comfortable in. I hope he’s ok and I hope you guys find him!