# New Leopard Gecko needs help



## Tarantula Fangs (Feb 24, 2015)

Hello everyone, I just got this little guy earlier today from a private seller, he seems to be malnourished. I'm new to caring for Geckos, so I've been doing some research, I tried feeding it Superworms, Mealworms, and both small and medium sized crickets, but it hasn't eaten. :cry: I provided it a water dish and I haven't seen it drink from it yet. Someone told me to forcefully give it some Pedialyte and feed it Dubias, I'd appreciate all your help, it sucks to see this little one in such condition, thanks. :love:


----------



## leaveittoweaver (Feb 25, 2015)

Tarantula Fangs said:


> Hello everyone, I just got this little guy earlier today from a private seller, he seems to be malnourished. I'm new to caring for Geckos, so I've been doing some research, I tried feeding it Superworms, Mealworms, and both small and medium sized crickets, but it hasn't eaten. :cry: I provided it a water dish and I haven't seen it drink from it yet. Someone told me to forcefully give it some Pedialyte and feed it Dubias, I'd appreciate all your help, it sucks to see this little one in such condition, thanks. :love:


Yeesh! That gecko is in bad shape! Honestly it probably needs to see a vet.

For now, what are your temps at and what kind of set up do you have going on? Syringing some pedialyte wouldn't be the worst idea. How many hides do you have in the tank? Do you have a humid hide? Are you offering a dish of calcium? How old is this gecko supposed to be?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ripa (Feb 25, 2015)

HOLY <Popehat>. That's the skinniest leo I've ever seen! It's tail should be thick! If that gecko doesn't make it, you should sue that seller for animal cruelty. WT<Funk> is that bull<stink>?

Poor thing probably really needs to see a vet ASAP. You could try hand feeding it and maybe even try slipping some food in its mouth, but in its currently state, that might be too stressful for the little guy.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## The Snark (Feb 25, 2015)

Let's tone it down a little if you please.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Aviara (Feb 26, 2015)

This is the second leopard gecko posted in a brief amount of time in similar condition, so I want to make this reply for the OP as well as for those who may find this thread via a search and be in a similar position.

Of course, your leopard gecko could be malnourished or have another condition, but there is a common condition in leos, which also happens to be highly contagious, called cryptospiridiosis - an intestinal infection of a Cryptospiridium bacterium - and it is a serious condition. I would recommend you research crypto thoroughly and prepare for treatment. If you haven't done so already and you own other reptiles, get your new leo into strict quarantine. Since the wasting tail makes crypto a real possibility, you want to wash hands before interacting with any other reptiles, and you don't want to share any cages, supplies or bowls between animals without sanitizing them first. You should also consider taking the little guy to the vet for a stool sample to check for internal parasites. Hopefully he gets better! Keep up the pedialyte and water, use an eyedropper or small syringe without the needle if you must. Keep in mind that an opened bottle of pedialyte is only good for about two days, so it gets a little wasteful to treat for long periods of time with it. You can dab a bit of mashed mealworm or even plain yogurt onto the leo's face. The little one will eat some of it licking his face clean. For now, try to fatten him back up, and if he continues getting thinner, you may consider seeking more vigorous treatment through an experienced veterinarian.

Just out of curiosity, you said you purchased from a private breeder. Why did you choose to acquire this leopard gecko in this condition? I hope he gets better. Honestly, as sad as it sounds, he's nowhere near the thinnest leo I've seen, and I've nursed thinner leos back to health, so don't give up just because he's underweight.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## The Snark (Feb 26, 2015)

Thanks to Aviara for the lucid to the point post. While the protocol should be followed with all kept animals it is especially so with obviously sick ones. 
The big rule: *NEVER* go from one animal to another. In hospitals, just watch the nurses and other medical professionals. Patient ---> washing station ---> next patient. Then watch housekeeping. The washing stations are sterilized at least 3 times every 24 hours.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ripa (Feb 26, 2015)

The Snark said:


> Let's tone it down a little if you please.


My apologies. I just got really frustrated and blown away by how bad that looked (not to mention the aggro pent up from a previously draining day). That's not malnourished- that's emaciated. My little brother, who got a leo as his first pet years ago in second grade never let it get anywhere near that bad- even if it is _Cryptosporidium_ (protozoan, BTW not a bacterium), a reptile wasting away over such a lengthy period of time should be taken to a vet. What's the reason this guy let this happen, or even sold it to a new hobbyist like this?! This just angers me to the greatest degree. I have been keeping leos for over 10 years and have never seen anything this bad. If the OP in question was a younger aspiring hobbyist, this seller may have possibly deterred him out of the hobby altogether.

OP, this little guy truly needs justice. Where did you even come across this private seller, BTW?

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## The Snark (Feb 26, 2015)

Keep it in context. A child dies every 11 seconds from malnutrition.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Aviara (Feb 27, 2015)

Let's have an update on how the little guy is doing please! We're all holding our breath that his condition is improving.

At the risk of going off-topic, I agree with The Snark. You don't know the backstory of this leopard gecko - it's not necessarily the breeder's fault that the gecko is in this condition, nor is the OP necessarily irresponsible for adopting him. There are plenty of scenarios where both could have good intentions. I doubt the leo starved over time - reptiles can go a long while fasting without losing weight so I'd suspect some sort of illness is at play here.

To put this further into perspective, you can't judge an animal's welfare based on their weight alone. A good example, I have a Siberian husky named Apollo, my favorite dog of three and a total sweetheart. If you met him on the street, you'd probably assume he was either very sick or very mistreated. Apollo has a digestive disorder even our very experienced vets haven't been able to understand or completely treat, and at any point he ranges between 5-20 pounds underweight (being ideally a 75 lb dog, that can look alarming). He is also intact - personal preference and he would not be a good candidate for anesthesia anyway - and that adds to his inability to gain weight. On a naturally slender breed, he at times looks and especially feels emaciated. I'd imagine we'd get even more criticism if he was a breed with a thin coat. If you met our dog with no backstory, you'd probably have the same reaction you had to that leopard gecko's picture, but the truth is Apollo is very well fed and extremely loved and happy. Sometimes it pays to step back and take in the bigger picture!

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Ripa (Feb 27, 2015)

I believe it's the breeder's fault for selling it to someone in this condition, however. That's irresponsible. I'm not mad at the OP. I'm mad at the breeder for putting the OP in this situation. And what I meant about a lengthy starvation over time was that the breeder saw the leo wasting away (because reptiles do not emaciate in such short periods that there's an excuse behind not monitoring that condition) and instead of doing something about it, just handed it off to someone else who may have been less equipped to deal with it (but is visibly more caring for the poor creature). And while reptiles can go long periods while fasting, a leopard gecko will never fast to the point of malnourishment, not like ball pythons or some other species of snake. I've owned enough reptiles in the past to know that many lizard species won't fast until this state unless something is actually wrong with them. The main thing to note with leos is their fat tail- they should have a decent amount of fat there, but if it's all gone like depicted in this picture, a fasting leo is a dead leo. 

Honestly, I would recommend starting out with use of waxworms and butterworms, since those have the highest fat content, at least among feeders which are readily available. The tangerine gecko I rescued was relatively underweight when I got her, but feeding her waxworms fattened her up quite a bit. Don't consider waxworms as the leo's only food source, however. Just incorporate them more often than you would with a leo of normal weight and probably use them however often you feed it.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Aviara (Feb 28, 2015)

True, although the OP never mentioned how or why he acquired the leo, just that it came from a "private breeder". Honestly, like the post above me says, leopard geckos don't just waste away like this because they go off feed. Either the little guy is very sick or, less likely, the breeder starved the leopard gecko. If you have a veterinarian experienced in treating reptiles in the area, I would get the little guy in to the vet as soon as possible. There is a very good chance something beyond malnutrition is at play here. When I used to work at Petco (not a good experience by any means) and we would get in clearly underfed leopard geckos, they were thin but were still lively and very active feeders. By watching alertness and behavior you could get a good sense of whether the leopard gecko was underfed (frequently the case since they are kept in small tanks with other leos and have to compete for inadequate amounts of food) or wasting from an illness. Even pristine conditions and a proper diet won't necessarily do anything for an ill animal if that illness isn't treated, so my recommended course of action is still going to an experienced vet, and of course setting up that quarantine if you have not done so. I cannot stress enough how contagious diseases like crypto can be.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## dementedlullaby (Mar 2, 2015)

Hand feed him. Cricket/Super Worm smoothies with added Calcium powder mixed in. You need a syringe (without needle obviously). Look up Youtube videos. 

One of my rescue females was quite malnourished and daily hand feeding was the only way to go. She's now a plumpy little thing. But this looks like a younger gecko (and way skinnier) so try doing it twice a day.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## bchbum11 (Mar 4, 2015)

Just wanted to back up what Aviara has been saying on both this thread, and the other similar one that was recently posted. I 100% agree with the notion that the person who sold this guy was wrong for selling an animal that is so sick. He should have taken a trip to the vet himself and had the leo checked out. That is one of the major problems with the reptile industry today; some people tent to take a 'disposable pet' approach to less expensive animals. A $80 vet visit for a $20 gecko rubs some the wrong way. Sad, but true.

Anyway, back on point. I don't see any way to take that up to the next level and blame the seller for the gecko's condition. A healthy leopard gecko would have to be starved for well over a year to even come close to that degree of emaciation, and a healthy leo would start eating any food available when offered and quickly put the weight back on. There is something wrong with the gecko that is causing it to either refuse or regurgitate food. Offering different food choices won't change this, and neither will assist feeding. Keeping it hydrated is key, but that won't help with the underlying issue either. The emaciation is a symptom, not the illness. The gecko is going to have to be diagnosed, likely by a vet, to determine what the illness is if it is going to have any chance of making it.
The good news is that aside from crypto, which is incurable, there is at least one other very treatable diagnosis that presents in a similar manner. Vitamin A deficiency results in the same refusal of food, regurgitation, pencil tail appearance, and even the chalky skin appearance that looks to be present. It's easily cured with a couple injections and short term modified diet. I'm sure that there are also other potential causes that I'm unaware of. The only way you can know for certain is if you get the poor guy to a vet for a diagnosis.

One last thought. I'd ask the seller if he had this animal housed with any others. If it is crypto then the others are likely to be displaying varying degrees of similar symptoms. This won't confirm or refute any possible cause, but I feel fairly confident in saying that if he had cage mates, and they are still healthy, there is a much greater chance that your boy has something that is curable.

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Chainsaw Reptiles (Mar 6, 2015)

Jesus Christ He Looks Horrible! Lots Of Wax Worms (etc) ... And Congratulations On The Gecko And Your First Herp

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Tarantula Fangs (Mar 7, 2015)

Hello everyone, Been a while since I got online but here's an update on the little critter. He or she has gotten better through research and the help of other Leo owners, like yourselves. At first we fed this little guy a slurry of mashed up cricket and P.lyte. while providing plenty of hydration throughout the day which included a water dish alongside a bowl of mealworms, that it never touched ( we counted ), we also fed it some baby food, which didn't quite work well. Eventually we decided to feed it parts of small crickets and it was hard but we managed to get some in, we did notice some improvement so we went to feeding it mealworms and boy were we happy, it didn't eat as many as we hoped but it did munch down some mealworms, our first real success, after a few days we then seen a little more activity so we dropped some crickets and it finally ate on it's own! which it wouldn't do when we first acquired the young gecko. I will post pics of the critter when I see a much improvement in it's weight. Now, as for the previous owner, I won't disclose who or how I came across this person but I can say that I had seen a picture of the animal and knew that this was a Leo in trouble so I bought the little one. The original owner had 4 Leos in a 10 gallon tank with NO hides, heatpads, waterdish, or papertowels for substrate, that I could see. The tank was placed next to a window which I assumed was intentionally to provide heat, I have no idea if the Original owner was providing the correct amount of heat even at night. I don't like to criticize others but I could tell this one and another gecko needed attention, unfortunately I didn't have enough money to take home the other Leo, I've contacted the OGO days later but he has yet to return my messages. Smh.. Thank you all for your help and concern, I never thought of owning a Gecko, but I'm glad to have Sunny in our family.

Reactions: Like 3


----------



## Ripa (Mar 8, 2015)

Tarantula Fangs said:


> Hello everyone, Been a while since I got online but here's an update on the little critter. He or she has gotten better through research and the help of other Leo owners, like yourselves. At first we fed this little guy a slurry of mashed up cricket and P.lyte. while providing plenty of hydration throughout the day which included a water dish alongside a bowl of mealworms, that it never touched ( we counted ), we also fed it some baby food, which didn't quite work well. Eventually we decided to feed it parts of small crickets and it was hard but we managed to get some in, we did notice some improvement so we went to feeding it mealworms and boy were we happy, it didn't eat as many as we hoped but it did munch down some mealworms, our first real success, after a few days we then seen a little more activity so we dropped some crickets and it finally ate on it's own! which it wouldn't do when we first acquired the young gecko. I will post pics of the critter when I see a much improvement in it's weight. Now, as for the previous owner, I won't disclose who or how I came across this person but I can say that I had seen a picture of the animal and knew that this was a Leo in trouble so I bought the little one. The original owner had 4 Leos in a 10 gallon tank with NO hides, heatpads, waterdish, or papertowels for substrate, that I could see. The tank was placed next to a window which I assumed was intentionally to provide heat, I have no idea if the Original owner was providing the correct amount of heat even at night. I don't like to criticize others but I could tell this one and another gecko needed attention, unfortunately I didn't have enough money to take home the other Leo, I've contacted the OGO days later but he has yet to return my messages. Smh.. Thank you all for your help and concern, I never thought of owning a Gecko, but I'm glad to have Sunny in our family.


I hope that person doesn't own any more reptiles. Leos are among the easiest to care for...


----------



## The Snark (Mar 8, 2015)

I think we are all sitting on the edges of our seats waiting for a picture that resembles healthy gecko. Once that happens consider shoving the picture under the former owners nose.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## Tarantula Fangs (Mar 8, 2015)

Ripa said:


> HOLY <Popehat>. That's the skinniest leo I've ever seen! It's tail should be thick! If that gecko doesn't make it, you should sue that seller for animal cruelty. WT<Funk> is that bull<stink>?
> 
> Poor thing probably really needs to see a vet ASAP. You could try hand feeding it and maybe even try slipping some food in its mouth, but in its currently state, that might be too stressful for the little guy.


 Thank you for that, Ripa!


----------



## Chainsaw Reptiles (Mar 14, 2015)

Great To Hear


----------



## TheHonestPirate (Mar 18, 2015)

Ive been nursing my baby leo back to health. She went off feed and wouldnt eat mealworms. (It seems like she doesnt have the strength to chew the mealworm. Ive been givig her a few waxworms every other day and shes been looking a lot better. Is that a good idea for this case? She still poops frequently.


----------



## Ripa (Mar 18, 2015)

TheHonestPirate said:


> Ive been nursing my baby leo back to health. She went off feed and wouldnt eat mealworms. (It seems like she doesnt have the strength to chew the mealworm. Ive been givig her a few waxworms every other day and shes been looking a lot better. Is that a good idea for this case? She still poops frequently.


I find wax worms to be a better sub than mealworms for weakened lizards just because they provide less of a fight and energy exertion to both eat them and digest them. They are also more rich in fat content. I've heard some people even use wax worms to help fatten up their birds during recovery periods.


----------



## TheHonestPirate (Mar 18, 2015)

Ripa said:


> I find wax worms to be a better sub than mealworms for weakened lizards just because they provide less of a fight and energy exertion to both eat them and digest them. They are also more rich in fat content. I've heard some people even use wax worms to help fatten up their birds during recovery periods.


How many do you think i should be giving her. Shes only 8-10g and started dropping. She was 11g when i got her before her refusal of food. Ive been givjng her 2 wax worms every other day but i gave her 4 today because she still couldnt eat the mealworm i gave her. She tries her best but just cant chew it. Poor thing.


----------

