Help with leopard gecko

[calestus]

I rescued a little one from DeathCO about a month ago....it was feeding well for awhile but now its stopped feeding and pretty much all its reserves in its tail are gone and he/she is getting pretty skinny....*sigh*

I'd like to not lose it...any suggestions to entice it to eat? I've tried crickets of all sizes, mealworms, and lobster roaches.

 

[xelda]

Take it to a vet.

 

[MilkmanWes]

Which one did you get it from?

The one nearby me that I get crickets from has a bad track record with leopard geckos. Other lizards they keep are in better health generally, but we watch the leopards become skeletal over time there. The adults do great, but the youngsters just languish. Don't know enough about them to really take a guess as to whats going wrong.

 

[calestus]

The one in rockwall off of 30.

 

[CIRE]

Not sure what could be wrong with it....I would really suggest trying waxworms (high in fat, and really a treat for geckos)...also try silkworms...just try all types of food, and I also agree with xelda, maybe a vet is a good option...hope your little guy gets better.

 

[calestus]

Waxworms I can get. I'll try those tommorrow.

Thanks!

 

[xelda]

Waxworms would only be treating the symptoms, not the problem. There are lots of reasons why it wouldn't eat.

1. Inadequate heat. This causes indigestion and lack of appetite.
2. Impaction. Are you using sand or some other loose substrate? The grains can get lodged in the digestive tract and not only shred up the insides but cause the leo to starve to death very slowly.
3. Stress. Does it have adequate hiding? Is it able to thermoregulate? Are you handling it too much?
4. Parasites/disease/bacterial infection. They're usually VERY easy to treat, but you have to get a vet diagnosis and medication or it'll just continue to go downhill.
... and plenty of other reasons I'm not going to try to list.

You say you rescued the gecko, but if you truly consider this to be a rescue effort, you need to seek veterinary assistance.

 

[danread]

Hi calestus,

Have a look at this website. It does unfortunately sound like it could be some sort of adenovirus. If you have any other geckos, make sure you keep it well away from them and be careful to not allow any cross contamination.

Cheers,

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

sounds like a possiblity of worms. When it was eating, did it gain weight, or keep losing regardless?
What about the feces, is it runny and smelly?

I agree with xelda, while you can try and offer these types of foods, it wont help a bit if this gecko has parasites, and she will continue to lose regardless of what you feed her.

I definitely say take it to the vet, or you can forget about ever saving her.

Good luck

~Crystal

 

[calestus]

Hrm its feces are normal...The pet store kept it on calci-sand stuff and in the begining it had quite a bit of sand in its fecal matter but then it cleared up and it started producing nice little gecko turds.

It gained a little weight, but then lost it shortly there after. Its the only lizard in the house. I have a Burmese Python but thats in a whole different room and I clean up before leaving that room.

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

You'll never know for sure unless you get a fecal done. My vet charges $20 for these, although some are cheaper.
Take a fresh sample to your vet, or a vet near you that specializes in reptiles, and have it tested. If it is parasites, your vet will give you the medicine to treat it with. Not to mention that lil guy sounds like he needs some sub-q fluids fast.

Before you go out and spend tons of money on waxworms and pinkies and such, get that lil guy a fecal done.

How is your tank set up? Heat, temps, hides, misting, etc?

Good luck!

~Crystal

 

[calestus]

Okay a fecal it is then.

Heres her tank warm side left right side cooler two hides and the rock it likes to sit on because the undertank heaters under it and the rocks surface is about 90.

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

PERFECT! Cutie pie you got there, btw

If you got her from Petco, im assuming she came from Gourmet Rodent, as that's normally where they get their Leo's, and they have some nice stock. Too bad they kill most of the ones they get, b/c they are some of the best morphs.

But anyway, your tank looks great, be sure to keep the warm side nice and moist under the hide to aide with shedding.

Oh, and another note, I fed mostly mealworms, with occasional crickets for those who refused mealworms, b/c crickets are known to carry more parasites than mealworms. But its up to you.

Anyway, let us know how the fecal turns out.

Good luck!

~Crystal

 

[calestus]

What do you use for your mealworm dish? I tried using the little clear things in the picture but even the small ones crawl out. I have a bigger dish but its kinda big for her....she can't see into it without climbing in.

Thanks,
Erick

 

[WhyTeDraGon]

What do you use for your mealworm dish? I tried using the little clear things in the picture but even the small ones crawl out. I have a bigger dish but its kinda big for her....she can't see into it without climbing in.

Thanks,
Erick

Go to Walmart and get the little clear sauce dishes, I think they're less than $1 each.

~Crystal

 

[Lochala]

So, how is he/she doing?

 

[calestus]

Spot passed away last night. She had a tumor polyp scyst thing and she couldn't keep food down...unfortunatley nothing anyone could do. *sigh* Hopefully wherever she is now is a happier place for her.

 

[OldHag]

Sorry about that....thats always a tough thing to have to deal with. I had to put down 2 babies this year...I have one more that is blind and I just cant kill her!! I have to hand feed her..she is such a sweet little thing.

Sorry for your loss.

Michelle

 

[Lochala]

AAWWW, that really sucks.