- Joined
- May 7, 2006
- Messages
- 1,272
Yes a quieter room would be nice but try the LIVE food.
Leopard Gecko starving itself?
- Thread starter PapaRoacher
- Start date
http://www.livefoodshop.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=49791
There you go, I posted it on another forum, you should get a few helpful replies
There you go, I posted it on another forum, you should get a few helpful replies
Just A Beginner
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- May 23, 2006
- Messages
- 3
Sickly Leopard Geckos
Hello!
First off, I can't reccomend 'Hydro Life' highly enough for your leo. Its an excellent 'life sustaining reptile electrolyte formula', which rehydrates leos faster then plain water can, and being rehydrated is very imortant because a dehydrated reptile's gut cant absorb nutrients very well.
Get yourself an eyedropper or a small needle-less syringe from a chemists.
Find a babyfood which contains a high percentage of meat without any rice, or mash up a load of feeder insects (waxies are fatty but their guts are tasty enough to tempt most reluctant feeders). Use the dropper or syringe to drip little drops onto the leo's nose so that it licks it off. This should give it a fighting chance.
MOST IMPORTANTLY; you need to find out what is causing your leos condition.
1) Get some thermometers to properly and accurately measure the temperatures in the leos viv, at both the cool and warm ends. If your temperatures are too low, provide more heat. If theyre too high, downsize the bulb wattage and buy a thermostat.
2) Move your leo to a quiet, peaceful place so that the poor thing can rest and recuperate properly. They enjoy peace and quiet, leos are not fond of excessive noise. Light during the day helps them know when to sleep, but it must be dark at night so that he/she feels comfortable with coming out of the hides to hunt.
3) It may be that its gut flora is depleted (not enough 'friendly bacteria' to digest it's food), so try to feed it a tiny bit of bio-live yoghurt (only a tiny bit though, reptiles arent adapted to digest dairy products).
4) This condition might be the result of a high parasite load, in which case a fecal exam would be very very helpful to the gecko's survival. If you get a small pot type thing like a specemin jar or film tub, put a fresh, still-wet poop into it and close it (maybe add a couple of drops of water to keep the poop moist), take it to the vets and ask for a fecal exam. They arent expensive to have done. If the test comes back positive for a parasite your vet will be able to help you.
Best of luck. I cared for four leopard geckos who were suffering something similar, but unfortunately I didnt manage to turn them round. Just try as hard as you can for the little leo, its never too late untill its over.
The Four Leos I Cared For
REMEMBER; Your pets rely on you for absolutely everything. If you want to care for an animal, you need to know what it needs. THE LEOPARD GECKO MANUAL, if you don't have it, I strongly reccomend you buy it. I'm not having a go, I'm sorry if it seems that way, but I work in a reptile pet shop. When someone comes in and says 'It just died/got ill' it usually translates as 'I didn't take the resposibility of being accountable for the health and welfare of an animal seriously'.
Hello!
First off, I can't reccomend 'Hydro Life' highly enough for your leo. Its an excellent 'life sustaining reptile electrolyte formula', which rehydrates leos faster then plain water can, and being rehydrated is very imortant because a dehydrated reptile's gut cant absorb nutrients very well.
Get yourself an eyedropper or a small needle-less syringe from a chemists.
Find a babyfood which contains a high percentage of meat without any rice, or mash up a load of feeder insects (waxies are fatty but their guts are tasty enough to tempt most reluctant feeders). Use the dropper or syringe to drip little drops onto the leo's nose so that it licks it off. This should give it a fighting chance.
MOST IMPORTANTLY; you need to find out what is causing your leos condition.
1) Get some thermometers to properly and accurately measure the temperatures in the leos viv, at both the cool and warm ends. If your temperatures are too low, provide more heat. If theyre too high, downsize the bulb wattage and buy a thermostat.
2) Move your leo to a quiet, peaceful place so that the poor thing can rest and recuperate properly. They enjoy peace and quiet, leos are not fond of excessive noise. Light during the day helps them know when to sleep, but it must be dark at night so that he/she feels comfortable with coming out of the hides to hunt.
3) It may be that its gut flora is depleted (not enough 'friendly bacteria' to digest it's food), so try to feed it a tiny bit of bio-live yoghurt (only a tiny bit though, reptiles arent adapted to digest dairy products).
4) This condition might be the result of a high parasite load, in which case a fecal exam would be very very helpful to the gecko's survival. If you get a small pot type thing like a specemin jar or film tub, put a fresh, still-wet poop into it and close it (maybe add a couple of drops of water to keep the poop moist), take it to the vets and ask for a fecal exam. They arent expensive to have done. If the test comes back positive for a parasite your vet will be able to help you.
Best of luck. I cared for four leopard geckos who were suffering something similar, but unfortunately I didnt manage to turn them round. Just try as hard as you can for the little leo, its never too late untill its over.
The Four Leos I Cared For
REMEMBER; Your pets rely on you for absolutely everything. If you want to care for an animal, you need to know what it needs. THE LEOPARD GECKO MANUAL, if you don't have it, I strongly reccomend you buy it. I'm not having a go, I'm sorry if it seems that way, but I work in a reptile pet shop. When someone comes in and says 'It just died/got ill' it usually translates as 'I didn't take the resposibility of being accountable for the health and welfare of an animal seriously'.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2006
- Messages
- 2,730
Basically it needs a vet if you cant get it to eat at this point. Moving it to a quiet location will be good also.
emaciated gecko
Hello I just recently rescued a lizard from a girl who surrendered her and I have been using Hills wet cat food from my veterinarian through a syringe w/ no needle--0.1 mg every 4 hours. Never force feed, the gecko should lick it up. How often does the lizard defecate and what color is it? I forgot the website but I found this recipe online and was highly recommended by breeders to get weight/electrolytes in balance. In 24hrs I have gotten this little girl up from completely bones to having a little substance on her tail.
1small can hills A/D food (from vet)
1/4 c ensure
1 jar baby food (squash or pumpkin)
1/4 pedialite
2 caps acidophilus (probiotic)
1 tsp calcium powder w/ vitamin D3
1/2 tsp. herp vitamen powder
2-4 x-large handfulls of mealworms
Blend all of this up. and put into ice tray. Thaw out one icecube at a time into baby food jar and replace every three days.
I keep a log of when I feed, feeding times 12:30, 4:30, and 8:30 am/pm including how active, when she poops, where she is hanging out most, how quickly laps up food.
She is on newspaper for easily collecting fecal samples without contamination with my equipment, overhead heat emitting bulb with no light output. She get light from the window across the room during the day. A log hide, a pickle jar lid as water bowl and two rocks holding the hide/basking rocks.
I will be taking this gal to the vet in 2 days to see if she has parasites since this is very likely. The girl who had her for a few months said she would just not eat.
When I go in I will bring my notes etc so the vet has more to work off of.
**Differences in these two cases, this little girl was very lethargic when I first got her but as soon as on this diet has been active and checking out cage during the night** She is active so I think that her ability to hunt is not the problem unless her tiny size makes it difficult but rather her ability to absorb nutrients**
Good luck it is lots of hard work
<Sorry I just noticed that this thread is from a few years ago but I will post this anyway for others seeking info online>
Hello I just recently rescued a lizard from a girl who surrendered her and I have been using Hills wet cat food from my veterinarian through a syringe w/ no needle--0.1 mg every 4 hours. Never force feed, the gecko should lick it up. How often does the lizard defecate and what color is it? I forgot the website but I found this recipe online and was highly recommended by breeders to get weight/electrolytes in balance. In 24hrs I have gotten this little girl up from completely bones to having a little substance on her tail.
1small can hills A/D food (from vet)
1/4 c ensure
1 jar baby food (squash or pumpkin)
1/4 pedialite
2 caps acidophilus (probiotic)
1 tsp calcium powder w/ vitamin D3
1/2 tsp. herp vitamen powder
2-4 x-large handfulls of mealworms
Blend all of this up. and put into ice tray. Thaw out one icecube at a time into baby food jar and replace every three days.
I keep a log of when I feed, feeding times 12:30, 4:30, and 8:30 am/pm including how active, when she poops, where she is hanging out most, how quickly laps up food.
She is on newspaper for easily collecting fecal samples without contamination with my equipment, overhead heat emitting bulb with no light output. She get light from the window across the room during the day. A log hide, a pickle jar lid as water bowl and two rocks holding the hide/basking rocks.
I will be taking this gal to the vet in 2 days to see if she has parasites since this is very likely. The girl who had her for a few months said she would just not eat.
When I go in I will bring my notes etc so the vet has more to work off of.
**Differences in these two cases, this little girl was very lethargic when I first got her but as soon as on this diet has been active and checking out cage during the night** She is active so I think that her ability to hunt is not the problem unless her tiny size makes it difficult but rather her ability to absorb nutrients**
Good luck it is lots of hard work
<Sorry I just noticed that this thread is from a few years ago but I will post this anyway for others seeking info online>