Gecko not eating -- health degenerating

[acrazyloosemoose]

I got my leo (+ tank, heat rock and water dish) for free from a random woman on the street who was going to "dump" her otherwise. I don't have a lot of money to buy expensive food, so I've just been buying mealworms at a pet store and gutloading them with things like carrots, sweet potato and apples (I read online that it's ok to do that). I also don't have a heatlamp for her, but I do have a heat rock, which she uses occasionally. I live in San Diego, so it never gets super cold.

When I first got her, she seemed pretty healthy and had a plump tail. In the beginning, she also had a pretty good appetite and would eat the 15 or so mealworms (sometimes sprinkled with Reptical) that I put out for her on a daily basis. Within the past couple weeks, her eating habits have become a little weird. First of all, she has trouble actually eating the worm itself -- she'll lunge for it but miss, or she'll manage to get it into her mouth but then drop it. It seems like after doing this for a while, she'll give up or lose interest. I don't think she's having vision problems. When I put the bowl of food outside her tank she sees them and looks very interested, but as soon as I put them inside, she doesn't go after them.

I'm starting to worry because I feel like she's losing weight. I don't have a scale or anything, but her tail looks a little less plump, she has loose skin around her belly that I didn't notice before, and her color looks a little paler. She also seems more lethargic.

I really want the best for her -- I wouldn't have taken her if her previous owner didn't threaten to dump her. I'm a broke college student and don't have $50 to take her to a reptile vet for an exam. I just really need to know some care basics from a reliable source so that I can make sure she's getting adequate care.

She's also having trouble shedding her skin. When I got her form the previous owner, several of her toes were missing their tips, which I'm assuming is from lack of circulation from old, constricting skin. When she's shedding now, I put in a moist hide box, which she uses and helps the shedding process greatly. The old skin on her toes still has a problem coming off though, so I've been putting her in a shallow bowl of warm water for a few minutes and then try to gently wipe off the dead skin. This seems to really stress her out though -- she starts frantically tries to wiggle away and starts to make very distressed sounding noises.

Also, not sure if this is related, but I've been noticing that she sometimes just sits there with her eyes closed or partially closed (not sleeping). Not sure if this is normal, but to me it looks like she is unhappy.

If someone could give me some advice, I would be so appreciative.

Thank you.



About your leo:
- Sex: female
- Age & Weight: ?/?
- How long have you owned your leo: ~6 mo.
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): random person in parking lot (long story -- boyfriend's gecko, he broke up and left her, she didn't want her anymore)

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: once/day
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now:
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe: don't know.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): whiteish blob with dark part attached
- When was the last time he/she went: within past 2 days
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 1'x2'
- Type (ex. glass tank): glass tank
- Type of substrate: calcium sand from pet store
- Hides, how many, what kind: homemade box shelter
B) Heating
- Heat source: heat rock
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): don't know
- Method of regulating heat source: none
- What are you using to measure your temps: n/a
- Do you have any lights (describe): no
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): n/a
- Describe health, or previous problems: n/a

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): large mealworms; leaving in bowl of ~20 mealworms daily
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): left in dish
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): reptical; every feeding
- What are you gut loading food with: apples, carrots, sweet potato

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I can see a few issues with your setup. Fixing them would be the first step to helping your gecko and knowing if there's a health issue or an environmental issue. First, hot rocks are not ideal, especially if they are unregulated. You need a thermometer with a probe that can measure the temperature on the ground of your tank. If the gecko does not have a 90 degree spot to warm its belly on it can't digest its food properly. If the rock is too hot the gecko can't use it to warm its belly and may get burnt if it tries to. Secondly, sand -- especially calcisand -- can be dangerous for geckos. If they eat it it can clog up their digestion. If this has happened to your gecko I am sorry to say that without vet treatment she will probably not get better. Geckos also need at least three hides. One warm one, about 90 degrees, one cool one, and one moist hide where they can enjoy a bit of higher humidity to help shed their skin. She will also need a vitamin supplement, without one she could have vitamin deficiencies that are making her health decline as well.

I would suggest replacing the sand with paper towels immediately and getting an Under tank heater and at least a dimmer switch (a thermostat would be better but since you're low on cash...) to replace the hot rock. You should also get a thermometer with a probe and some vitamins ASAP. You can make a couple more hides out of card board boxes from granola or cereal bars but they will need to be changed every couple of months or when she poops on them and a moist hide form a tupperware or Coopwhip container. These things are super important for her well being and will probably cost about $60. If you don't have that money to spend on her I would suggest trying to find her a new home as she may need these things and vet treatment if there is something else going on.

 

[acrazyloosemoose]

Thank you so much for the recommendations Lisa. I will definitely fix the issues that you pointed out.

I have a couple additional questions:

- The under the tank heater is one of those adhering strips, right? Is one that's 6"x8" big enough? If I have the tank on carpet, would that be a fire hazard? Also, I'm looking online now and I can't find one with a dimmer switch. Am I looking at the right thing?

- Do you recommend a brand of vitamin supplement in particular?

- Is there any way to tell if my leopard gecko's digestion is clogged with sand?

- Is there any special requirements for water that I should be doing? Right now, every week I'll put it a little dish filled with clean water, leave it in there for a few days and then take it out and wash it and refill it with clean water. I read online that you should use dechlorinated water for reptiles? I have never even seen her drink though -- do they? Or do they get their water from the mealworms?

- Is getting some kind of fake plant a good idea? Would it make her happier?

Sorry for all the questions! I really appreciate all your help!

 

[ebuch]

Thank you so much for the recommendations Lisa. I will definitely fix the issues that you pointed out.

I have a couple additional questions:

- The under the tank heater is one of those adhering strips, right? Is one that's 6"x8" big enough? If I have the tank on carpet, would that be a fire hazard? Also, I'm looking online now and I can't find one with a dimmer switch. Am I looking at the right thing?

- Do you recommend a brand of vitamin supplement in particular?

- Is there any way to tell if my leopard gecko's digestion is clogged with sand?

- Is there any special requirements for water that I should be doing? Right now, every week I'll put it a little dish filled with clean water, leave it in there for a few days and then take it out and wash it and refill it with clean water. I read online that you should use dechlorinated water for reptiles? I have never even seen her drink though -- do they? Or do they get their water from the mealworms?

- Is getting some kind of fake plant a good idea? Would it make her happier?

Sorry for all the questions! I really appreciate all your help!

Amazon.com: Zoo Med ReptiTherm® Under Tank Heater, Small: Pet Supplies

That's the heat pad^^

Amazon.com: Zoo Med ReptiTemp Rheostat: Pet Supplies

There is a rhetostat to keep the temperature adjusted^^

A plant is not necessary, hides are.

And yes I would get a piece of particle board or something to put under the heat pad. Lowes probably has a cheap piece of wood you can get for that.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Most UTH come with little feet to lift the tank off whatever they're on. Carpet is a bit squishy though so I would recommend getting a cheap board like ebuch recommended. As long as the UTH covers about 30% of the cage bottom it would be fine. If your cage is 2'x1' I think 6x8 would be okay. They don't come with dimmers built in but you can get one for $15-25 on amazon. I also agree that hides would be better than plants. Almost anything thats not clear that a hole can be cut into can be a hide. Plastic and things that don't absorb nastiness are best but as long as you change them when they get soiled I believe cardboard can be okay too.

Repashy Calcium Plus is probably the best all in one vitamin supplement you can get. Vionate is an alternative a bunch of breeder use but it would need to be combined with a Calcium supplement like the one you're already using.

You might give your guy a couple warm baths - they could help kick start his digestive system into moving if its a bit clogged. Other than that just looking at his belly would give you some information though I'm not sure how clear an impaction would be.

I give all of mine clean tap water 2-3 times a week like you said you're doing. I rarely see any of them drink but they do need water and making sure they have some makes me feel better.

 

[acrazyloosemoose]

Thank you all for your help! I have been making a lot of changes to her enclosure, so hopefully her eating habits will return to normal.

 

[JasonO80]

Repashy Calcium Plus is probably the best all in one vitamin supplement you can get. Vionate is an alternative a bunch of breeder use but it would need to be combined with a Calcium supplement like the one you're already using.

The Vionate has calcium in it already if you use that you wouldn't need to add any additional but it wouldn't necessarily hurt if you did. I pretty much stick to Ron Tremper's book with the vitamin regimen that I give. Vionate til they reach about 7" in length and then I switch over to the Osteo-form for the adults. You can get plenty of both to keep you for a while fairly cheap online. Most pet stores will carry the Repashy Calcium plus. I do think it is a good overall vitamin suplement and for just owning one gecko not that bad of a price. I used it til my gecko numbers started increasing.

 

[jaredricha]

In you thread you mentioned the eye closing. I had the same issue with my lizard and the Vet said that they do that when they are stressed or sick. Try to look in the lizards mouth and see if there is a cut. Also as said above the heat lamp is the most important thing. Try getting some wax worms to feed to the lizard.