Gecko Not Gaining Weight

Ramla

New Member
Messages
34
So I rescued a Leo from "smart". She was being starved by two other leos and was small (6grams). Since getting her (Ramla) she has done wonderful and is now 18grams, a little over a month later.
I introduced her to two others about two weeks after getting her. Another 6gram female (Sne) and a 6gram male (Ponto).
Ponto was another rescue, from a "breeder". Extremely skinny and had lost his tail. He is my worry. He shows no interest in food. I make sure there is food available to him at all times. I've tried crickets, wax worms and meal worms. I can put it right in front of his face and he ignores it and goes back to sleep.

I've watched everyone to make sure there was no bullying. I've tried isolating him during feeding time. Nothing seems to work.

He isn't losing weight but he isn't gaining either. Any suggestions?
b057615845f2526a9ab7c6460b2efc1f.jpg
 

laurahlove

New Member
Messages
410
Location
Florida
Have you tried taking the other two geckos out?

At your local pet smart, they should sell something called reptiboost. If not it will definitely be at pet co. Its this little thing of powder (you mix it with water) and a syringe, and it comes with directions on how much to give him based on his weight. It just gives him the basic amount of food he would need on a daily basis. You'll have to do a little force feeding, but it's the only thing that got my pet store rescue eating when she stopped eating for two weeks. It costs about 7 dollars for the kit.

I would also recommend giving him a little bit of water with the syringe afterwards just to make sure he's extra hydrated. :)

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JennyBeen

New Member
Messages
87
Location
Denver, CO
It could be parasites, mouth rot, MBD (though the limbs look okay), or something else, but to be honest, that gecko looks shockingly ill. If it were mine, I get it to a vet ASAP.
 

DrCarrotTail

Moderator
Messages
3,590
Location
Ridgewood, NJ
I'd get the sick gecko away from your healthy ones. If he has a disease or parasite that can be transmitted he could infect them if he has't already. Very difficult to say what's going on from just a picture over the internet. Your best bet would be to bring him to a qualified reptile vet. arav.org is a great place to look for one near you.
 

Ramla

New Member
Messages
34
He has gone to the vet. Ruled out mouth rot and parasites. She said it might just be stress and the energy re-growing the tail. Which I could understand to some degree but sounds like a "I have no clue". She suggested trying to jump start his appetite with chicken baby food on his nose. Has anyone heard of this or tried it? I suppose in the plus side he isn't losing weight.
 

indyana

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,336
Location
Massachusetts, United States
Yes, I've heard of the baby food trick. You could also make the gecko slurry and try the same thing, which is a bit healthier. (Scroll down page below.)
Golden Gate Geckos Information


Stress is absolutely a concern, and there are many causes (environment too exposed, presence of more dominant geckos, too much disruption/handling). Also, parasites can be tricky. Standard fecal screening doesn't catch everything.
 

DrCarrotTail

Moderator
Messages
3,590
Location
Ridgewood, NJ
That last picture makes the baby's legs look a bit curved. MBD would be a concern. I might make sure everything that the little one eats gets dusted with calcium for the next few months. Leaving a bowl of calcium without D3 in the cage is also a good idea. I've head of folks cutting mealworms in half and dotting guts on the geckos noses as a possibly healthier alternative to chicken baby food. My own vet here swears by Carnivore Care but I haven't ever had an opportunity to use it myself.
 

Ramla

New Member
Messages
34
Well we did his first feeding of baby food chicken mixed with vits and pedialyte. He actually did fairly well I think. I also got him to eat a wax worm last night.
 

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