A little confused.

[Kystaubi]

So I've had my young leopard gecko, I'm guessing he was around 2-4 weeks old when I got him, for 5 weeks now. He shed about 2 weeks ago, and is looking like he's about to shed within a couple of days again. I went in the pet store and looked at the other leos that were in his group of hatchlings (a woman who worked there had bred them in her own personal care and was just selling them there for whatever reason) and one (I think the 2nd one is gone) was a lot healthier looking than mine. I didn't see it up close, but it looked a lot bigger, the tail at least twice the size.

My leo went through about a week and a half to two week hardly eating period, and then started picking up slowly (by week 3 he was eating at least three mealies a day). I tried crickets but he didn't seem too interested in them at this time. I reintroduced crickets at about week 4, and he seems to like them. He was up to 6 crickets a couple days ago, but now hasn't eaten in 2 days. I think this is because he is about to shed, but I'm not sure.

He never eats right when I feed him, he just hunts them when they catch his eye for some reason. I haven't seen him eat more than one thing in a row, or be very aggressive with anything. It's recently warmed up in the area I live, so now the temperatures are pretty perfect, as he seems more active and exploratory than at first.

I guess basically, I'm confused about why he isn't interested in his food, and I'm wondering if this is affecting his size and growth. His tail isn't fat at all, and he seems to be a really picky/lazy eater. I've been keeping his cage clean and temps right. Any suggestions would help, or opinions on why he isn't getting bulky, or what I can do to get him to be more interested in eating his food. I have some repta-aid coming in the mail if I need to try it, also.

 

[acpart]

A picture would help us determine if he's underweight in a worrisome way or just a slower grower. Just like people, leopard geckos have different body types. I've had clutchmates be 15-20 grams apart in weight after a few months. If he's eating and pooping he's probably OK, but a picture would be good.

Aliza

 

[Kystaubi]

I don't have a camera, unfortunately, but after seeing him not eat for a couple days I decided to give him a little of the reptaid I just got in the mail today. He looks nice and full now, and is laying in the warm hut. He didn't like it too much, but he's looking pretty thin and I knew I had to do something to intervene.

I'm wondering how long I should continue to give him reptaid... will he just become interested in food soon, or is there an advisable amount of time I should keep give him it to give him a little weight boost?

 

[acpart]

I'm assuming you had to hold him to feed the reptaid. See if you can hold him and feed him a mealworm or cricket. Once you have him eating that way, see if you can switch him to eating them by himself. Otherwise, use the reptaid to get him to poop and take the poop sample to the vet to check whether or not he has parasites.

Aliza

 

[Kystaubi]

I didn't hold him to feed him, I put him in a measuring cup (he cant climb out of it) and just slowly put little drips of it on his nose/mouth until he ate a nice dose of it. He was eating a little before, he just doesn't seem as interested as he should (compared to other young leos, I think only eating 1-3 bugs a day isn't good, especially when he looks so frail) so I'm hoping this will jump-start his appetite or get him to feel better than he was before.

He won't let me hold him, he runs away if I try so I'm just trying to wait to "tame" him more until I get him eating well, so I don't stress him out too much. I'm thinking about giving him the reptaid for at least a couple more days until he looks at least a little meatier... I can basically see his little ribs right now.

 

[Kystaubi]

So, after 2 days of reptaid, my little leo has shown interest in hunting enough to actually chase things around. (This hasn't happened before, he was pretty lazy/uninterested for a while.) He's only eaten (he missed a few times) one cricket that I've seen, but he's still full I'm sure from the reptaid. At least he seems more enthusiastic? I think that he's going to be feeling better soon. I think I'll just give him one more small dose tomorrow (to help him get fully rehydrated and hopefully get a little fatter) and then see how it goes.

I have a good feeling though! I'm excited for him to feel better...:main_thumbsup:

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Since the directions for using reptaid recommend a 10 day run, unless there is good reason not to do so..... I have had good results with it both as an appetite stimulant and parasite treatment for several of my animals. Not to say thats your issue here, but I would do the full 10 day routine.

 

[Khrysty]

Since the directions for using reptaid recommend a 10 day run, unless there is good reason not to do so..... I have had good results with it both as an appetite stimulant and parasite treatment for several of my animals. Not to say thats your issue here, but I would do the full 10 day routine.

+1
Also, have you weighed him? Reptaid doses by weight. If you overdo it they can develop liver problems.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

+1
Also, have you weighed him? Reptaid doses by weight. If you overdo it they can develop liver problems.

+1
It is a bit tricky on such small animals with the needle drip dosage instead of the dropper BUT a huge difference in dosage amount. I mixed mine with a teenie bit of distilled water, like a drop.

For such a young one, as long as it's eating and pooping I really don't see a need to use a stimulant. Babies are all unique, some eat more than others and grow a little faster. That doesn't mean anything is wrong with the other. Even clutchmates.

 

[Kystaubi]

I actually didn't see that it said 10 days, but alright, haha. I've been giving him just a little bit of it,he doesn't like to lick it too much. I'm hoping that the full 10 day period will come with good results then, I would love to see him eat more than one bug at a time, and get fat and sassy.

And to orchid-- I could see his little ribs and spine, and I knew I had to intervene. His tail is real skinny too. I'm thinking maybe he just didn't get a good start for some reason, and he needs the stimulant mostly for the nutrition since he was only eating 1-3 small crickets or mealworms a day for the longest time, if that.

 

[Kystaubi]

Also, how much do you recommend that I give to him? I haven't been able to weigh him... but I know it's not a lot... He's about 8-12 weeks old, but is kind of skinny. He's only shed once in my care so far, and looks like he's going to again soon.

I need to get some kind of a scale, where did you guys get yours?

 

[thegeckoguy23]

A picture would help us determine if he's underweight in a worrisome way or just a slower grower. Just like people, leopard geckos have different body types. I've had clutchmates be 15-20 grams apart in weight after a few months. If he's eating and pooping he's probably OK, but a picture would be good.

Aliza

+2

 

[Kystaubi]

Sorry about the poor quality, like I said I don't have a camera. These are from my phone's camera which is shitty, but I think you can tell how big he is anyways. This is him in an average sized measuring cup, right before I gave him some more reptaid for today.

 

[Kystaubi]

Although noone replied after I posted the pictures, there are still people reading the forums so I'd figure I'd update.

I'm going to be bringing him to the vet today, or at least getting a stool sample. I gave some information to the vets office and she said she'd have the vet call me back to whether or not I'd have to actually bring in the leo or if I should just bring in a stool sample.

His stool is really watery/runny. I think he might have this:

Gastoenteritis is a disease that is caused by a bacterial infection caused by unsanitary conditions. An indication of the disease is that the leopard gecko has watery and/or bloody stool. Normally the stool is dry and well-formed with a small white portion. It is contagious and can be spread easily. Other symptoms of the disease include weight loss, a skinny tail, undigested cricket masses. If it is not treated, the gecko will stop eating, become dehydrated and scrawny, and possibly die.



However, he hasn't had undigested food in a while. At first he did, but I thought it was him just spitting them out from stress. He hasn't had anything undigested come out in at least a couple of weeks. However, it does explain his skinnyness, his lack of interest in food, and how scrawny he is, and he does have runny stool. Since I did get him from the pet store, I think that it could be possible? I keep his tank clean at home so I don't know. The other leo in the pet store looks a lot better than he does though so it doesn't make sense really to me...

I'll post after I take him to the vet today.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Good luck at the vets today. Be sure you make note of his weight.

 

[acpart]

I didn't see the pictures till now. Yes, he does look underweight, especially his tail which is very skinny. I hope he does well. If you got him from a big chain petstore, it's likely he has some parasite or other problem. If you got him from a breeder it would be a good idea to contact the breeder.

Aliza

 

[monkeytechahoo]

good luck

 

[Kystaubi]

I just got back from the vet. She said he's pretty skinny, but other than that he doesnt have MBD, and he has good jaw structure. He isn't dehydrated either, thanks to the reptaid. She tested his stool and said there isn't any parasites, so he just seems to be having problems not wanting to eat? She said I should up the temperatures since he's so little (even though warm side is at around 95+ during the day and cool side is at around 77-80) and try putting a background sticker on the back of the tank so it feels more cozy for him.

She said to give him fruit pulp (baby food) so I got banana, and gave me a syringe and told me to force feed him. She also said I need to give him wax worms until he gets bigger, since he's free of any parasites or anything. However, I can't find wax worms anywhere (I've called several bait shops) so it looks like I might have to wait until Thursday to get those, but until then I have his fruit. I thought it was weird that she said to give him fruit, but I guess it will give him energy?

 

[Kystaubi]

Oh, and he only weighs 4g. She thinks he's just a little guy and that he might be weak until I fatten him up with the fruit and crushed up wax worms.

 

[Khrysty]

To be honest, I wouldn't feed the fruit on its own. Go to the health and medications section and look at the "gecko soup" recipe. See if you can make something like that. It'll give your gecko more nutrition (more easily digestible nutrition, for sure) than the baby food will.