Any tricks of the trade to get a gecko to eat?

[WickedGecko]

Hi everyone,

Back in April I bought a collection of 6 geckos from a breeder. They all appeared active and healthy, although they were on the thin side. All of them refused to eat and I assumed it was because of the adjustment to a new environment. After a couple weeks I brought them into the vet and he could not find any physical problems with them. He gave me Baytril to give them for 10 days, and I continued to offer food, which they refused. After about 3 weeks, four of them started to feed on crickets and/or mealworms, and at this point those four are doing much better. One of them did die, and the vet was not able to determine the cause. I have one gecko left that has no interest in food. I have been feeding her a mixture of chicken baby food, repashy vitamin powder, and electrolyte solution. She has been to the vet 3 times, and he can't find any problems. She's down to only 18 grams (from 28g in April). He says to continue with the baby food, which I've been doing. I also continue to offer crickets, mealworms, superworms, and roaches, but she has no interest. Are there any tricks to help stimulate her appetite or get her back to eating on her own?
She's housed in a FB rack that is set at 90 degrees. The substrate is newspaper and she has food and water dishes. I leave mealworms in there for her, but she doesn't touch them. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Wendy

 

[SFgeckos]

"After a couple weeks I brought them into the vet and he could not find any physical problems with them. He gave me Baytril to give them for 10 days"

Did the vet ever take a fecal sample and check for parasites?

Why would the vet provide prophylactic antibiotic therapy? Doesn't make sense to me...especially since enrofloxacin is a DNA-gyrase inhibitor and is bactericidal to a range of gram neg/positive bacteria, including those found in a healthy GI tract.

Jon

 

[WickedGecko]

Hi Jon,
Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, he did a fecal the first time I brought them in and he didn't see any parasites, but found a high white cell count, which is why he prescribed the Baytril.
Thanks,
Wendy

 

[SFgeckos]

Huh?? I'm really confused. So he performed a fecal examination just once and never did it again the other times? That doesn't make sense if he knew the life cycle of reptile parasites...

So he did a fecal smear/float and he found a high white cell count?!? Or did he do bloodwork like an in-house profile and find elevated leukocytes? Increased leukocytes doesn't necessary mean a bacterial infection, it could be bacterial, viral or parasitic. For example, if cytology was done and increased eosinophils were found that could be indicative of a chronic parasitic infection.

I don't think it would hurt to find another veterinarian with reptile experience to get a second opinion.

Jon

 

[WickedGecko]

Yes, he did one fecal exam on the first visit, which was a slide under a microscope. He stated that the only thing that didn't look right was a high amount of white cells. He did not do bloodwork. On the other visits he physically looked them over and said they look fine, and didn't have an answer to why they were refusing food. I was highly concerned about the appearance of this last one that won't eat because she is rail thin and her stomach is dark. I told him I've read about parasites causing a black stomach and he pretty much laughed at the idea. He said she looks the way she does she is so thin and light skinned, all of her organs are showing through. So I've started feeding her every night instead of every other night to try and get some weight on her.

I'd like to think the vet knows his stuff. My husband has a large collection of boa constrictors, pythons, and corn snakes and has been using this vet for more than 10 years for various medical problems. However, I'm losing a little confidence in him with this situation. I guess that's why I'm here, to get some educated opinons.
Thanks again!
Wendy

 

[SFgeckos]

Any updates?

The presence of leukocytes in a fecal sample are definitely NOT good. Usually it is a sign of inflammation in the GI tract, which can be caused by many factors but the most common are bacterial enteritis or ulcerative colitis. Make sure everyone in your household washes their hands after handling cage equipment/geckos in case it is a zoonotic bacterial infection such as a severe outbreak of Salmonella.

Even a veterinarian with ten years experience will consult other veterinarians, so I would still recommend seeking another opinion.

Jon

 

[WickedGecko]

Finally an update

I was able to get the gecko seen by another vet yesterday afternoon. I made the appointment last week when I noticed a very tiny worm in her stool. He treated her with Ivomec, Droncit, B12, and BCX. I'm told to continue force feeding her with the chicken baby food and/or the baby bird formula. He also recommended hard boiled egg. She's pretty thin, about 16 grams now, and I'm hoping that number will start to move up this time around.

Thanks again for your advice!