Assistance Requested: Underweight Gecko; What to feed?

[Ishtoya]

Hi! I just adopted a ten year old leo from a friend of mine, and I believe she is rather thin. She's roughly 8 inches long (however has never been handled so getting an accurate measurement is difficult).

I have had a crestie for a about a year, but never a Leo and have received very conflicting information from just reading online. I have read that you can give them wax worms to fatten them up, and I have been. She seems to be eating when I put them in front of her (not having found her bowl yet), but I simply don't know how much to feet her.

Previously she's been on crickets (I was told 3 dozen a month), but is blind in one eye (I assume to a previously bad shed, her last home wasn't the best, as I believe I have maintained) and has a hard time catching even the worms. I've seen her hit the glass rather hard trying to catch the crix, so I'm hesitant to put her back on them if I can help it. She IS eating the worms, but I simply just don't know how many to feed her.

Any assistance will be appreciated! Thanks!

And here's a picture so you can see her and tell me maybe more about her weight.
Link!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Oh dear. Her tail is very thin, but her abdomen looks almost average. I hope you're not still keeping her on the calcium sand, right? Do her fecals look normal?

Waxworms should probably be avoided. Even if she does need weight, giving her such a high-fat diet isn't the ideal way to go about it. (Think feeding an underweight person cookies and candy.) The best way to get her to gain weight is to just feed her proper food, give her a proper enclosure, and give her proper supplementation. She will put on weight if there are no underlying issues (which I'd be concerned about in this case). You can make crickets easier for her to catch by either holding them with tongs in front of her or cutting off their back legs so they can't move so quickly. There wouldn't be any harm in adding a few less fatty worms like silkworms or hornworms.

Regarding the blindness, does she still have shed stuck in her eye?

~Maggot

 

[Ishtoya]

Her droppings were a little loose when I first got her, but they've firmed up since. I read that it was likely due to stress. She's on slate tile now, but lived on sand of some sort her whole life otherwise. I have felt her abdomen a bit (though she really doesn't like it) and it's soft, so I really don't think she's impacted back there.

And she's apparently been blind since she was quite young (I've only known her for about 3 months now, so I can't say exactly). It seems clear now.

I have some mealies as well, which I'll start feeding her primarily. I've been dusting all her food with Repashy leo powder and she has a bowl of calcium available in her enclosure as well. I'm not sure I'll be able to get much else in the way of food (I live in Alaska, though don't worry about temperature. She has a heating pad under one side of her tank and it keeps the one side about 95 while the other is about 70)

We do have a reptile specialist in town, should I consider taking her in now, or give her a couple more weeks to fatten her up? She's only been in my care for about four days now, so she hasn't been on the new diet long.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I guess if she's eating and defecating, a vet trip would only serve to stress her out more. Usually a thin tail is a bad sign though. Could you maybe just send a fecal sample out to test for parasites?

~Maggot

 

[Ishtoya]

I should be able to. I'll call the vet and see how to go about doing so. Thanks!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Hopefully someone else will be able to give you some better suggestions regarding the vet thing. I hope you'll be able to get her healthy. Glad you're giving her a better home.

~Maggot

 

[katie_]

I second what Embrace said regarding waxworms.
If you are going to offer them, as I sometimes do, its only one or two a month.
She should fatten up just nicely on other feeders.
She is thin, but not thin enough to panic.
Id get a scale and weigh her. As long as shes gaining, I dont think you need to bring her to a vet.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I second what Embrace said regarding waxworms.
If you are going to offer them, as I sometimes do, its only one or two a month.
She should fatten up just nicely on other feeders.
She is thin, but not thin enough to panic.
Id get a scale and weigh her. As long as shes gaining, I dont think you need to bring her to a vet.

Does it not strike you as strange that her tail is so thin while her midsection isn't really all that thin? Or do you think that's not really anything to be concerned about? I mean, I've seen thing leos, but it's always been the entire body pretty evenly.

~Maggot

 

[katie_]

No I dont think its strange.
I dont think its unhealthy, just underfed.
I feel their tails are for extra fat storage.
When they have pencil tails, AND you can see spine/ribs, then I get concerned.

 

[Kylerbassman]

I think that the Leo has been given to the right person at the right time. I think any longer and you would start seeing overall weight loss and deficiencies/problems . Try some superworms, dubias, as they have higher levels of protein. I would try and feed every other day. Dust with repashy calcium plus every other feeding. I really think if you get the Leo on the right food and supplementation you will start to see improvement. If you notice things going south, then it's time for a vet. Good luck.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Dust with repashy calcium plus every other feeding.

I'm curious about this? Not saying you're wrong, just curious about your reasoning. I know the Repashy Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus that the OP has is designed to be used every feeding. Is there a specific reason to suggest less?

~Maggot

 

[Kylerbassman]

I have been doing a lot of research on this and talking with very experienced breeders/keepers. I am on another forum which I truly trust. After speaking in depth with an extremely knowledgeable member I have tried to be more careful with the amount of supplementation. When using repashy calcium plus for babies and Juvis you can dust every feeder, however if you are properly gut loading your feeders and using a good supplement like the repashy then being a hair bit minimalistic can actually be good especially for adults. Diets high in protein and high in calcium in excess can actually have bad effect. Problems like, hypervitaminosis, gout, pseudo gout, liver and kidney issues, even shedding and more. I have scaled back to every other feeding for now. If I notice any ill effects I will definitely keep you guys posted. I totally want to give my Leo's the best but people are always going to have there opinions and methods. I'm not here to say that anyone is right or wrong, but purely to give my take and give advice that I have been given.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I'm curious if you know of any documented cases of issues arising from using the Repashy as instructed? I had heard one or two people with similar concerns, but after doing quite a bit of searching, I wasn't able to find any instances of any problems actually arising. Of course, if you only feed the adults every other day, even if you use the dust every feeding, that's still only 1/2 of what a baby or juvenile would be getting.

~Maggot

 

[Kylerbassman]

I feed lots of supers, occasional dubias, and crickets. I gut load feeders well, in my opinion that's much better then what they would even have out in the wild, but now you add a supplement into that mix. I feel the diet is doing most of the dirty work but the supplement is a good way to ensure your getting everything. Which is why you should dust at least every other with adults as long as your doing an every other day type feeding schedule. Like I said, many will have opinions on feeding and supplement schedule. I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong, just putting in my thoughts. If you wanna dust every feeder, that's up to you.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

No, I was more just wondering if there was any actual evidence of it being detrimental when used every feeding. Was just curious.

~Maggot

 

[Ishtoya]

Thanks for all the help!

I don't think there's any dubia breeders up here, but I'll look into them. I do know where I can get my hands on some superworms, though. I was hesitant to get them to begin with, as I was worried they'd be too big for her. But I'll definitely get some next time I go to the store.

 

[Kylerbassman]

I would agree that there aren't many true studies/cases to go by. I have talked to a lot that though that say you should be careful. I was dusting every feeder for a while. I'm not saying its going to kill anyone's gecko but I like taking the minimalist approach. I can give you the name of the forum. I can pm u if u want

 

[Kylerbassman]

As far as supers in your case, try and tong feed. Also pinch the head of the supers before feeding so its less likely to bite your Leo. Supers are a very good feeder. I like them way more then mealies and they are high in protein. I feed 3-4 supers every 2 days or so and my Leo's have great weight to them

 

[Phoenix1115]

I give mine a pinky every two months or so for a treat. And slightly more often for my breeders to add a little weight. They go crazy over them!

 

[pandyana]

Also pinch the head of the supers before feeding so its less likely to bite your Leo.

Is this really necessary? I've been told that is not a necessary thing to do and that it is a "myth" Can't remember where I read that but it was in multiple places.