My gecko's first two months I had him he was defecating 1-2 days after eating a meal and his feeding schedule had been perfect.
He then had a setback where he ingested coco-fiber and began eating only small amounts (5 mealworms or less) 1-2 times a week which lasted around a month and having the problem of defecating only once every 10-14 days. This landed him a vet visit being concerned about the coco-fiber, which turns out mysteriously there were no blockages after a thorough examination and X-rays.
The past month and a half he has been eating voraciously when he chooses to eat, which has been 1-2 times a week. Only this time he eats large amounts, around 10-18 mealworms. His last large meal and largest recorded was 18 mealworms, he had not eaten in almost two weeks. This took him 12 days to defecate, and that was only after I soaked him and massaged the "hard" uric acid formations in his GI track, I also gave him 1ml of water through a dropper in case he wasn't drinking for some reason, although I see him use his bowl from time to time.
His last meals were on 3/12 (5) and 3/13 (5) and 3/18 (15). It's 3/22 as of now and it's been almost 11 days since eating, so he has 25 mealworms in his system. He was given a soak last night, and will have another as I finish explaining this.
I'm not concerned about his eating habits, and I know he is hydrated. I'm just trying to give an image of the situation. What I'm wondering is... if these issues of constipation are quite common and if I should just get used to having to soak him 2-3 days after his meals? When he did defecate last on 3/9, one uric acid ball was very hard and no doubt uncomfortable, he had two droppings in him at that time, and the larger uric acid ball had seemingly blocked him up, therefore when he was soaked and massaged and when he did defecate it was obviously very smelly and had been rotting. I may just from now on feed him a maximum of 10 mealworms at a feeding, and only offer food after he passes that and see if that improves his bowel movements in the long run.
All I'm asking is if these constipation issues are common/a problem, even if ALL husbandry is right on target?
If you read all this, seriously, thank you, and if you can provide your experiences with this issue I would sincerely appreciate it.
- Mike
He then had a setback where he ingested coco-fiber and began eating only small amounts (5 mealworms or less) 1-2 times a week which lasted around a month and having the problem of defecating only once every 10-14 days. This landed him a vet visit being concerned about the coco-fiber, which turns out mysteriously there were no blockages after a thorough examination and X-rays.
The past month and a half he has been eating voraciously when he chooses to eat, which has been 1-2 times a week. Only this time he eats large amounts, around 10-18 mealworms. His last large meal and largest recorded was 18 mealworms, he had not eaten in almost two weeks. This took him 12 days to defecate, and that was only after I soaked him and massaged the "hard" uric acid formations in his GI track, I also gave him 1ml of water through a dropper in case he wasn't drinking for some reason, although I see him use his bowl from time to time.
His last meals were on 3/12 (5) and 3/13 (5) and 3/18 (15). It's 3/22 as of now and it's been almost 11 days since eating, so he has 25 mealworms in his system. He was given a soak last night, and will have another as I finish explaining this.
I'm not concerned about his eating habits, and I know he is hydrated. I'm just trying to give an image of the situation. What I'm wondering is... if these issues of constipation are quite common and if I should just get used to having to soak him 2-3 days after his meals? When he did defecate last on 3/9, one uric acid ball was very hard and no doubt uncomfortable, he had two droppings in him at that time, and the larger uric acid ball had seemingly blocked him up, therefore when he was soaked and massaged and when he did defecate it was obviously very smelly and had been rotting. I may just from now on feed him a maximum of 10 mealworms at a feeding, and only offer food after he passes that and see if that improves his bowel movements in the long run.
All I'm asking is if these constipation issues are common/a problem, even if ALL husbandry is right on target?
If you read all this, seriously, thank you, and if you can provide your experiences with this issue I would sincerely appreciate it.
- Mike
Last edited:
