crypto

[critternerd]

I have looked at fatty liver disease, and it looks kinda like that, but why wouldn't the fat be going into the tail as compared to staying in the body?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

LizMarie is correct. When leopard geckos are off food for a long time, their fat reserves in their tail and body become mobilized in the bloodstream. The liver cannot process all those fatty lipids and becomes 'clogged up'. This is known as hepatic lipidosis or 'fatty liver disease'. The large, dark area inside your gecko's abdomen does not mean your gecko has crypto, it just means it has an enlarged liver... which is not uncommon from geckos suffering from starvation.

Unfortunately, there are MANY reasons a gecko will stop eating. Literally every disease or infection that affects leopard geckos causes them to become anorexic. It could be a bacterial infection, a parasitic infection, and even intestinal impaction. Without veterinary diagnosis and intervention, there is no way to tell what the underlying problem is and the proper treatment protocol.

Sometimes regular dog & cat vets can perform a routine fecal tests for many of the most common parasitic infections. Bacterial infections are more complicated to diagnose since the stool sample needs to be sent out to a lab for a culture. Crypto is very difficult to diagnose without an ELISA test, and so far it is always fatal in leopard gecko even though there are some excellent treatments being explored at this time.

Good luck with your gecko... the photo shows that it is indeed very thin and sick.

 

[critternerd]

its not starvation, i dont think. He devours tons of mealies, but not crickets. So its not as though he wont eat anything.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

If he is eating and still that thin, it's most likely some kind of parasitic infection that is robbing him of the nutrition he needs... so actually he IS starving, and his tail shows it.

 

[critternerd]

and leos DONT need UVB right?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

No. They need belly heat of around 90 degrees.

 

[critternerd]

So, is it possible that there may not be enough belly heat? I have a large desert heat pad, but if its not worign right and not pumping out enough heat, coudl that have something to do with parasites?

 

[critternerd]

heat in teh tank without the red bulb appears to be 88.3F

 

[lillith]

Maybe you can call the dog & cat vets and see if they can run stool tests for you.
Heat alone will not solve his digestion, especially if it is a parasite.

At this point, you need to find out what the causative factor is and treat that, not just your gecko's symptoms.

Also, it would be VERY helpful if we got pictures of his belly: put him in a clear gladware tub or glass baking dish and hold him up and snap the picture. This will work better without lights shining from above, maybe put a lamp on the floor for illumination from below.

 

[critternerd]

I hope this works... I got a pic of the enclosure, Cerberus on my leg, and a pic of his belly. Its not a great picture, but you can still see the blueish area on his belly.

Bad news, I can only import one pic... Its not my leos belly... I dont know why my pic is so large..

 

[critternerd]

nope, not happening. Ill try something else here though...

 

[critternerd]

I am going to have to describe it as best as possible... So. Cerberus's belly has a very large blue spot in the middle of his belly. The spot seems to stretch about a half inch down, and is visible from the side . There is a blue spot on his neck as well, just on the side. A blue line runs from the extremely large spot all the way down to his vent. There is a cluster of smaller blue spots about a 1/4 inch below the extremely large spot. Sorry I couldnt get a pic in.

 

[lillith]

He's very very skinny and his abdomen is swollen...it is more than likely he has some sort of parasite eating him slowly alive. You REALLY need to convince one of those 4 "dog & cat" vets that you really need them to analyze a fecal sample for you.

Otherwise, you're just watching your gecko starve. And it may be that he's got crypto and there isn't much you can do if you can't get medications for it.

You keep posting and people keep telling you the same thing. Get a fecal exam done, somewhere. We can't help any further than this, most of us are not vets, and even those that are, cannot legally give advice over the internet.

 

[critternerd]

well, I got some good news! Cerberus is starting to get a bit of weight back on. I really raised up his temps with an incandescent bulb, and I also have my heat lamp and UTH running as well. He is eating some crickets, ( I have given him 3 so far) but he only eats them if I put them right in front of him.

 

[Deko Gecko]

Crypto OR Pencil Tail !!!! I hate it.....
this is getting very common on gecko breeders lately.... I can realy talk alot about crypto but there is good info already posted by Golden Gate Geckos

this parasite atack their digestive sistem
it can be treated but not cured
it can infect the rest of the colony

* I am not a vet!!!! all comments i make it just my point of view

 

[Adinar]

Pencil tail? Haven't heard of that one. I did a quick google and didn't come up with anything. What is it exactally?

 

[ILoveGeckos14]

Pencil tail is another way to describe crypto. With crypto its life cycle takes place in the intestinal lining. Therefore when they shed their oocysts they are damaging the lining of the intestines. No intestinal lining = No absorption of nutrients/water etc... this is why the gecko can keep eating but not gain weight, or poops out undigested looking food. The body starts utilizing fat stores to try and gain some nutrients and as a result the tail begins to lose weight and look like a pencil or stick.

 

[Deko Gecko]

Its just another term for crypto....

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

ALL sick and starving geckos get 'pencil tail'. It doesn't mean they have crypto.

 

[Deko Gecko]

Thats right !!! is just that the pencil tail is a common caracteristic of crypto and alot of people know this condition as pencil tail, but this doesent mean that all geckos with pencil tail have crypto!!!! but every gecko with this main caracteristic should be checked and place in a diferent room (not with the rest of the colony) until they are shure its not crypto....