Dehydrated Leo HELP!

[Mickykayla]

I have a few leo's (healthy and fat tails.)
I obtained a leo yesterday who should be about the same age as my others (about a year) When I got her she had a large section of shed stuck to her back and tail, I have soaked this and peeled it off however I believe it has been there for some time. Her tail is very skinny (which some good portions of food will fix) and I believe she is very dehydrated:

When I put water on my other geckos skin, their skin always repels the water. Whereas this geckos skin soaks it right up. Is this a sign of dehydration? Her skin is quite wrinkly too. I have been bathing her but is there anything else I can do to get her hydrated again?

 

[BrightReptiles]

Just keep water available to her at all times. You can also use pedialite if you choose. Continue the soaks and make sure her moist hide stays moist.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

When I put water on my other geckos skin, their skin always repels the water. Whereas this geckos skin soaks it right up. Is this a sign of dehydration? Her skin is quite wrinkly too. I have been bathing her but is there anything else I can do to get her hydrated again?

The gecko is probably trying to shed, and the skin in very thin and adhered to the body. I agree... I'd continue soaking the gecko a couple of times a day, provide plenty of water, and moist hide box. It may need help shedding as well.

 

[artes]

Repti-Safe has some electrolytes and stuff in it that you can add to the water. Also, I hear great things about:
http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=996

Just if you want something besides pure water.

 

[grboxa]

Do you feed crickets?, crickets retain water well which can also help your leo. You can mist the crickets before feeding aswell.

 

[Dimidiata]

Do you feed crickets?, crickets retain water well which can also help your leo. You can mist the crickets before feeding aswell.

Agreed. You can also use some more juicey gutloads for your feeders to up their moisture content.

 

[TylerDurden]

what color are the urates? (the normally white part of the poop)

If they are yellow that usually is a sign of dehydration

Mine has been fighting a minor GI infection and if she has diarrhea she may have slightly yellow urates the next day, but she knows enough to drink and then it all goes back to normal

Be careful with too many soakings/bathings. What can actually happen with desert reptiles like leos, bearded dragons, etc, is that too much soaking in water can actually cause diarrhea, and increase water and nutrient loss.

One way to more passively hydrate is to make sure the crickets/mealworms etc are well hydrated (feed them fruit like apples, or mist them just before)

Also, personally I found my leo just went over to the water bowl herself at night and drank when she was dehydrated. If they're not finding the water bowl you can drip some water into it in front of them, the motion might make them interested (almost every time I fill the water up while it's still in the tank, she'll come walking over to see what's going on)


Keep in mind if the urates are white and the poop is well formed, it's much less likely they are dehydrated since they aren't producing concentrated urates (similar to how human urine is more yellow as they are dehydrated because they will retain water and produce concentrated urine to compensate)