Do geckos forget how to eat?

[MelissaDiane]

My gecko hasn't eaten since December. The vet told me she is fine. He even did an xray & nothing showed up on it. Last night I put two crickets in for her & two worms. She started to slowly wave her tail. I don't know if that was a sign of agression or wanting to breed? I wonder if she even knows that crickets & worms are food? I have been giving her appetite stimulate (Jump Start) but she refuses to lick. She will but only very little. She is a stubborn one. Do you think force feeding (with the vet) would be a good idea? She was up to 65g & now down to 58g.

Thanks

 

[Gregg M]

Geckos do not forget how to eat... Eating is a survival instict that is never lost...
Geckos go off feed for a few reasons... Most of which has to do with husbandry requirements not being met...

How about a rundown of how you are keeping your gecko???

Force feeding should be a very last resort and can usually be avoided...

 

[lizardlove]

Waxworms work wonders for me. Could she be ovulating, maybe?

 

[Gregg M]

I dont know about the rest of the gecko keeping community but my ovulating females eat much more than usual... The only time they go off feed is a couple of days before they lay eggs and then they resume feeding right after...

Also, wax worms are not substitutes for proper husbandry although I have heard that they can stimulate feeding in some cases...

I still think a rundown of your husbandry is in order...

 

[lizardlove]

Right, she wasn't eating so I gave her waxies. I stopped giving her them when her appetite increased again. So it may or may not be ovulation. No idea... Vet?

 

[lisa s]

Please let us know how you are keeping your gecko ( heating and so on ) otherwise it's very hard ( if not impossible ) to help you out.

 

[MelissaDiane]

She is in a 20 gallon tank. She has a moist hide with coca fiber in it. She is kept on paper towels. She has a cool hide (room temp). She has a warm hide (90-93). She even has an upper hide (platform). I've had her since August 2008. She was up to 65 & now she is 58g.

In December I put two other females in with her. The one was her size & the other was ten grams less. I figured the little one would be the problem but actually it was the best thing for her (the smallest one). She really started to thrive.

Daisy (the one not eating) seemed to be annoyed by them & stayed away from the two of them. Within a week of the additions she stopped eating & a week later we moved her to a 10 gallon tank to monitor her more & now last week we just bought another 20 gallon tank (like her original home) & made it just like her original home. She is still not eating. She is active. I've been giving her jump start & some other drops (once a day) that the vet gave me to increase her appetite. She likes those drops but doesn't seem to lick much slurry or the jump start. It's hard to feed her like that. She is stubborn.

I thought she may be egg bound but she isn't - per the vet's x-ray.

Thanks guys,....I just want to get her eating again. Oh yea, her poops seem to be firming up more....which is odd since she isn't eating. a few weeks ago they were like water (I figured from not eating). The vet does not feel it is a parasite. She was totally clean as of October 2008.
Melissa

 

[Sturt]

I would have her checked again for the parasites, since you introduced new animals into the same enclosure since she was last checked and presumably there was no quarantine?

Can she still see the two new females from her new tank?

 

[MelissaDiane]

All of my gecko's are quarantined for 90 days prior to going in with another one. The other two females are doing fine & eating well & their poop is normal. My male is doing well too (he is by himself in my room). We did have Daisy upstairs in a room by herself when we removed her from the two other females & she couldn't see Rose & Violet. We have sinced moved her back into the living room but she is pretty far away from the other two & the angle her cage is in she really can't see them.

It's a mystery to me. But then again my last two that died (one in October & the other in December) were mysteries too. We had a necropsy done on the first one & nothing really showed up except for her kidneys were really white like the lungs & they were small. The second one, we didn't have a necropsy done. I've only had gecko's since Aug 2008 & so far have lost two & now Daisy isn't eating. We had a total of 6 & now we are down to 4. I really don't feel gecko's are an easy lizard to care for. I even did tons of research on the forums & in books (Ron Tremper's) so I had everything in place like I should. I don't know how you guys do it that breed them & have such good success. I know if I tried that, it would be more problems.

Thumbs up to all you guys out there who breed & have gecko's who have lived their life span.:main_thumbsup:

Thank you again for all your suggestions & help. Oh I did notice when she is eating the jump start or slurry she starts to do a "snake like move". Almost like she needs to do this to get it down. Does that mean anything to anyone? Maybe this is normal too.

Thanks again,
Melissa

 

[OSUgecko]

You have moved her a lot over the past few months and put her through a lot of stress (putting new geckos in with her, etc.). I would just leave her ALONE for a while; her anorexia sounds like it is related to stress. She might also have some parasites, since you have not had her checked post-contact with the other geckos. Have your vet do another fecal float on a fresh stool sample to rule that out.

I had a gecko that went without eating for three months for no apparent reason and lost a lot of weight. She eventually got her appetite back and is thriving again. I wouldn't worry too much yet.

 

[MelissaDiane]

Alicia,

Thanks for your advice. I was thinking it was stress too because of putting the two in with her & then moving her & then moving her again. As soon as I can get enough of her poop I will have it checked again.

She does seem healthy to me....she just isn't eating so that is encouraging what you said about one of yours.

Since I lost two already....I am paranoid. Thanks again, Melissa