Does this sound like crypto?

[ValH]

I have an ill young leopard gecko and want to run the symptoms by you guys to see if this sounds like crypto to you. (To note, I have been taking this gecko to a vet, but we are still trying to figure out what the problem is.) My hope is that some of you may have some knowledge about this from firsthand experience and I want to know if the symptoms seem similar to what you experienced. (I know that crypto is basically a death sentence and would rather try to prepare myself the that possibility now)

The gecko is between 3-4 months old and is very thin, she weighs just about 5g and is about 4in long. She does not eat much no matter what food is offered, although I have started to feed her wax worms which she throws up a few hours after eating (at least the two times I have fed them this far). The wax worms are the only thing recently she has shown any interest in eating.

If you look at her stomach her intestines are mostly clear and watery. When she poops the stool is often mostly clear liquid, sometimes with some white urate and sometimes with some diarrhea. I have seen her drag herself on her belly a couple of times while pooping, I assume she does this assist her in going.

She does not always avoid laying on her stomach, but will often rest standing, leaning her head against her water dish or just rest standing.

Her skin is very dry looking. I have not seem her shed, honestly it almost seems like she has not shed because there are no signs of skin in the cage at all and I have not seen her color fade as it normally would appear to before shedding.

Some background:
I have had this gecko for about 2.5 months. At first she was eating normally and had a decent sized tail for a young gecko. About couple of weeks later she stopped eating the meal worms, however I was moving her over to crickets so I did not really see this as a problem. About 3 weeks ago she began to really lose weight, despite the crickets she was eating. Since them she has seemed less interested in the crickets as well.


About your leo:
- Sex: Unknown
- Age & Weight: 3-4 months (guess) 5g
- How long have you owned your leo: 2.5 months
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): Petco

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: Only to take her to the vet

B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): They tend to be just liquid, if there is solid waste it is quite watery.
- When was the last time he/she went: She goes every day.

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 10 gallon
- Type (ex. glass tank): Glass
- Type of substrate: Reptile Carpet
- Hides, how many, what kind: Cool, warm, and moist.
B) Heating
- Heat source: UTH and heat lamp (though not used now)
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): Warm 90-95, cool 80-85
- Method of regulating heat source: UTH and lamp if needed
- What are you using to measure your temps: Electric thermometer
- Do you have any lights (describe): Heat lamp for use when needed to get hot side high enough

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): Right now she is just eating wax worms, though I am trying to get her to eat meal worms or crickets
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): I place the worms on the substrate and keep them near her until she sees them, she then she eats them
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): I am dusting with a vitamin powder and calcium with D3, there is also pure calcium in her cage.
- What are you gut loading food with: I have been using oatmeal and carrots, but am still figuring out what to use for the wax worms.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Has your vet run a fecal test for parasites? Crickets can carry parasites. They hide and eat poop. Reptile carpet is a garden for bacteria growth. If she was eating fine on mealworms, she should be put back on them.

Can you post a photo of your thermometer placement?

 

[ValH]

He ran a test for parasites, but it came back clear. He also treated the gecko with baycox, which is apparently used to help with a potential crypto infection, but this was just something to try not that he thought the gecko necessarily had crypto. There has not been a noticeable change since taking it.

With the carpet I have two, I switch them out once a week, washing them and letting them dry out in the sun between uses. I also place down paper towel where she poops to help me keep it clean, and so that it is easier for me to track how much she is going and what it looks like.

But I could switch to paper towels if that is recommended. One of my concerns is that even with that change she would still be exposed to her feces because she tends to clean herself after going.

She still has meal worms in the tank and has since I first got her, she just won't eat them any more. Even when I drop them in front her she sees them, and checks them out, but will not eat them.

I can take a picture tomorrow, but the probe is near the wall on top of the carpet where the UTH is. There is also a thermometer up near the top of the tank, but it is a dial one and I don't really look at it much. To measure the cool side of the tank I just temporarily move over the probe and leave it there for a half-hour to make sure it adjusts completely. She does spend most of the day on the cooler side of the tank.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Val, where did this gecko come from? Also, crypto does NOT show up on routine fecal exams... but neither does a bacterial infection, which is treatable if caught in time.

 

[ValH]

The gecko came from Petco.

And yes, my vet did tell me that crypto would not turn up in a normal fecal exam. He said that the ones that would diagnose crypto were quite expensive and given that she is my only leopard gecko I am not worried about any others having crypto. I also have a crested gecko, but do not share any materials between, interact with the cages after each other, and wash my hands thoroughly before interacting with her.

I will have to look into bacterial infections. I am not really sure what the signs are of that.

Edit: Thinking about possibly infections, she does occasionally rub the left side of her face, including her eye, against her water dish. Now, she normally opens it when moving around the tank and it looks clear, but that could be possibly bothering her and I had not really thought about it.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Val, the frustrating thing is that almost ALL medical issues with reptiles have so many similar symptoms... loss of appetite, weight loss, abnormal stools, etc. If nothing showed up on a fecal test, it doesn't rule out a parasitic infection. It just lets you know you are perhaps looking in the wrong direction.

If you got the gecko from Petco, unfortunately the chances of it being infected with crypto are high. BUT, a bacterial infection is also likely due to improper husbandry and exposure to pathogens. A stool sample would need to be grown in a lab to diagnose this, and the appropriate antibiotic prescribed. Most bacterial infections respond well to Baytril, even though the gecko might feel worse before it feels better.

Your vet is the best resource at this point.

 

[ValH]

I will talk to him about the possibility of a bacterial infection and what he thinks about it the next time I check in, and also see about going forward with other treatments for crypto with the thought that at least if she responds to that I probably have an answer. Life would be so much easier if my gecko would just start talking to me and tell me what was not feeling right.