Elderly leo eating less/losing weight?

[tigerpistolshrimps]

Hi everyone,

I have an older male leopard gecko. I'm not sure of his exact age, but he was already an adult when I got him and I've had him for about 10 and a half years, so I would guesstimate that he is around 12 years old (could honestly be anywhere from 11 to 14+). Over the past few months he has been less active and has been hiding away more, which I figured was just because of his age. In the last few weeks he's been eating less (he's mostly on a diet of crickets and mealworms with the occasional waxworm treat) - I've noticed more dead, uneaten crickets and mature mealworm beetles. What really concerns me is that I noticed tonight that he's lost quite a bit of weight. His tail is very thin, and his body is appearing a bit skinnier than normal.

Is there anything I can do for this? Maybe provide him with less active prey (butterworms, maybe)? Is it worth a vet visit, or is he just naturally coming to the end of his life?

For what it's worth: 50 gallon terrarium, 33 Celsius on the hot side and 25 on the cool side. Climbing space with branches and cork bark/cave-style hiding places.

 

[acpart]

Geckos can live up to or past 20 years (my oldest leo is 15) but just like people don't always live as long as the average, it's the same for geckos. It's possible that he's just reaching the end of his life which is a normal life for him. I guess there is a possibility that he has had some sort of medical problem possibly for a long time and it's just becoming apparent. I think it's a judgement call. If you have the opportunity, it may make sense to take him in to the vet and try to get a stool sample. You can also see if he'll eat more if you hand feed him (hold him and gently poke a feeder at his mouth).

Aliza

 

[Heloguy]

Take him to the vet. If there’s nothing that can be done for him, you will at least have the peace of mind knowing that it wasn’t your fault as opposed to second guessing that there might have been something more that you could’ve done.