FEMALE LEO STILL NOT EATING!! =(

[RUBYsoho]

Hi, everyone... please, please, please give feedback on this...

Little bit of background info:
Female
3 years old
She weighs 76 grams and has not lost any weight since not eating.
Hot side of tank consistently at 86-90F, Cool side consistently at 75-82F
Never been housed with any other leos, so can't be gravid.
Never had any issues before.

I posted a couple weeks back about my 3 year old female leo not eating - unfortunately, she's still not eating, and I'm getting really concerned. She originally hadn't eaten for 1 week, which was a bit strange, but not totally, so I let it go. Her behavior was still normal, and she was still drinking water and pooping every few days. Then, by some surprise, she ate ONE mealworm, but ignored the rest. Another week went by (so now it's been 2 weeks, 2 days), and she still hasn't eaten. I try just about every day to feed her by putting a mealworm close to her mouth, or gently rubbing it along her jawline. She'll sometimes lick it, but that's the extent of that. My growing concern is due to her recent behavior. During the 2 weeks of not eating, she was behaving completely the same as she usually does. Now, for the past 2 days, I've noticed strange behaviors. She's been attempting to climb up the sides if her enclosure (a 30gal tank) and digging into her sand substrate with her front and back legs. And no, I don't use calci-sand. She's been in very finely ground sand substrate for her entire life and has not had any issues thus far. I've also seen her with 2 legs or her tail in her water bowl.

I would really appreciate some feedback, as if sometimes wrong, I'd like to attempt to help her as soon as possible.

Thanks in advance, everyone!

:main_huh:

 

[indyana]

To me, it really sounds like she wants to lay some infertile eggs. A good idea might be to make her a lay box with damp Eco-Earth/moss.

 

[RUBYsoho]

To me, it really sounds like she wants to lay some infertile eggs. A good idea might be to make her a lay box with damp Eco-Earth/moss.

I thought the same exact thing - but because I've had her for 3+ years and this has never happened, I kind of just assumed it wouldn't. I'm gonna run out and get the Eco-Earth now. Any suggestions on how to set her up? Was just gonna put her in a tupperware full of it with maybe a hole in top for when she wants to get out. Good?

Thanks again - really put my mind at ease. Is this something she can die from? It's already been almost 3 wks without food... I just want her to eat.

Rich

 

[Dinosaur!]

If it does turn out to be infertile eggs, you may need to watch her for a while. If you see her straining to push something out, you should probably take her to the vet, because this could mean that shes egg bound.

I would be helpful if you could post a picture of her stomach from an angle that lets us see whats inside. Then we should be able to tell you if she is gravid or not. but in the meantime, set up the laybox like you said, and dust every meal with calcium just in case.

 

[RUBYsoho]

I would be helpful if you could post a picture of her stomach from an angle that lets us see whats inside. Then we should be able to tell you if she is gravid or not. but in the meantime, set up the laybox like you said, and dust every meal with calcium just in case. [/QUOTE]

I just tried to take pictures, but she's being very squirmish, which is pretty unlike her. She usually doesn't mind being handled, but today she's a little antsy, since I definitely stressed her out rearranging her tank to fit the laybox. This is the best I could do:

 

[indyana]

I can't really see anything in that picture, but given her behavior, I still think the lay box is a good idea. Dampen the EcoEarth slightly, and your box idea sounds fine.

As Autumn pointed out, the thing you have to watch for is egg binding, even with infertile eggs, so keep an eye on her and make sure she has good nutrition and access to calcium.

Three years is reaching peak sexual maturity, so I would not be surprised to see her start this behavior now.

 

[RUBYsoho]

I can't really see anything in that picture, but given her behavior, I still think the lay box is a good idea. Dampen the EcoEarth slightly, and your box idea sounds fine.

As Autumn pointed out, the thing you have to watch for is egg binding, even with infertile eggs, so keep an eye on her and make sure she has good nutrition and access to calcium.

Three years is reaching peak sexual maturity, so I would not be surprised to see her start this behavior now.

Yeah, the pictures weren't really good. She kept squirming, so I didn't want to stress her out. I've had the lay box set up since yesterday evening, but she refuses to go in it. I even put her in it twice, just to let her get the feel of it, but she rushed out of it in a panic. I have a bowl of mealies in her tank, just in case, as well as a bottle cap filled with calcium. She doesn't acknowledge the worms, but she does nip at the calcium once in a while. Is there anything else I can do to give her more comfort? I don't want her to be stressed out and just want to give her what she needs.

Thanks for the help, guys! That's why I love this forum...always gives me some peace of mind.

 

[RUBYsoho]

I can't really see anything in that picture, but given her behavior, I still think the lay box is a good idea. Dampen the EcoEarth slightly, and your box idea sounds fine.

As Autumn pointed out, the thing you have to watch for is egg binding, even with infertile eggs, so keep an eye on her and make sure she has good nutrition and access to calcium.

Three years is reaching peak sexual maturity, so I would not be surprised to see her start this behavior now.

Sorry to bother you again... she still hasn't eaten and hasn't gone in the laybox once. It has been 3 weeks and 2 days. She pooped the other day, but it was a really small one. I'd say, she maybe pooped 3x during these 3 weeks - all were very small. She is still drinking and still licking the calcium. I'm running out of ideas and very afraid she'll become sick if she doesn't eat. Is it okay that she hasn't eaten for this long?? Ahhh - she's making me nuts lol :main_no:

 

[Herbiebug]

Might want to do a vet trip to see what's going on.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I'm not seeing any ovulation or eggs but she does look pretty fat. Obesity in geckos is not healthy as it isn't healthy for any animal. Three weeks wouldn't concern me much at all.Most of my females go off food when they start to ovulate for 2-12 weeks. I don't start to worry unless they lose more than 10% of their body weight. If you think there's something going on or you're really worried a vet visit to make sure she's healthy is a great idea. However, I wouldn't try to force feed or entice an overweight gecko to eat.

 

[RUBYsoho]

I'm not seeing any ovulation or eggs but she does look pretty fat. Obesity in geckos is not healthy as it isn't healthy for any animal. Three weeks wouldn't concern me much at all.Most of my females go off food when they start to ovulate for 2-12 weeks. I don't start to worry unless they lose more than 10% of their body weight. If you think there's something going on or you're really worried a vet visit to make sure she's healthy is a great idea. However, I wouldn't try to force feed or entice an overweight gecko to eat.

I agree that she's pretty fat. She currently weighs 78 grams and has not lost a single gram during these 3 weeks of not eating (I've been weighing her every 2-3 days just to be sure). I am highly considering a vet visit, but I'm a bit skeptical, since like I said, she's pretty much behaving the same way she always has. She doesn't want to go into the laybox, and I would never try to force feed her. Every other day, I put a dish of about 20 mealies in her tank, just to see if she's hungry. She isn't the least bit interested and sometimes even steps right over the dish. I'm thinking I may consider the vet visit if I see that she's losing weight.

PS: She stopped eating crickets last August and still refuses to eat them. Is that okay? She only eats mealies (including the pupae) and wax worms from time to time (maybe once a month, if that). I'm trying to think of anything that may have caused this eating strike. After all this, I'm beginning to just think she's full. Her tail is really fat. Here's a full body photo from about a month ago (still 78 grams):

 

[indyana]

Yeah, if she's that large and not losing a lot of weight, I'd say leave her be. You best know your gecko's behavior, so if she really starts to worry you, you can always arrange a vet visit. The whole thing with refusing crickets is likely linked to the fact that she really isn't that hungry, so she can afford to be picky.

 

[RUBYsoho]

Yeah, if she's that large and not losing a lot of weight, I'd say leave her be. You best know your gecko's behavior, so if she really starts to worry you, you can always arrange a vet visit. The whole thing with refusing crickets is likely linked to the fact that she really isn't that hungry, so she can afford to be picky.

Hey! Just wanted to update you on my situation...

So, she still hasn't eaten. It's now been exactly 30 days since she last ate. Wait, no...she ate a grand total of ONE mealie in between. She kept refusing the laybox, so after a week in her enclosure, I decided to remove it. It was taking up far too much space and obviously stressing her out. I thought of a better idea anyway: I threw some Eco-Earth in her humid hide & moistened it with warm water. She went right in & has been hanging in there for a bit almost everyday. Now, instead of digging in her sandy substrate, she's digging all of the Eco-Earth out of the entrance of the humid hide. I checked inside, but no eggs. And, she's gone from 78grams to 76grams during this 30 day period. It isn't a significant amount of weight loss, & she still looks pretty plump, so I'm not too worried - just worried it will keep decreasing. Any suggestions? I just want my girl to eat!! Lol

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I would also say leave her be and not worry too much. If she were mine I'd be offering 5 mealworms twice a week at most. If she doesn't eat them overnight then take them out and wait 3-4 days before offering them again. Females use a few more calories in my experience but I've been feeding my big male on that schedule for a year and he's only lost 2g and needs to lose like another 10 more...haha.

 

[RUBYsoho]

Thanks so much for replying! Yeah, like I keep saying, she isn't behaving any differently. She's still her spunky self! Except when I introduced the laybox - then she was being a raging lunatic & not wanting me to touch her at all lol since I removed it, she's calm again & spends much more time outside of her hides. I introduce mealworms about twice a week at this point. Same thing you do - if by morning they're still there, I take em out. Once a week, I'll even put one close to her mouth to see if she wants it, but she usually turns away. And at that point, I take it as my cue to leave her alone. I think I'll quit my worrying & just keep an eye on her weight. That's really all I care about. She's still FAT, in my opinion, so it kinda looks like she'll be okay. She even developed those little fat pockets under her armpits about 3wks ago. They since went away, but I took a sign that she needs a break from eating lol

Thank you, thank you - to everyone who has helped me. This forum is AWESOME!

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I leave all of mine a laybox 24/7 365. They really seem to enjoy them and males and females tear them up. In the off chance she is gravid I would leave her one. If she is and doesn't have one she may hold the eggs longer than she should and could hurt herself. Even if she's not she'll enjoy the extra humidity when she wants or needs it

 

[RUBYsoho]

The only reason I took it out is because she wasn't going in it at all, & it was taking up way too much space in her enclosure. Her moist hide is similar: a tupperware with a hole cut in iy - the only difference is, her laybox was a much higher/longer tupperware with a hole cut in the top (so all the Eco-Earth wouldn't come out), while her moist hide is pretty much the same height, but smaller in size, with a hole cut in the SIDE. She seems to feel more comfortable walking right in, as opposed to having to climb in. The only drawback is all the Eco-Earth gets kicked out of the hide. I have to add more everyday. Is this sufficient as a laybox? I'm going to try to take pictures when I get home later. :main_thumbsup:

 

[Neon Aurora]

That sounds fine. Actually, that's pretty much exactly what I have. I choose to put the hole in the side because I live in a desert and without a lid to catch the evaporating water, the substrate dries our far too quickly. My female's laybox is her humid hide, and my males each get one too. I cut the hole from the top to about halfway down the side so that there's still an inch or two of solid side to keep the eco-earth in. They can't walk right in, but they only have to climb about an inch or two. My female spends literally all her time in there.

 

[RUBYsoho]

Yeah, that's pretty much what mine looks like, only the hole cut-out is all the way at the base of the tupperware. She won't climb an inch or two...I've tried it. She even gets annoyed when I place her in it to let her see how it is. I'm thinking maybe I could use your idea, but make the hole a little bit lower. It will definitely prevent all the Eco-Earth from being kicked out, which is really annoying to clean lol :main_yes:

 

[RUBYsoho]

Hi, everyone - just an update on my little girl. She still hasn't eaten (it's now been exactly 1 month & 1 week), however, she did just eat her entire shed last night. Hasn't pooped either, but pees (that yellow goo) about every 2 days. Here are some new photos of her since last night's shed...does anyone notice a significant difference from the last pics?



She is now 76grams, her tail did get a lot more lavender, and her head a lot greener up near the eyes. I'm going on vacation soon, so I really want her to eat before then =(

Grr.