Flick, Snatch & Bounce

[ruthie_bee]

My little girls.

Flick (the albino on top) and Snatch (the leopard), both about 7 months old. Any suggestions for encouraging Snatch to put on a little extra weight in that tail wold be greatfully received.

Bounce, the new girl She's about 14 weeks.

 

[Malibu Barbie]

Snatch looks VERY ill - VERY and does not need a "little extra weight" but A LOT !!! - and is that a leisure on the head ??

You need to take a stool sample to et vet to check for worms and such and you should separate them if they live together - it is contagious.

 

[jukahman]

What happened to snatch?I hope she gets better...

 

[EchoPet]

They're all very cute, but Snatch is in desperate need of some care. Are they living together? Looks like Snatch has been bullied. Is she still eating? What is your set up like? First off, if they're living together, separate them. Make sure that your floor temps on the warm side are 95 degrees (this will require a new thermometer, a digital one with a probe). What are you using for heat? An under tank heater is best because geckos need belly heat to digest their food. Make sure she has places to hide - one on the warm side, one on the cool side, and a humid hide. What are you feeding them and supplementing them with? Make sure that any feeder insects are gut-loaded and dusted before feeding them to your geckos.

You might need to look up Marcia's slurry recipe in the Health and Medications forum (it's stickied at the top) and make her some of that to eat. A fecal sample may be in order too.

Good luck.

 

[ruthie_bee]

Snatch has seemed okay until recently; hunting, eating, putting on weight, shedding as normal. She hasn't developed as quickly as Flick, but doesn't seem to be being bullied. Over the last couple of days however, she's stopped actively hunting. The photo does make her look VERY thin - I should mention that she's not actually as bad as it appears there! I think the mark on her head is from shedding; she seemed to have some left over skin stuck to her head, but in the afternoon it had gone and the red mark was there instead.

Tank setup is fine, good temperature gradient, no sand, heating both from underneath (main source) and the side (secondary source). They're having nutribal supplements as recommended by the vet, and there's a small pot of it in the tank too.

I wondered if it could be stress? There's been a lot of commotion in the tank quite recently with Bean being moved backwards and forwards, then Bounce arriving. Both Bean and Bounce were kept in a separate enclosure within the main tank, but I was skill concerned.

Tbh I'm still considering if looking after geckos is right for me. I originally bought Flick, Snatch and Bean; Bean had to be taken back in by the pet shop after it turned out that she had a congenital defect that prevented her normal growth, and now Snatch has stopped eating. I was told that Gecks were a good start up pet for the first time reptile keeper, but so far my experiences have been almost entirely offputting

 

[Stitchex]

More pics of Snatch requested and weight needed.

 

[HugeGenes&LoLa]

Don't get discouraged, it probably isn't your fault Especially if you got them from pet stores. It is fairly common for a store bought leo to come with parasites or other problems. I don't think anyone on here was intending to sound harsh, but I think everyone gets really concerned after seeing a leo so sick. :main_robin:

If Snatch is not eating very much, it is important you start trying a few different things. You could try some warm soaks, fill a tupperware container so that the water is just coming up to her tummy with warm water. Adding a little gatorade in there will certainly help get her electrolytes up. (her tummy will probably be stained the color of the gatorade, it's not harmful). Someone also mentioned Marcia's slurry, this sometimes helps stimulate the appetite and get them some strength again(it's a sticky in the health & medications section). I've heard there is also an appetite stimulant you can buy at the pet store, that's also worth a try if the others don't work.

If snatch is eating regularly, and still not gaining weight, it's time for a fecal. I think they are around $20 at the vet's. You can search on the internet for a reptile vet in your area, or call a local vet and see who they recommend. If a reptile vet isn't in the area, most regular vets should be able to do a fecal float.

It looks as if Flick's tail is pretty thin as well, not nearly as bad, but worth looking into. I'm sure you already do, but make sure they eat till they are full every night. If parasites are involved, and they have been living together, they will probably both have them.

It's always very upsetting when a leo gets sick, and I know it's frustrating now, but that is what this forum is for. To help . Good luck with your little ones and keep us filled in!!

 

[Kitsune]

What is the substrate that is shown in the top picture?
Is that what they are on?

 

[ruthie_bee]

They're on linoleum which is, as you suspected, the substrate shown in the picture. I'll get some more pics up soon.

 

[Krow]

I was told that Gecks were a good start up pet for the first time reptile keeper, but so far my experiences have been almost entirely offputting

Awww I'm sorry to hear that... Please dont get discouraged. This is normal for leos, especially for females, they get moody just like human women. & they are fairly desent pets for a first reptile owner. I have my leo as my first herp/lizard(I've only ever had 1 little corn snake, & only had him for 3 weeks cause my Dad didnt like him so we gave him away). But not eating is normal for leos. If its an adult female, maybe its ovulating, could be that its shedding, maybe its just not hungry, could be lots of things. But hang in there, hopfully things will get better for you