Gecko help

[damiemur]

Hi, I'm new to the group and am listing this help question for my 14 yr old son. He has a female leopard gecko, who is getting very skinny. She'll eat a few crickets every now and then, hates the calcium...so he puts it on her mouth so she'll lick it off. He put some on the crickets, but she'll avoid them.

He has a very nice environment for her, keeps her warm with a heated rock and light. She has plenty of places to hide (rounded bark from a tree), and places to climb. She is under a year old, about 7 inches long. And still wants to move around

We're getting worried becuase she looks very very skinny. Her tail is so skinny you can see her tail bone. What else can we do to accelerate her growth, to can fat/muscle, or whatever it is she needs. Please look at the photos and see what we're talking about. ANY suggestions will be helpful!

 

[Scooziee11]

oh my that is a very very sick gecko...i would say a vet visit is in order...but im not sure what all can be done. some others here may have more helpful suggestions.

what is you setup like (substrate, temps)

 

[Dan K.]

if you use the "search" and look up slurry recipie you can give that a try. But if it dos'nt work don't wait to long before you bring her to a vet make sure the vet know's something about reptiles before you bring her.

 

[leegooman2323]

you could try feeding her waxworms...or depending on her size, some pinkies maybe?

 

[2bacop]

what type of bedding is she on? def. start the slurry i think there is a sticky on the top of the health and medication section, that will give her the nutrients she needs to keep her alive long enough for a vet to be able to find out what is wrong with her. She is very very skinny and I would say could possibly have some sort of parasite, maybe even crypto. If you cant get her to a vet at the very least try to get a fecal sample for the vet to test, i think that only cost like $20 maybe cheaper. That way the vet can test for parasites so you can see if she needs medicine or not.

 

[Range]

Take her off the heating rock and use an undertank heater, heat rocks can be dangerous. What are the temps in the tank?
As others have said, start her on Marcia's slurry and have a test done for crypto.
What does he live on? Sand? Paper Towels?
Is he pooping? Does he have a source of water in the tank?

 

[damiemur]

Thank you all for replying!

She has a heat rock, but doesn't use it. There's a heat lamp, but most of the times just sleeps in the shade. The bedding is sand, and climbs on basic rocks and wood. The recipe is pretty complex... where would you get most of this stuff? It'll take me a bit to get all of those ingredients for the slurry.

Also, here's a picture of the tank. We've been moving her to the cricket tank to keep her around the food source...she ate 3 last night, and we'll see how many more tonight. I have to go to the pet store tmr, so along the way I'll get the meds from a vet. The vitamins and others I'll look for tonight. My son will take out the heat rock tonight as well. The source of water is a water bowl, that he refills with fresh water every night.

We let her run loose last night, and she was pretty active...

 

[Range]

Letting her live in the cricket habitat isn't a good idea. Crickets are known to eat geckos alive.

 

[JordanAng420]

I'm not sure where to start...but i'll do my best...
~The gecko needs to see a vet as soon as possible. At least an exam, stool sample, and Crypto test should be run (as Crypto is not normally diagnosed in an ordinary stool sample...)
~The heat rock is dangerous, and an under tank heater should be installed, as previously stated...the heat lamp is unnecessary.
~I'm not even GOING NEAR the issue about keeping geckos on sand.
~Good that the insects are being dusted, but have they also been gutloaded for 24-48 hours before feeding time?
~Have you tried a different brand of calcium?
~It might be a good idea to alert your son that the gecko is very sick, and there's a possiblility it might not pull through this illness.
~Daily weights in grams should be recorded and reported to the vet upon arrival of your appointment.

 

[damiemur]

Eesh! Didn't think she was that bad... Ok, no sand..then what? What is gut loading of the crickets? We only put her in there to help her eat faster, so she doesn't have to chase them. Once she gets her fill, we take her out. I'm going to buy the items for the slurry tonight... and probably a pinkie as well. I'm hoping she pulls through for the rest of the week, as the boys and myself are going on a trip, adn my wife won't go near the cage...

If we can get her to eat the slurry, some crickets through sunday, and a pinkie (or 2), do you think she'll be ok till thursday? or will my wife have to feed her (which won't happen!)... OR... shoudl we just put about 12 crickets in the cage with her for the 4 day's we'll be gone?

 

[Kristi23]

I think the gecko should be taken to a vet asap. It might not be a bad idea for it to stay there until you get back. Good luck!

 

[damiemur]

feeding

We got her to eat a pinkie, and the slurry she does like. We'll get her to have another one before the trip, that way she can stay full for a few days...and a few crickets running around just in case I think will be good too.

I'll keep you guys updated...thanks for your help so far!

 

[Lady_Kiya]

First thing is first, get some slurry into the poor thing. Clearly she is ill and I would take her to the vet as soon as possible.
2nd- Get rid of the heat rock and use an under tank heater. Heat rocks could cause problems with burns.
3rd- Remove the sand. Sand causes impaction which is a very serious problem for a lot of reptiles.

I am praying that she makes it. <3

 

[Lady_Kiya]

Seems I was late in posting. I hope that once you return from the trip you will take her to the vet as soon as possible.