gecko suddenly stopped eating

[benga]

My gecko was on his regular diet of a superworm every other day(i offered everyday though) since i got him. Hes abput 2-3 months old and i went out of town for about 3 days. I left some food for him in a bowl and plenty of water, but he didnt eat any food he does drink though thankfully. Now its been a little over a week since he's eaten anything snd im worring more and more each passing day. Hes in a 10g tank then air temp is 85-90 and the floor temp is 85-90. Is that too hot? Also today i think he pooped im not sure though its orangish possibly vomit? Any tips?

IMAGES OF MOST RECENT STOOL:
Viewer discretion is advised haha
http://i.imgur.com/07xIn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LpHop.jpg

 

[mango+cola]

No that temp is not too hot, its supposed to be between 90-94.

Sometimes a change in environment can stress them out which puts them off eating, something as simple as you not offering food everyday is a change for him and could have caused stress.

Is it a possibility he could have just shed? That can also prevent them from eating for a little bit.

A week is not that long, but if you are worried I never say no to a vet visit.

 

[EnchantmentGecko]

You might also try offering a different kind of food, sometimes that will spur them into eating. My male absolutely refuses to chase and eat crickets even if I hold the things in front of his nose. He will only eat mealworms. He quit eating when I'd only had him for a few months and I couldn't figure out why. It drove me nuts until I bought mealworms a few days later because the store was out of crickets. He ate like it was the last meal he would ever eat. Now that's all he will eat.

 

[benga]

You might also try offering a different kind of food, sometimes that will spur them into eating. My male absolutely refuses to chase and eat crickets even if I hold the things in front of his nose. He will only eat mealworms. He quit eating when I'd only had him for a few months and I couldn't figure out why. It drove me nuts until I bought mealworms a few days later because the store was out of crickets. He ate like it was the last meal he would ever eat. Now that's all he will eat.

No that temp is not too hot, its supposed to be between 90-94.

Sometimes a change in environment can stress them out which puts them off eating, something as simple as you not offering food everyday is a change for him and could have caused stress.

Is it a possibility he could have just shed? That can also prevent them from eating for a little bit.

A week is not that long, but if you are worried I never say no to a vet visit.

Do you guys/girls think that some waxworms would help out his appetite? i heard they like the a lot. I haven't touched anything in his tank so he shouldn't be stressed out. By the way i went to petco today and almost crapped my pants i saw a bone skinny gecko that looked just like my i was heart brocken they use repti sand as a substrate there so i'm assuming there gecko had impaction. I was considering buying him since he was 50% off but i don't think there would be much of anything i could do for him.

 

[katie_]

I would avoid waxworms at this point. They can become 'addicted' and they can also cause fatty liver disease if your gecko has been fasting.

 

[EnchantmentGecko]

I agree with Katie. It'd be like offering a candy bar to a kid that refuses to eat his dinner. Eventually he will refuse his dinner every time if he thinks he'll get a candy bar. It's also just as unhealthy. A few a week after he starts eating would be fine. I used them to help fatten up my geckos after I first got them because they were a little thin but even then most of their diet was crickets.

 

[benga]

Thanks you guys! I'm working my hardest with patience to get him to eat. Is it okay to leave a cricket or two in his tank? they wont harm him will they?

EDIT: so after doing some research i read up that no matter the cricket size they will chew on the gecko..

 

[katie_]

If you leave crickets in the cage, supply them with their own food.

 

[LeopardShade]

air temp is 85-90

I just think I should add that the air temperature should not be this hot, nor should the air temperature be measured in the first place. With leopard geckos, it's the floor temperature that matters, since they absorb the majority of heat through their bellies. What heating source(s) are you using? Ideally, you should just have a UTH set up to around 90-94 F at all times.

Also, what substrate are you using?

Geckos can resist food for a myriad of reasons; sub-optimal temperatures, recent shedding, changes in environment, excess stress, impaction, endo/ectoparasites, other health problems, ovulation, etc.. They key is to try to determine the cause of it and adjust accordingly. As long as your gecko appears active, stools are normal and no symptoms indicative of an illness are being displayed, I wouldn't worry. Keep the stressors to an absolute minimum, keep his enclosure clean, offer food daily. You did mention that your gecko had an abnormal bowel movement. Could you further describe it?

If worse comes to worse and the gecko fails to eat in another week or so, even if appearing healthy, then it would be time to make an appointment with a vet to see what's up. Best of luck.

 

[benga]

I just think I should add that the air temperature should not be this hot, nor should the air temperature be measured in the first place. With leopard geckos, it's the floor temperature that matters, since they absorb the majority of heat through their bellies. What heating source(s) are you using? Ideally, you should just have a UTH set up to around 90-94 F at all times.

Also, what substrate are you using?

Geckos can resist food for a myriad of reasons; sub-optimal temperatures, recent shedding, changes in environment, excess stress, impaction, endo/ectoparasites, other health problems, ovulation, etc.. They key is to try to determine the cause of it and adjust accordingly. As long as your gecko appears active, stools are normal and no symptoms indicative of an illness are being displayed, I wouldn't worry. Keep the stressors to an absolute minimum, keep his enclosure clean, offer food daily. You did mention that your gecko had an abnormal bowel movement. Could you further describe it?

If worse comes to worse and the gecko fails to eat in another week or so, even if appearing healthy, then it would be time to make an appointment with a vet to see what's up. Best of luck.

The floor temp is between 94-96, i use paper towel as a flooring never used anything else. He hasn't been passing any stools recently, his last one that i saw was that watery one that has some orange pigment to it, let me try and describe it better, So the stool itself is there it was a little bigger than a grain of your average rice and it was a normal colored stool but under it was this watery orange pigment it was too water like splattered everywhere it was really focused on the stool. I hope that's a good description. I haven't changed anything in his tank i used to have this one wood branch in his tank that i took out after he stopped eating but i don't think that would have caused anything?
Heres an image of his most recent stool
http://i.imgur.com/07xIn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LpHop.jpg

 

[geckoguru929]

One of the problems is the cage is too small. There should be at least a 10 degree difference between the cool and hot side, 70's on the cool end. Google excessive urates.

 

[katie_]

A ten gallon isnt too small.
Plus the warm side should be in the low 90's..

 

[LeopardShade]

That stool does look rather watery and abnormal. Healthy stools should be solid, well-formed. I'd recommend a fecal exam to test for intestinal parasites. You could bring that particular stool in, if not a more recent one if the gecko defecates again.

 

[benga]

That stool does look rather watery and abnormal. Healthy stools should be solid, well-formed. I'd recommend a fecal exam to test for intestinal parasites. You could bring that particular stool in, if not a more recent one if the gecko defecates again.

Is it possible that superworms and mealworms cause impaction?

 

[SORROW89]

Is it possible that superworms and mealworms cause impaction?

I think so. I saw in another forum a thread about someone's gecko who was eating superworms and had blood in the stool.

 

[katie_]

I feed super worms to all my geckos as a main staple.
As do many many others.

Geckos do not produce stool while impacted. Your problem may be parasites.

 

[LeopardShade]

Just thinking out loud here, but what size superworms are you feeding? And how long/large is your gecko?

While yes, superworms are a great staple, the larger-sized ones could prove too big for your 2-3 month old gecko. Sure the fact that he's obviously swallowing them without any choking or difficulty is good, but they could be difficult to digest for a younger and smaller-sized gecko. Smaller ones will most likely be more easily digested.

Like I said, just a thought. I welcome any who refute my statement with experience with feeding young or small geckos larger prey items. I still think you should do a fecal exam with the vet to test for intestinal parasites.

 

[benga]

Just thinking out loud here, but what size superworms are you feeding? And how long/large is your gecko?

While yes, superworms are a great staple, the larger-sized ones could prove too big for your 2-3 month old gecko. Sure the fact that he's obviously swallowing them without any choking or difficulty is good, but they could be difficult to digest for a younger and smaller-sized gecko. Smaller ones will most likely be more easily digested.

Like I said, just a thought. I welcome any who refute my statement with experience with feeding young or small geckos larger prey items. I still think you should do a fecal exam with the vet to test for intestinal parasites.

Yea when i said 2-3 months i thought about it and i was pretty off he's actually 6-7 months old and i put him on superworms at his 3rd month and before that was mealworms, today i noticed something, he keeps his left eye closed as much as he can as in he only opens it when he needs to. His eyes are too dark for me to see anything(cuts, scrapes) so ill be taking him to the vet some time this week thanks all you guys/girls.!

 

[SORROW89]

Superworms have too much fat to be a stable. They are very low in calcium too.

 

[Cesar_Da_KIng]

Superworms have too much fat to be a stable. They are very low in calcium too.

Do you know anything about leopard geckos?!? You cant just give false info you know nothing about. Supers are a great staple, ive been feeding them to my reptiles for a long time along with many others and have had great success, and most insects that people use as feeders are low in calcium, thats why you dust them! Do you dust yours cause it doesent sound like it? Please dont give more health advice until you have more experience