Going downhill quickly

[mrdonovan37]

I got a pair of female leos from someone who couldnt afford them anymore about 6 months ago. They were fairly thin when I got them, but seemed to improve a lot once I got them into conditions that my other two are in. Well, recently they have both stopped eating it seems. I had been keeping them together, since they were that way before with the first owner and seemed to be doing okay with each other, but now I'm not so sure. One is still fat quite a fat girl, but the other is getting very skinny. I separated them today, giving the skinny girl her own cage, but she is so thin it worries me. I put some mealworms in with her and she ignored them completely. (She has never been quick enough to catch crickets, but would feast on mealworms until about 2 weeks ago. Both of them are 8 years old, according to the guy I got them from, so I don't know if she is just showing her age or what, but I'm really afraid shes just going to starve to death. She still moves around the tank a fair amount, so she doesn't act in pain or sick, she just doesn't seem to care about food at all. (She is on paper towels, no impaction, and I'm gonna bump the temps up a touch more, try and get it mid-90s on the hot side, a bit warmer than my other leos who seem perectly healthy and happy.) I plan on taking her to a vet if I can find one nearby who sees reptiles on friday when I get paid.

I guess my question is do you guys know of any ways to encourage a girl like her to eat more? What should I do for her before I can see a vet? Like I said, shes active like shes trying to be in good shape (I put her in the new cage and she immediately started exploring and went to her water dish for a long drink,) which is why I haven't taken her to a vet yet, thinking maybe she was just being picky or something, but shes gotten skinny to the point where it can't really wait anymore.

 

[acpart]

you can hold her and gently press a mealworm against her mouth. She will probably open her mouth and then may eat it. You can search the site for the slurry recipe that is a temporary pureed solution for a gecko that's not eating, but I think it may come down to a vet visit if she doesn't turn around soon. Make sure her temperatures are good.

Aliza

 

[Misstasha]

also if that doesn't work, you go to the vet you can get a/d cat food (wet) and syringe feed her. thats what im doing with my girls right now who i rescued and are dangerously thin. they love it - the one opens his mouth right up- some ppl say put a drop on the nose, i found it works better putting it on the side of the mouth first put one drop some may lick it and like it then be more willing, some will jus ignore it. keep trying. soon they will eat. my one girl was being syringe fed and now shes eating mealies all on her own <3 <3

 

[HugeGenes&LoLa]

You can also get just plain baby food. That's what we did with one of our hatchlings that had a deformed leg and wouldn't eat at all from the beginning. It took us a month or two, but after syringe feeding baby food, and then cutting open a mealworms and rubbing it on his face, he eventually started eating on his own! It really takes a lot of time and patience. Good luck!

 

[mrdonovan37]

you can hold her and gently press a mealworm against her mouth. She will probably open her mouth and then may eat it. You can search the site for the slurry recipe that is a temporary pureed solution for a gecko that's not eating, but I think it may come down to a vet visit if she doesn't turn around soon. Make sure her temperatures are good.

Aliza

I'm working on getting the ingredients together to make the slurry, and hoping it will help her. I have her cage setup like the others as far as temps go, but have added a heat light over one section, just in case it is the temps and her age just makes it affect her more than the younger geckos. (The two that I have that are thriving are an adult that is maybe a year or two old, and a smallish juvenile, both in the same temp setup she had and eating wonderfully... They fly through the crickets, 4 or 5 at a time for the feeding takes them maybe 5 minutes at the most to capture and devour.)

I was wondering if I should also try to encourage her to eat a pheonix worm or wax worm treat now and then, something higher in fat to help her bulk up, but not often enough that she becomes hooked on them. In the experience you guys have had, do geckos refusing to eat well sometimes start up again if offered that type of food?

 

[Stomlin35]

My oldest decided she didn't want to eat mealworms for a bit... so I offered her a wax worm. She licked it, thinking it was just another mealworm, went to walk away, did a double take, and chomped the waxworm down. If they're willing to eat it, I'd try that for now.