He barely eats?

[LeoparddGeckoss]

My gecko hasn't been eating very often! I'm starting to worry.

About your leo:
- Sex: Male
- Age & Weight: 2 years old, weighs 84 grams. Weighed 88 grams when I got him.
- How long have you owned your leo: For 2 months.
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): Reptile Expo.

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: Every so often. He doesn't like being handled so I leave him alone most of the time.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now: He's not eating very much and is losing weight.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe: No.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): They look normal.
- When was the last time he/she went: I'm not sure, but he's pooped recently because there are some feces in his cage.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: He's not eating very much (maybe five mealworms every two weeks?) and is losing weight.

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 29 gallon.
- Type (ex. glass tank): Glass.
- Type of substrate: Paper towels.
- Hides, how many, what kind: Three; one moist hide (I only mist it when he is shedding) and two reg. hides.
B) Heating
- Heat source: U.T.H.
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): Currently 94 degrees on the warm side and 74 degrees on the cool side.
- Method of regulating heat source: Thermostat.
- What are you using to measure your temps: Temp. Gun.
- Do you have any lights (describe): No.
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): None.
- Describe health, or previous problems: N/A.

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): I usually leave a dish of about eight mealworms and once he eats them, I will add more. Today I put about 50 mealworms in the dish in the hope he will be more attracted to them.
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): I leave them in the dish. Sometimes I will feed him with tweezers.
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): Rep-Cal Calcium with D3, Rep-Cal Calcium without D3, and Rep-Cal Herptivite Multivitamins. I dust with D3 and a multivitamin once a week. I have a dish of calcium without D3 always available in the enclosure.
- What are you gut loading food with: Carrots and quaker oats.

What am I doing wrong? Should I take him to the vet?

 

[sausage]

some times if you over load the dish with wriggly food they become overwhelmed and wont eat from it lol
when you hand feed him dose the always take it??

should probs take a fresh poo to the vets to check he hasn't got parasites.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Not sure if I overlooked this in your post, but approximately how many worms per day does he eat?

I think I read that a good way to think about it is a full grown leo kept in proper conditions should eat about 1-2 large mealworms per inch of gecko every other day. Is that about what yours is eating? If so then all is well! If not - how much less than that is he eating?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Oh don't mind me. I see where you said 5 every two weeks - its been a long day and week <sigh>.

Your set up seems awesome and I think you're doing a great job keeping an eye on him and how much he eats. You said he weighs 88 grams? I don't think that's abnormal but IMO its definitely at the big end of the leo spectrum. Do you have any pictures of him? I wonder if there's a chance he could be a tad overweight and slimming down? Someone around here should be able to give you an experienced judgement on that.

Just in case something more sinister than stress or chunkiness is going on I might get a fecal to a vet ASAP. If he stops eating completely he may stop pooping completely and it will be much more difficult to check for parasites without poop. If he isn't chunky and loses another couple grams I think taking him to a vet for a full check up would be your best bet.

 

[LeoparddGeckoss]

when you hand feed him dose the always take it??
should probs take a fresh poo to the vets to check he hasn't got parasites.

He doesn't always take it but he eats from the tweezers much more often than from the dish. I tried it today and he only licked the mealworm. I will go to the vet as soon as I can, thanks.

some times if you over load the dish with wriggly food they become overwhelmed and wont eat from it lol

Plan backfired, haha. I read it would help him eat. Thanks for telling me.

------------------

Oh don't mind me. I see where you said 5 every two weeks - its been a long day and week <sigh>.

Haha, no worries.

Your set up seems awesome and I think you're doing a great job keeping an eye on him and how much he eats. You said he weighs 88 grams? I don't think that's abnormal but IMO its definitely at the big end of the leo spectrum. Do you have any pictures of him? I wonder if there's a chance he could be a tad overweight and slimming down? Someone around here should be able to give you an experienced judgement on that.

He was 88 grams when I got him, he is now 84 grams. I forgot to say he is a Giant.

Just in case something more sinister than stress or chunkiness is going on I might get a fecal to a vet ASAP. If he stops eating completely he may stop pooping completely and it will be much more difficult to check for parasites without poop. If he isn't chunky and loses another couple grams I think taking him to a vet for a full check up would be your best bet.

I will definitely take him to the vet. Thanks for the help.

 

[LeoparddGeckoss]

Is $70 a good price for a fecal and physical exam?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

That sounds about the going rate. What matters more is that the vet you're going to see has experience working with reptiles. Specialists that do can tend to charge a bit more. For example, my vet charges $60 for an office visit but is worth it since he knows reptiles inside and out and usually can solve whatever problem I'm having on the first try.