HELP!

[masterpasqua]

I recently purchased two leos and not know that they dont get alot at different sizes, I unfortunately am to blame for the smaller one losing her tail. I now have them in different tanks but I think the smaller on is getting sick. I feed her regularly and powder about 2 or 3 crickets a week. She is in a 10 gal tank with a UV heat lamp and I give her fresh water daily for the most part. She is in my room with AC but it is not on all day and it stays around 80+ degrees under the light. She is now fading in coloration, stays under her hide almost all day and night and is having some difficulty walking. What could be wrong with her? please help.

 

[Riyo]

First...2 or 3 crickets a week? That sounds like way too little! I would lose the UV heat lamp, they don't need UV and I have heard from a few members here that they've had leos get lethargic due to overexposure to UV light. I would get a Under Tank Heater and a thermometer. The temps on the warm side should be ~93 - 97F.

Make sure she is getting enough calcium, as well. Do your vitamins have D3 in them? D3 is essential for calcium absorption. Good luck, hopefully some others have input as well.

 

[STUTFL]

I think the original poster meant that 2 or 3 of the crix were powdered, not that the gecko ate 2 or 3 ... but if not, yeah, that's not much. Especially if she's got little or no tail for fat stores.

Leos are nocturnal, so I'd lose the lamp as Kasey suggested. It'll only make your girl hide more, even if it's not the cause of her symptoms. They don't see as well in bright light either, especially the albino morphs.

Could you define "smaller"? Age, length and/or weight of the gecko? Have any pictures of her and your setup? What are you using on the bottom of the tank? Any info can help.

 

[masterpasqua]

Thanks guys. And I feed her daily with a few crickets dusted. I use with D3 and I'll get an under tank heater asap. She is about two inches now without the tail. I have paper towels on the bottom now after she was getting the substrate in her tail wound. Like I said she is very small, weighing only a gram or two, about 2 or 3 months old.

Thanks for any additional help.

 

[STUTFL]

Okay, I don't know much about young leos, but that sounds very, very small - are you sure about the age? Or the weight, for that matter?
Also, has the tail even healed yet?

 

[Riyo]

It does sound very small. My 3 month old is nearly 20 grams now.

 

[masterpasqua]

If anything I have the age wrong. She is two inches without her tail (which is not grown back yet) and skinny as well. Her black spots are fading as well as the black on her head. She also has redish/purplish marks on the sides of her neck. I think she is just too small and she did not get a chance to get warm enough one day. I have risen the temp for the tankand she seems to be doing a little better. I will be getting meal worms so I am going to start feeding some of those to her for some extra fat. Any way to speed up the tail regen process?

 

[STUTFL]

I'm not going to offer medical advice of any sort, as my one leo has had the good fortune to stay well for as long as I've had him - I don't have personal experience in caring for sick or injured animals.
I will ask, how long *have* you had her? What was her previous substrate? Has she ever shed in the time you've had her?
Have you found a UTH yet?

 

[ManUtd]

She is now fading in coloration...

I just had a young leo recently and i was very worried about it one day because it was looking really pale. I thought maybe it was sick, but turns out it just shed. I looked it up online and found out that you need to put a damp paper towel or something underneath its hide. Try doin that and see if it sheds or not. Good luck!

 

[STUTFL]

That's why I asked if she had shed yet.
And ideally, there will be a separate moist hide available for shedding purposes.

 

[Srt14292]

Stick a moist hide in there with her, I have one in the vivs 24/7 so they have somewhere to hide, also, make sure there is allways a bowl of mealworms in the viv so even when your not watching over her, there is food for her to eat, once she is getting big enough, 2 or 3 waxworms or Butterworms (filled with calcium but harder to find) on the weekend, this should help with the fattening process she will bulk up more.

Other then that I agree you should take the uv light out, and just check every day dont disturb her too much when you are changing water and food as this will stress her out and it is less likely she will eat.
By all means she sounds really unhealthy, My one month old is weighing almost 20 grams allready.
Just keep an eye on the temperatures and get that undertank heater connected up to a thermostat, monitor the temps and take a feces sample to a vet near you, she may not have parasites but its better to check then leave it.

 

[Saphira]

she could have mbd too..if she isnt' walking well....

 

[STUTFL]

Pictures?