I think my leo is sick

[Clams]

I'm hoping to get some advice from all of you gecko experts. We've had Leo the leopard gecko since he was a juvenile, he is now about 3 years old. He has always been very healthy and active, and a great eater (mainly mealworms, sometimes some small crickets). The last couple of months we have noticed that he's been having difficulty shedding. He used to get most of the dead skin off all by himself, but lately he's had problems getting it off his feet, head and eyes. I pick him up and try to peel it off for him but he doesn't like that too much. Sometimes the dead skin stays on his eyes for weeks and it looks realy uncomfortable! I made him a moisture den (with damp peat) to aid his shedding but he never went into it. In addition, in the last month he has lost his appetite and is getting skinny. He used to eat 5 mealworms in 5 minutes. Lately they just sit in his bowl for days until they die.

What do you guys think I should do? Is he sick? Is this normal? Should I take him to a vet? Thanks in advance for any assistance/advice!

 

[Khrysty]

The problems shedding, it seems to me, are from a lack of humidity. I'd suggest spraying the warm side of his cage once a day until he gets the shed off himself, or soaking him to get the difficult shed off for him. Once that is taken care of, I'd expect him to start eating again.

Also, as leos get older, they just tend to eat less. If he is losing weight, though, like you said he is, then I'd bet it's related to the shedding issue and not age.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

What kind of setup is your boy in and what type heat? As Khrysty said, lack of humidity is causing shed problems. That makes them very uncomfortable and can lead to other issues. I would suggest a warm soak, for 20-30 min, you may have to replace some water to keep it warm every 10 min. This would allow you to roll off some skin in large areas and gently pull around his toes. He may freak out at first but will adjust quickly to the water. Also, lightly touch his eyes with warm water to help get any shed from his eyes. If any of that remains it absolutely will cause issues and fast. His appetite will pick back up when he is feeling better. BTW- when he has crickets, they should be large for an adult. Good luck with him

 

[Clams]

Thank you for the replies. I've never done (or even heard of) any of the things you guys are suggesting, so I have some questions...

When you say "spray the warm side of his cage" what exactly do you mean? Just spray the flooring and hideaway with a spray bottle? That sounds pretty simple.

As far as soaking goes, I've never done that either! Where and how do you soak a gecko???

Thanks again!

 

[GrimmyX15]

First, you could have bowl or tubberware fill about 1 or 2 inches of warm water ad soak leo in then do Q-tip. Hope this helps.

 

[Baners]

I agree with the previous posts, it sounds as if your gecko has some shedding issues due to lack of humidity. I don't doubt the gecko could be losing his appetite due to shedding issues, and yes "soaking" the gecko, misting the warm side of the enclosure, and moist hides all aid in shedding issues.

However, it sounds like you haven't, or just recently started, doing any of these which leads me to a few questions about your gecko's home: What kind of enclosure are you using (Tub/Tank) and how many qt/gal, what substrate do you use (paper towels, coco fiber, eco earth), what is the general humidity/temperature of the enclosure, how many moist and/or dry hides do you have?

Sorry if it seems like an overload of questions, it's just easier to get a better idea of what's wrong with the gecko if we had a little more info.

As for the "soaking" technique:

First, you could have bowl or tubberware fill about 1 or 2 inches of warm water ad soak leo in then do Q-tip. Hope this helps.

Let the gecko sit in the water for a few minutes, this will help moisten and loosen the skin so the gecko can remove it a bit easier. If you are uncomfortable soaking the gecko you may wet a Q-tip with water and gently rub it over the stuck shed to help remove it from the gecko. It is important to get the stuck shed off the gecko, when left on it will contract and suffocate the appendage it is attached to and can result in the loss of fingers and toes.

 

[Clams]

Thanks for the reply. Re soaking in warm water... how do I keep him in the water? Sounds to me like he won't like it and will try to climb out. And do I do this in his tank or somewhere else? (maybe put the container in a sink where he can't climb out?)


As for his set-up, he's in a 20 gallon tank, one side with a heat lamp and one side with a night lamp. There are dry hides on both sides. I'm sorry to say but he does not have a moist hide... he had one but I removed it because he never went in it. His substrate is just newspaper. Like I said before, we've had him for almost 3 years and he's never had any issues until about 2 months ago!

 

[Eric1969]

I use a tupperware onion saver with a hole cut in the side with most paper towel for my moist hide, and she loves it... A friend of mine has an African fat tail and they have never had a hide or UTH, just a basking lamp and it has never had any problems shedding or digesting food, go figure, they just got lucky I guess.. I also sometimes spray some water in the air above our gecko and let it drop on him, if I see he is getting ready to shed....

 

[Baners]

I've heard of Leos being kept in less than optimal conditions, and doing great for their first couple years and then going downhill as they get older. I have a theory for this: Like us, juveniles seem to be a bit more resilient (in certain aspects) and can adapt fairly easy. Like my nephew, he's 4 and I am constantly amazed at how fast he can bounce back from injuries, at only 20 years his senior I know I couldn't do some of the things he can and be totally fine, but that's because of his age. Similarly, as the gecko ages, some of the less than optimal conditions become overwhelming and the gecko starts to show signs of stress, etc. Like I said, this is just my theory and it's certainly not to say that some people get very lucky and can keep their animal for years without it experiencing any visible problems.

What I would do is take away both lamps (I find that lamps cause the tank to dry out, even their water dish, a bit faster than pads) and add a heating pad to 1/4 of the tank. Place a dry hide completely in the warm side of the enclosure and a moist hide half in the warm side and half on the cool side. Place the other dry hide and the water dish completely in the cool side of the tank, and it wouldn't hurt to spray a little over the top of the tank if you know the gecko is about to shed like Eric1969 does.

As for the moist hide, I use deli containers filled with sphagnum moss which holds humidity a little better than paper towels, but they work too.

Temps are important too, if you don't have a thermometer in the tank, get one. Make sure the temp on the tanks warm side is about 93-95 (belly heat, meaning at the very bottom of the tank) the heat is key in helping the gecko digest its food as well as stimulating its appetite.

As for the feeding and soaking issue, Geckogathering posted a video not too long ago about soaking your gecko and how to handfeed. Watch the video and try doing this yourself.

My bet is that once the husbandry end is corrected and you get some food in your little guys stomach, he'll bounce back within a few weeks.. As I'm sure you've heard before, these guys are pretty hardy.

Keep us posted on the progress!

 

[Clams]

I've heard of Leos being kept in less than optimal conditions, and doing great for their first couple years and then going downhill as they get older. I have a theory for this: Like us, juveniles seem to be a bit more resilient (in certain aspects) and can adapt fairly easy. Like my nephew, he's 4 and I am constantly amazed at how fast he can bounce back from injuries, at only 20 years his senior I know I couldn't do some of the things he can and be totally fine, but that's because of his age. Similarly, as the gecko ages, some of the less than optimal conditions become overwhelming and the gecko starts to show signs of stress, etc. Like I said, this is just my theory and it's certainly not to say that some people get very lucky and can keep their animal for years without it experiencing any visible problems.

I hear you loud and clear, Baners. Sounds like I need to change things up in the old tank. Thanks for the advice.

 

[rambogecko]

i think my gecko might be sick too he stays in his roofed stone hideout all day i really want to tame him but i cant because he is hiding in there all day he is eating perfectly fine and i have had him for a week

 

[Clams]

Some of you might remember this thread from last summer. Well, it's been an ordeal but I'm happy to report that my son's gecko, Leo, ate on his own FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 8 MONTHS last week!!! For months, we've been bathing him in the kitchen sink to help get past his shedding issues, and hand-feeding him mealworms and cat food since he couldn't/wouldn't eat on his own. My diagnosis was that the skin buildup on his eyes caused him to be blind, and since he couldn't see, he couldn't eat, which caused him to become ridiculously skinny and underweight. Well, the bathing appears to have helped clear up all his eye and skin issues and all of the sudden after 8 months of not eating on his own, his eyes look normal again and he's been chowing down nightly - up to 10 mealworms per night. We are so happy, you guys have no idea! I want to personally thank all of you for your advice - especially whoever it was (GeckoGathering??) who posted that video on how to hand feed. I've no doubt that that video and the bathing instructions saved Leo's life. I would add that the advice I got here on this board about feeding and bathing was much more productive than the advice I got from the supposed "reptile expert" vet that we took the gecko to a few months ago. Leo's not out of the woods yet, but it seems like he's getting back to normal and headed down the righteous path. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

 

[Daedric1]

That's great to hear.

Best of luck!

 

[roger]

Some of you might remember this thread from last summer. Well, it's been an ordeal but I'm happy to report that my son's gecko, Leo, ate on his own FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 8 MONTHS last week!!! For months, we've been bathing him in the kitchen sink to help get past his shedding issues, and hand-feeding him mealworms and cat food since he couldn't/wouldn't eat on his own. My diagnosis was that the skin buildup on his eyes caused him to be blind, and since he couldn't see, he couldn't eat, which caused him to become ridiculously skinny and underweight. Well, the bathing appears to have helped clear up all his eye and skin issues and all of the sudden after 8 months of not eating on his own, his eyes look normal again and he's been chowing down nightly - up to 10 mealworms per night. We are so happy, you guys have no idea! I want to personally thank all of you for your advice - especially whoever it was (GeckoGathering??) who posted that video on how to hand feed. I've no doubt that that video and the bathing instructions saved Leo's life. I would add that the advice I got here on this board about feeding and bathing was much more productive than the advice I got from the supposed "reptile expert" vet that we took the gecko to a few months ago. Leo's not out of the woods yet, but it seems like he's getting back to normal and headed down the righteous path. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

Great to hear !!!