Impaction and poop question

[Crewdog00]

So I saved this Leopard Gecko almost a week ago. He is active during the night and sometimes during the day. He's been eating like a champ, mealworms and crickets. He's got plenty of water which I change out twice a day. He's been on sand since he was born and sent to the per store. I was told he was a sub adult and he lost his tail from the previous owner who dropped him off at the pet store over night. In tank at the door.

I will be changing from sand tomorrow to paper towels or newspaper. FYI not gonna chance it. I have a UTH and red bulb. Temps range from 80-93 degrees.

I know he was underfed and skinny so in a weeks time I've tried to make sure he's full and eating. Below are pics because I don't know of he's just healthy compared to how skinny he was or of he's got impaction. He has popped on his own twice in the past 5 days. Don't know if they can poop at all while impacted.

Love to hear your thoughts on if he looks impacted and if his poop looks normal.

FYI- his poop is big and smells when I get my nose an inch from it.

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[Crewdog00]

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Sorry about the pics with sand all over them. The poop rolled around when I tried to take it out.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Crewdog00]

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This is what he looked like on day one of getting him. It might be just me or it could be healthy weight gain. Looks bigger now than when I first got him.

Not sure what a healthy one looks like or what poop is suppose to look like.

 

[Ozy]

If he was impacted then there would be NO poop. And I would use paper towels, the ink on newspaper could hurt him.

 

[Crewdog00]

Oh okay wasn't sure. Thank you so much. I will sleep a lot better. Leo will not be on sand by tomorrow night. I've heard a lot of different opinions but I'm not chancing it.

 

[LeopardShade]

It is hard for me to say if the gecko is suffering from impaction, as from what you've described he seems to be fairing well. Impacted geckos will typically show no appetite, become anorexic, won't defecate, and will appear very lethargic. I don't know if it's just me, but his lower abdominal region does look a little bloated, which could be sand, could be the weight that he's gained.

As of now, if the gecko continues to eat, drink, be active, and pass stools regularly, I would not say a vet visit is necessary. If adverse symptoms begin being displayed, that's when a vet appointment is needed. The good news is your gecko is passing feces, which means that he's not fully impacted. But, you can definitely see sand crusting on his feces, which means that he has been ingesting sand. Otherwise the stool looks normal.

When dealing with a minor impaction, there are some things you can do to help move things through the GI tract smoother. Getting rid of the sand, as you've mentioned you are going to do, should be your number one priority. You should make sure the temperatures on the warm side are around 90-94 F to promote healthy digestion and immunity. Make sure water is always around and he is properly hydrated. I'd also recommend daily warm water soaks, gently massaging the abdomen, and administering a small drop of mineral oil on the gecko's snout once a day.

Along with those steps, I would closely monitor him for any abnormal behavior or symptoms. If you begin to suspect anything is wrong, do not hesitate to take him to a vet. Impaction is a serious condition and the best hope for easy treatment is to treat it early. You seem to have gotten lucky with him, he could be in far worse condition than he seems to be. I hope he continues to fare well.

 

[Crewdog00]

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at all the pics and give me a thoughtful response. The temp on the warm side is at 92 degrees and he's been moving around fine. He is currently sleeping in his warm hide as we speak.

The sand crusting you speak of was in which picture. The pix that the poop was on newspaper was rolled around before I got it out. The pix with the sand substrate were taken in the tank untouched. Just wanted to make sure you didn't think the poop came out covered in sand.

I will be taking the sand out tomorrow night after work. I will also not feed him for 2 days and keep an eye on him. I've fed him 5 days in a row hence why I'm skipping 2 days.

I am hoping it's weight gain since he has eaten a lot of mealworms/crickets and super worms. I noticed his poop has black dots in it as well.

I would be more than happy to give him a warm bath but I don't know of he's ready for that yet since he is new to me and it's been less than a week together. Today he finally allowed me to hold him and hand walk/ jump a little.

Anymore input is greatly appreciated. Thank you again for being very helpful and kind.

 

[Josh P.]

If he is active, has his appetite and is defecating, he is not impacted. Keep feeding him to bring him up to weight and health, and don't forget his calcium.

 

[Crewdog00]

He gets calcium with every meal and has a calcium dish in his tank. He's active and pooped tonight as you can see.

He ate 5 mealworms between midnight and 8am this morning. I'm gonna not feed him for 48 hrs to help digest the past 5 days of food.

What is considered healthy weight so I don't overfeed and get him fat or cause impaction through food?

Would you agree based on his size he is a sub-adult?
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[LeopardShade]

Thank you again for being very helpful and kind

You're most certainly welcome

The sand crusting you speak of was in which picture.

I don't know if it was just me, but the pictures of the feces on the newspaper, while blurry, look as if there is some sand crusting around them. But you did say they were rolled around so that could be the reason.

If you don't feel he is ready for the interaction, then wait. It is much better to get him established, acclimated, and eating well than to stress him out and go back to square one. Judging by his behavior, he is not suffering from any serious form of impaction, but I do still recommend taking those few extra steps I mentioned to ensure that, if he does potentially have some sand inside him, he gets it all out and puts his days with sand behind him.

Like I said, just be sure to note his behavior and activity, make sure things aren't abnormal, make sure he's defecating regularly.

 

[Crewdog00]

She's been pooping in the same corner every other day. Nice and normal looking poop. I've been watching her at feeding time as well to make sure she's only getting the food and no substrate.

I need to get tile ASAP.

 

[Crewdog00]

Another poop picture from the other day forgot to ask you guys. All the other poops came out in one bullet.

This one is different.

Thoughts? This more is more watery or maybe it's cause it's so fresh.
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[Crewdog00]

No thoughts on the odd 3 little egg poop?

 

[LeopardShade]

Looks fine to me. Get rid of that sand!

 

[Crewdog00]

Sand is gone. Been gone since Monday night lol. The pic of the 3 eggs was before I changed the substrate. I'm gonna see if I can get tile cut at lowes tomorrow. I already have slate tile for the tank.

 

[Crewdog00]

Finally got around to taking pics of the new setup with the upgrades 20L.
Hope you all like...

Cool side:78 degrees.
Warm side: 93 degrees.
Substrate: TILE
Water and food in tank.
Air temp: 88 degrees in the middle of tank.

Driftwood for hiding and climbing.
Hope you all like...