Impaction??? MBD??? Please Help!

[philthegecko]

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Phil is my 10 year old son's pet and he is very upset over this recent change in our leo's behavior.

I don't know his weight at the moment, but we bought him at a pet store as a baby in March. For a while we alternated crickets and mealworms but for the last few months we've used mostly mealworms. I believe temp is good. 70-80 at night and about 90 during the day. We have a cap of calcium in tank at all times.

Recently my son said he saw Phil let out a long hiss and then momentarily dragged his back legs before then walking normally.

Looking on the Internet, I first thought it could be MBD but it's been a few days since he pooped and he doesn't want to eat. He's not his normal self at night. Not really out and about. We gave him a bath last night and also tonight. He was moving around pretty good in the bath and when putting him back in tank after bath last night. Could he have MBD and still be able to use his legs fairly well?

Tonight after his bath I wanted to see if he'd go for a couple of crickets. He saw the crickets from inside his cave and reacted for a second but then sort of closed his eyes. Not good, I thought. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Do we continue with the warm baths or is it time for the vet?

Thanks!

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Providing a bit more information by completing the following form will help folks understand what's going on a bit better.

About your leo:
- Sex
- Age & Weight
- How long have you owned your leo
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend)

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal)
- When was the last time he/she went
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size
- Type (ex. glass tank)
- Type of substrate
- Hides, how many, what kind
B) Heating
- Heat source
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)
- Method of regulating heat source
- What are you using to measure your temps
- Do you have any lights (describe)
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)
- Describe health, or previous problems

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much)
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect)
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)
- What are you gut loading food with

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Does he have anywhere that he can warm his belly? From my understanding, if you've been feeding mostly mealworms, he might be having trouble digesting the chitin if he doesn't have a place to get heat to his underside.

~Maggot

 

[philthegecko]

Thanks.

About your leo:
- Sex - male
- Age & Weight - not sure
- How long have you owned your leo - purchased as a baby 7 months ago
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend) - pet store

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo - three times a week, maybe more
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now. - usually more active at night. Usually likes to lay on stick. Now stays in coconut hide.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe. No.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal) usually white and dark black/brown
- When was the last time he/she went - maybe three/four days ago
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on - lethargic lately. let out a long hiss and dragged back legs briefly. Only dragged legs the one time but not acting like self. Not eating. Staying in hides.

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size - 10 gallon
- Type (ex. glass tank) - glass
- Type of substrate - reptile carpet
- Hides, how many, what kind - 2. Coconut (cooler side), Cave (warmer side)
B) Heating
- Heat source - lamp on top of cage
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side) - hot - 90, cool - 70-80
- Method of regulating heat source - hot side and cool side
- What are you using to measure your temps - dial thermometers
- Do you have any lights (describe) - black light for night heating. lamp for daytime heat
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) - none
- Describe health, or previous problems

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much) - mostly mealworms with occasional crickets. every night. He usually eats 8-12 mealworms or 6-7 crickets per feeding.
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect) - drop food in tank. remove what doesn't get eaten.
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands) - fluker's calcium with vitamin D (cap filled in tank)
- What are you gut loading food with - when the very occasional cricket, using fluker's orange cubes

 

[philthegecko]

thanks. I'm not currently using heat source on underside of tank. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

thanks. I'm not currently using heat source on underside of tank. Appreciate the feedback.

What substrate do you use and how deep is it?

~Maggot

 

[philthegecko]

It's just a thin reptile carpet.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

It's just a thin reptile carpet.

What do you use to heat the setup?

~Maggot

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Why Embrace is asking is that geckos need a warm spot to warm their bellies so their food digests properly. Its very difficult to provide such a warm spot from an overhead lamp unless you have an extremely well thought out and regulated setup.

It could just be weather changes or a certain stage in his growth that are making him less active and less hungry but it also could be a parasite or illness. Does he look like he has he lost any weight? Do you have a picture of him and his set up? Not sure much other than heat source sticks out as a problem to me other than vitamins. Have you been providing him with vitamins or a small amount of calcium with D3?

Purchasing a gram scale is a good idea. I like numbers to make me feel secure about how my geckos are doing - especially if they are young, breeding, or not eating well. You can get a decent one online for $8-12.

 

[Ozy]

Just get rid of the lamp and get an under tank heating pad, Lutron Lamp Dimmer from Lowe's or Home Depot and an infrared temp gun. Throw away the dial thermometers. The temp of the FLOOR should be 90-94 on the hot side. Not the air (which is what the dial thermometers measure). So just point the thing like an inch from the floor and you'll get an accurate floor temp that way. When it says
- Method of regulating heat source - They mean how are you controlling the temperature coming from the heat source. With a thermostat, lamp dimmer? Is it uncontrolled? That's what the lamp dimmer is for. You use that with the under tank heat mat to keep it at the right temperature. Also, you should gut load your crickets and mealworms, this means feeding them a vitamin and nutrient rich diet to increase their nutritional value to your gecko. Repashy Bug Burger and Super Load are good to use together. I also dust every single thing my leo eats with Repashy Superfoods Calcium Plus.

 

[philthegecko]

Thanks a lot for the tips. I got him to eat a few crickets last night but still no poop. Been giving warm baths and this morning started massaging his side/belly. Might be four days now without a poop. I read something about mineral oil. Would you guys recommend this to be our next step? thanks.

 

[philthegecko]

Ozy, which Lutron dimmer would you recommend? I see a few different ones. Thanks.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Thanks a lot for the tips. I got him to eat a few crickets last night but still no poop. Been giving warm baths and this morning started massaging his side/belly. Might be four days now without a poop. I read something about mineral oil. Would you guys recommend this to be our next step? thanks.

Did you get a UTH? I'm willing to bet that's the issue. Reptiles need heat on their bellies to digest their food. If they can't digest it, how can they poop?

~Maggot

 

[philthegecko]

Yeah. Makes perfect sense. Plan to pick one up today. I'm just wondering if he's in immediate jeopardy. Thanks.

 

[M_surinamensis]

Reptiles need heat on their bellies to digest their food.

There are... depending on how you like your taxonomic breakdown... somewhere between about eight and a half thousand and ten thousand known species of reptile. They do not all have the same microhabitat requirements. Some reptiles have evolved for more efficient thermoregulation when utilizing heat radiating up from below. Some have not, possessing characteristics that are better suited to their particular habitat and ecological niche.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

There are... depending on how you like your taxonomic breakdown... somewhere between about eight and a half thousand and ten thousand known species of reptile. They do not all have the same microhabitat requirements. Some reptiles have evolved for more efficient thermoregulation when utilizing heat radiating up from below. Some have not, possessing characteristics that are better suited to their particular habitat and ecological niche.

I know they don't all have the same requirements, and yes, they have characteristics suited to their environments and niches because that's what evolution does. But there is no heat radiating up from below in this situation. So I really don't know what you're on about.

~Maggot

 

[Ozy]

http://www.lowes.com/pd_70717-539-T...pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=lutron+dimmer&facetInfo=

Same exact one I have. Got it at Lowe's

 

[philthegecko]

Thanks, Ozy. And what type of bulb do you use for that dimmer?

 

[ImNotYogi]

Thanks, Ozy. And what type of bulb do you use for that dimmer?

I had the same dimmer before switching to the HydroFarm thermometer. You just plug the UTH into the dimmer and control the temperature with it. I'm now using it for an infrared heat bulb at night.

 

[Ozy]

The dimmer is for your under tank heat mat. You plug the dimmer into it and use the dimmer to control the temperature of the heat mat. If you don't control the temp they can get REALLY hot, and you want the floor on the warm side to be 90-94