Is my gecko impacted?

[Lilbaad12]

Hi, new here. My gecko has been acting unlike himself the past few days and I noticed when he is breathing he seems to be taking hard shallows breaths and with each breath he bobs his head as he does it. Nothing with his life style has changed. I’ve been reading about impaction and I’m wondering if he is suffering from that... no I do not use sand for his substrate but he does eat meal worms and I read that could be a rare cause. I posted a photo of his belly to see what you guys think. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I hate the way he’s breathing.

Side note: he is still pooping just smaller and he doesn’t get excited like he used to about food time and doesn’t want to eat as much as usual.

 

[acpart]

It's hard for me to tell whether or not anything is going on. I never had any problems brining up many generations of hatchlings on mealworms. You could try a warm soak in 1/4"-1/2" of warm water or a drop of olive oil on the nose for him to lick. After that, if things still don't seem right, a reptile vet visit is a good idea.

Aliza

 

[ZNature]

What are the temps in your setup? Hot side cool side? Is he still breathing like this? He might not be wanting to eat because of the temps dropping outside. I do not purposely brumate my geckos but they end up slowing down and losing their appetites as the winter sets in. It’s pretty normal and they don’t need any special treatment as long as they maintain a somewhat ok appetite. If he refuses food hornworms do the trick every time, my geckos never refuse. Waxworms work but they don’t have much nutritional value. Hope he gets better.