Leo refusing to eat, shedding more frequently

[laura]

Hello everyone,

I have a leopard gecko that is 14 years old. She has always been healthy and active until 2 months ago. The first worrisome symptoms were that she regurgitated her shed, and undigested food. Following this she did not poop or eat for about 4 weeks. I took her to a herp vet who said that it was possible impaction, and also gave us me an anti-parasite medication in case that was the cause. It has been 4 more weeks since the vet visit and my gecko is now pooping regularly, and the poops look normal. She is however shedding more frequently than usual (every 2 weeks), always has stuck shed, and does not eat much of the shed skin. She shows no interest in food and closes her eyes when food is offered. It this point she has lost a lot of weight, her spine is showing and her tail is getting thin.

Any advice or insight would be very appreciated!
-Laura

About your leo:
- Sex: female
- Age & Weight: 14 years old, do not have a scale
- How long have you owned your leo: 14 years
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): pet store

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: about once a week to help with stuck shed skin
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe. No past medical problems.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): normal, dark greenish/brown formed stool with white urates.
- When was the last time he/she went: 2 days ago
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on (above)

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 15 gal.
- Type (ex. glass tank): glass tank
- Type of substrate: paper towel
- Hides, how many, what kind: one hide on cool side, 2 hides on warm side (1 moist)
B) Heating
- Heat source: UTH
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): hot 94 C, cool 80 C
- Method of regulating heat source: none.
- What are you using to measure your temps: kitchen thermometer
- Do you have any lights (describe): 60W bulb above tank
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): none, housed alone.

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): mealworms, every couple of days - but has not eaten for 2 months now
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): left in dish
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): calcium dish in tank
- What are you gut loading food with: oats

 

[TigressSnow]

I'm unsure if this is a reccomended practise by the veterans on here, but when one of my breeder males started passing un digested food and lost weight I used baby puréed chicken mixed with a little bit of the electro light replacer (1part salt 1part sugar 2parts water), use a syringe or a dropper and offer it to them on their nose, my boy would willingly lick it from the drips in front of him. I know the shed is a different issue then just being bored with food but have you tried changing up the feeders? Something fast to catch her eye, or something slow for her to notice? It helped with the3 year old I got off kijiji, he couldn't catch crickets so I started offering slow moving worms and he's happy as ever. Best of luck!

 

[laura]

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply TiigressSnow!
I did not mention in my original post but I did try the baby food trick a couple of times. She licked it off her snout and at least got a bit of nutrition that way but long-term she will need to eat independently. I will go buy some crickets and take the back legs off so they don't move too fast, and will also try superworms to jump start her appetite.

 

[Neon Aurora]

What kind of thermometer is the kitchen thermometer? If it does not have a probe to mention ground temps and you are getting 94, it's likely way too hot.

You should really use a thermostat. With an unregulated UTH and a 60 W bulb over a 15 gallon tank, it's probably far too warm in there for her to regulate properly. I know you may have had it this way for a long time, but an older gecko is going to be more sensitive to improper husbandry than a young one.

Because of the discolored stool, you might want to have a fecal test done to see if there are leftover parasites that were resistant to the medication. It sounds like the medication did help, but not totally, which is why I suspect this. Also, shedding more frequently can be a sign of external parasites (mites, fungus), which could take over when the gecko's immune system has been compromised (like with an internal parasitic infection).

I think the first step is to fix your husbandry. Perhaps she will improve with just that and another vet visit will not be necessary.

 

[laura]

Just wanted to provide an update.
I turned off the overhead lamp as per the recommendation of not having the tank too dry/hot.
I also bought some crickets to see if that would excite her and .. IT DID. I offered her two crickets to ease her back onto food and she hunted them down and ate them without issues. I am so relieved.

Thanks everyone for your help!