Leopard Gecko doesn't like GGG Slurry...

[Tardigrade]

So my female leo, it turns out, stopped eating a little while ago because of an infection in her mouth. Unfortunately, it spread to one of her eyes, which has been rendered permanently blind. I really feel awful about it.

But anyway, the vet gave me some antibiotic that I apply 2-3 drops of to her mouth once a day. She hates the taste, and she usually gags a little and shakes her head when I give it to her, followed by her drinking a lot of water.

But she had lost a fair amount of weight, so I pretty carefully mixed together the GGG slurry. I've been trying to give it to her, but she seems to really not like the taste/smell of the stuff. She will lick it, but usually this is followed by a little squinting and head turning, sometimes a little gagging motion. At first I though this was due to the antibiotic still leaving a bad taste, but I tried giving it to her hours after she had taken the antibiotic, and she still doesn't seem to like it. (Thankfully I know she is at least getting some of it in her stomach, she pooped her first normal poop in a while on top of me yesterday.)

Is it possible she will get used to the slurry? Is there an ingredient I can add more of to make it more appealing to her? Could it just be that her mouth hurts, and that is why she is making faces at it? Any advice would help.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

The gecko may have problems other than just not liking the taste of the slurry. Has the vet given her the "all clear" in that there is no more infection and she's well on the path to recovery if she starts eating?

I might try cutting mealworms in half and squeezing the guts onto her lips to see if she will eat that. If you get the same reaction from a more natural food then she may have another problem or a good reason for not eating.

As an ultimate last resort, if you're worried about the gecko starving to death you can ask your vet about tube feeding her and the vet may be able to help you do it or teach you how. This would be where you stick a tube down her throat directly into her stomach and inject food. I would NOT recommend doing it yourself if you have not done it before as you can easily mistake the trachea for the esophagus and kill her by filling her lungs with food instead of her stomach.

Best of luck getting her to eat.

 

[Tardigrade]

Well, before I saw that I had a reply, I tried giving her the slurry before I gave her the medication, and I had much more success. She made a few faces at the end of her feeding, but her mouth may have been bothering her by that point. Either way, she was much more interested in the food before the medication. I plan to try that mealworm thing, as well.

As for the vet, his advice was to give her the medication and "hopefully she'll start eating again soon." I figure I will continue to give her any food she's willing to eat now that I know it isn't bothering her.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

What about Oxbow Carnivore Care? Maybe she'll start on her own now that you've changed up the order, but it might be worth a shot just to try something different. Your vet should have it and probably won't even charge you for it.

~Maggot

 

[Tardigrade]

Argh, terrible news.

I called the vet and asked about the Oxbow stuff, but after I gave her her medication the next day, I found her dead in her tank a couple of hours later. I guess the infection got the best of her. Not a good way to spend an evening.

I guess my final question is whether or not I should get her a post-mortem. It seems obvious that the infection must have done it, but is it still worth getting her body checked?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Oh so sorry. It's always hard to lose a pet

It might be worth it if you have other reptiles you're worried about catching something or if it will eat you alive forever wondering what happened if you don't. If you don't get a definite diagnosis, I would probably get rid of the set up you had for her and get a new one if you get a new reptile -- just to play it safe in case if was something contagious.

 

[Tardigrade]

Well, I went and paid for a post-mortem. I live near an agricultural center with an animal diagnostics lab in it, so that made it easier. I don't have any other reptiles, but I really wanted to know what could have done this, as the vet didn't seem worried that she was going to die from the infection or anything.

The initial autopsy was pretty revealing. The poor girl's liver was enlarged and discolored, and the woman performing the autopsy claimed there was other evidence of a more systemic infection. I can't imagine what could have given her that, as her tank wasn't especially dirty (I cleaned it every 2 weeks). I really hope this is recent and she hasn't been suffering for months, I would feel so awful. I'll know the full results of the necropsy in a week or two.