Leopard Gecko very thin - already too late? (see pics attached)

[leo962020]

Hi,
my 16 yrs old female Leopard Gecko got very thin over the last 5-7 weeks. I wasn't home the last 3 weeks and only realized there must be something wrong yesterday. You can see the spine and the pelvic bones very clearly now.

There's also a 16 yrs old male Leopard Gecko in the terrarium. He looks and eats completely normal.
So my first question is: How likely is it that the sick gecko has parasites when the other one looks completely normal?
If the gecko really has parasites, shouldn't the other one also be infected after those 8 weeks (at least)?

I wanted to do a fecal examination now. But it's very likely that the gecko doesn't even eat anymore. Crickets walking slowly in 0.5-2cm distance from his face don't interest him.
So even if he would eat sometime, I can't say now when that will happen. I'd rather want to do something immediately. Also I would only get one fecal sample and not two to three.

So the only thing I could do is going to the vet right?
I think the risk that the stress of visiting a vet would probably be too much for him. But maybe it would still be a better/faster death than just waiting. And if I wanted to put him to sleep, I would still have to go to the vet.
What do you think?

 

[acpart]

I have to say honestly it looks pretty bad. How long have these two been living together? Have any new reptiles come into the home? One thing you might consider is to bring the healthy gecko in to the vet with a stool sample to find out if he has any problems. Most leopard geckos carry a small load of parasites which don't bother them. Stress or illness can increase the parasite load and it gets out of control. If there are no new geckos in the home and these 2 have been together for awhile it's unlikely that any of the really awful diseases has sprung up. My 16 year old male is starting to lose a bit of weight and is less interested in eating, though not to that degree. He's definitely not his 3 years ago self, though.

Aliza

 

[Young Geckoboy]

If there is no luck in the future, there is always one option. However, it should only be a last resort. You can force feed, but like I said, it should only be a last resort. You can put crushed up insects like crickets or mealworms, or really mushed, little chicken in a small syringe. You can place the tube in her mouth and slowly and gently, give her the contents. It took me a while to get one of my geckos to begin eating again( he stopped for some reason and lost some weight), but I nursed him back and he is now readily eating on his own. I hoped this helped, and I hope that she gets better.

 

[Ana]

Hello,

it might be cryptosporidien, if possible have a test at the vet. We wish you good luck and we hope you're doing fine. Please keep us up to date how the gecko is doing ! If possible try a lot UVB and try to get some food in, maybe crickets smashed are the better opportunity. Mealworms are less healthy.

Best wishes, Nina Ana