Lizard NOT Eating NEED HELP FAST.

[ks7777]

I am in desperate need of help! my lizard doesn't eat his food anymore he usually eats off and on but now he's full on stopped for about 6-7 days.... he won't eat anything I give him he won't even notice it as being there.. He can see fine though he drinks water, but has gotten pretty skinny considering he was a little chubby.. I am not sure what I should do, last time he had a serious impaction I did a home cure and he was fine, but it doesn't seem to be an impaction. I had replaced his light.. after that he hasn't ate or anything.. I have a 60 watt bulb because that's what pet-smart recommended, and I have only a red one for the night. What should I do to help my lizard.. please he's in desperate need.

 

[TokayKeeper]

What size tank and where is the bulb positioned? You can definitely use a bulb for heating, but those red bulbs are pretty much only good for night viewing and not maintaining heat within the tank. At that point, it would be best to get an under the tank heating pad. But, we need to knowq what size tank first before we can recommend anything further.

Photos or a better description would be better versus stating he's prety skinny considering he was once chubby. Also keep in mind that the natural breeding season is nearing and certain innate behaviors happen due to the breeding cycle (whether you purposefully did it or accidentally). It's not uncommon for me to have my males start taking in less food and to lose weight during this time.

FWIW, I wouldn't be too concerned quite yet though photos giving us an idea of his body weight would be beneficial. I purchased a female years and years ago at an expo. She was huge for a leo back then and refused all foods offered, crickets, mealworms, superworms, grasshoppers. It took her 3 months to decide she wanted to eat.

 

[Designer Geckos]

Assuming your setup and temps are set up correctly, you might want to check out this thread/sticky:

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=70080

When all else fails, waxworms are sometimes successful in jumpstarting the metabolism and stimulating the feeding response. I just put up a new blog on waxworms you can check out here: http://www.designergeckos.com/news

Remember that waxworms are addicting and should only be used short-term. After a few days of waxworm feeding, you can alternate dropping a waxworm in front of the gecko and then drop a mealie in front...that can be an effective way to transition them back on to mealies.

Good luck, and email us if you need help.

 

[blazethegecko]

Try hand feeding mine wont eat unless I hand feed him

 

[ks7777]

What size tank and where is the bulb positioned? You can definitely use a bulb for heating, but those red bulbs are pretty much only good for night viewing and not maintaining heat within the tank. At that point, it would be best to get an under the tank heating pad. But, we need to knowq what size tank first before we can recommend anything further.

Photos or a better description would be better versus stating he's prety skinny considering he was once chubby. Also keep in mind that the natural breeding season is nearing and certain innate behaviors happen due to the breeding cycle (whether you purposefully did it or accidentally). It's not uncommon for me to have my males start taking in less food and to lose weight during this time.

FWIW, I wouldn't be too concerned quite yet though photos giving us an idea of his body weight would be beneficial. I purchased a female years and years ago at an expo. She was huge for a leo back then and refused all foods offered, crickets, mealworms, superworms, grasshoppers. It took her 3 months to decide she wanted to eat.

I have a 10 Gallon tank, I have the bulb on the warm side, and I have a moist side, I have a heating pad that my mom had, I've been using it for years, and it worked like a charm. Here's some pictures of my lizard:

 

[ks7777]

Assuming your setup and temps are set up correctly, you might want to check out this thread/sticky:

http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=70080

When all else fails, waxworms are sometimes successful in jumpstarting the metabolism and stimulating the feeding response. I just put up a new blog on waxworms you can check out here: http://www.designergeckos.com/news

Remember that waxworms are addicting and should only be used short-term. After a few days of waxworm feeding, you can alternate dropping a waxworm in front of the gecko and then drop a mealie in front...that can be an effective way to transition them back on to mealies.

Good luck, and email us if you need help.

Alright, I will try this thanks a Heep.

 

[joshyy_rey]

I used the waxworm method when my gecko refused to eat and just one day reintroduced supers and crickets and he ate. Its definitely worth a shot

Sent from Samsung Vibrant

 

[ks7777]

I will try waxxworms tonight, and I am going to persuade my mom to spend a lot of money to make his change bigger, etc.

 

[ks7777]

Okay, he ate the Waxxworm, he's in hibernation I found out. So It's all good now thanks for all the reply and help

 

[Dog Shrink]

He's actually in BRUMATION if he is waking and occasionally eating but brumation shouldn't really make them stop eating altogether to the point of losing weight. Most leos do go thru a bit of a winter "slow down" as the daylight hours change and the ambient temp and humidity change, but again it should greatly affect overall appetite and eating habits. My leo went form 3-4 supers 3x a week to 1-2 supers 3x a week when he went into winter slow down. Also if the 60 watt light you put on is a UV light it could be causing him a TON of stress. White lights aren't recommended for leos and you should def. invest in an under tank heater as it is BELLY heat that is most important to leos for proper digestion. When I hear of a leo not eating to the point of losing weight I first think parasites and impaction. Maybe time to take in a fecal sample to be checked esp. if you think you've already ruled out impaction and he has lost a noticeable amount of weight in a week.

 

[Designer Geckos]

White lights aren't recommended for leos and you should def. invest in an under tank heater as it is BELLY heat that is most important to leos for proper digestion.

It's incredible the number of people who come in our store with problems because the big pet chains have instructed them to use hot white light for leos. When we explain to them about UTHs and belly heat, etc. they are dumbfounded and ask why the pet stores don't tell them the right way to care for leos. Good question!

 

[Dog Shrink]

Thank you Ray

 

[ks7777]

Okay to this day I still cannot get him to eat now I am really nervus he only ate that one wax worm since the 13th of march now its april and hes still not eating I have a tank heater onside of his cage it was recommended, i have a 30 gallon and new lights temps are 85-90 on warm side I dont know what to do hes also got one eye closed now.. I dont know why we also put him on sand about 1 week ago maybe two weeks. Any help wouls be lovly...

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Pet stores recommend things based on the training they have received. It's not really their fault they aren't avid gecko keepers, and if they had gex at home, they would likely be suffering based on the training they have at many big box stores. I was looking at a major reptile product maker's catalog and they have a nice colorful 2 page chart that says what animal needs what supplies. It was full of incorrect information for leos: desert setup with a choice of sands, daytime temp 75-85, basking spot/UVB light, and the ever popular canned food selection. Although this company has excellent products, they don't have good advice, but someone working in a store who doesn't keep gex would not know this and have only their training to rely on. I don't think corporations get their training materials from animal breeders........

Long story short- ditch the sand, replace with paper towels or floor tiles, get an under tank heat mat that covers 1/3 floor space and a digital probe thermometer to affix to the floor for heat monitoring. Lights are not necessary and many cause stress, keep it off at least till your pet is doing well. Stress can come from many sources and will cause a gecko to stop eating. If you'll fill out this questionnaire we can see a bit more of what's going on and can better help you get things straightened out http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=70912

 

[ks7777]

About your leo:
- Sex - Male
- Age & Weight - Two Years I think / Don't Know His Weight...
- How long have you owned your leo - Two Years
- Where was he/she obtained - Pet store

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo - Once in a blue moon he always try's to run away and we don't want him getting hurt..

- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now - He hides a lot, doesn't eat, closes one eye..

- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
B) Fecals
- Describe - Nope
- When was the last time he/she went - Weeks
C) Problem
- Please briefly descrive the problem and how long it has been going on - 13th of march to the 5th of April.
Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size 30 Gallon
- Type - Glass
- Type of substrate - Mossiest area, water, food, UV light, red night light.
- Hides, two hideouts one rock, one wood.
B) Heating
- Heat source - Pad on side of cage, it was recommended to be used that way instead of under the tank.
- Cage temps 85-90 Warm Side
- Pad, and Bulb.
- What are you using to measure your temps - Things from the pet store for reptiles.
- Do you have any lights - Red night one, white one for the day time.
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) - 1 Male.
- Describe health, or previous problems - Previous problem was impaction when he was about a year old but he got home treatment and was fine.

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet - Crickets, Mealworms
- What you're feeding (how often, how much) - He's not eating..
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect) - He's not eating..
B) Supplements (describe how often) - What?
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands) - What?
- What are you gut loading food with - I only gut load the crickets... with ... Flukers High calcium cricket diet.

 

[ks7777]

Okay, here's some pictures.. I also just noticed his balls are swollen why is this?

In this first image you can see his balls are swollen.

I don't know if this is poop or puke, or what but I saw it and it was yellow and slimy kind of like a worm, but not really.

I tried soaking him in room temp water for about 1 hour and he seemed to open his eyes more and more couldn't get any on his head he was panicking.

This is his tank heater Zoo Med recommended in the manual to put it on the side, so I did so, it doesn't come off so I hope I did the right thing..

 

[Jellybean]

You have your undertank heater on the side? Does your lizard stand up on its legs and lean against the cage when it wants to get warm, otherwise im unsure how this would even work. Also I know some people disagree about white lights but on bigger tanks especially when you house your lizards in rooms where there is no sunlight they are important for the day and night cycle. I have one lizard that tends to bask during the day under the light.

If you feed your lizard on sand there is a good chance he is impacted and that is probably why he is not eating. The only way you can house these geckos on sand is if you feed them in a separate tank without sand.

 

[ks7777]

You have your undertank heater on the side? Does your lizard stand up on its legs and lean against the cage when it wants to get warm, otherwise im unsure how this would even work. Also I know some people disagree about white lights but on bigger tanks especially when you house your lizards in rooms where there is no sunlight they are important for the day and night cycle. I have one lizard that tends to bask during the day under the light.

If you feed your lizard on sand there is a good chance he is impacted and that is probably why he is not eating. The only way you can house these geckos on sand is if you feed them in a separate tank without sand.

Okay, first off like I said I read the manual on the stupid tank heater and it was recommended to be on the side for safety reasons, so I did so. He isn't impacted I feed him from a dish and hes been trained to only eat out of the dish even with crickets I take off the legs so they can't hop out. It has to be something else, someone said hibernation but I don't think hibernation takes 5 weeks..

 

[Jellybean]

You need to dump the sand, pull the under tank heater off the side and put it Under The Tank. If it is no longer sticky then you will have to dispose of it because it is a fire hazard and buy a new one.

You will then need to check his belly looking for any dark black areas which could be a sign of impaction and regardless I would continue to soak him in warm water for about half an hour a day. If he is not eating in another few days or has not had any bowel movements you probably will have to make a vet appointment for him.

Putting the under tank heater on the side really defeats the purpose of it as it does not heat the bottom of the cage and the leopard gecko is unable to get adequate heat which is critical in food digestion and overall health

 

[ks7777]

You need to dump the sand, pull the under tank heater off the side and put it Under The Tank. If it is no longer sticky then you will have to dispose of it because it is a fire hazard and buy a new one.

You will then need to check his belly looking for any dark black areas which could be a sign of impaction and regardless I would continue to soak him in warm water for about half an hour a day. If he is not eating in another few days or has not had any bowel movements you probably will have to make a vet appointment for him.

Putting the under tank heater on the side really defeats the purpose of it as it does not heat the bottom of the cage and the leopard gecko is unable to get adequate heat which is critical in food digestion and overall health

I cannot afford a vet let alone another tank heater those things cost me about thirty dollars. I took out the sand and put him on paper towels. I checked he doesn't have an impaction, usually when he has an impaction he would bloat and he doesn't show any sign of bloating only losing weight. I will work on saving up money, but with his last impactions and problems we did home remedy's and he got better.