MAJOR PROBLEM! I really need advice :(

[blarklark]

OOOkay lots of questions to answer.

As for the update Leona is a girl I had serveral people sex her. (one being the doctor I went to) So it all good in that category.

As for her health. She has been off the antibiotics for 2 weeks now and hasn't been slowing down.

As for her eating habits she still wont eat worms and I don't have the heart to starve her and make her eat them. So instead yes.. I dust the crickets and drop 2-3 in every other night. (the vitamins I use are Reptolife plus. From Tetrafauna)


I also feed her in the morning with baby food. Ham.. Until she refuses to eat her food then put her back into the tank. I didn't think of mixing the powder in with the baby food. I think I'll start to do that so she gets her vitamins.

Her tail is still small. It gets fatter then skinnier.. then fatter.. it never continuesly grows.. But I keep trying..

As for cleaning I continue to remove the one area she poops on daily. So crickets wont cause anymore problems. Her tank smells cleaner that way too.

As for staying in her tank. She now lives in a 20 long tank. And does not move. She used to have to come from Umass D to home and back again. But now she stays put. She is happy.

Also, she likes to be held. She lays on my hand for hours.. And when I feed her she sits on my hand and licks the food directly from the baby medicine dropper. When she is done she will refuse to eat and just lay on my hand fat and happy. Thats when I put her back on her eating pad.

 

[Gecko Ranch]

I can't comment on the supplement, the yardstick is Calcium Plus/T-Rex Leopard gecko diet, or RepCal and Herptivite mixed 50/50. I'd compare these two to yours. Many supplements sold today are very inappropriate for geckos. As I posted earlier leos are attracted to the scent of Calcium Plus which would help get her feeding normally on insect food.

You need to give the gecko a chance to feed normally or you may not break this cycle you are in, which is not healthy. It does involve patience on your part not to give any food for a few days to let her get hungry. If this does not work, then you need to go to (return to your) a non-domestic vet to develop another treatment plan.

I'd also avoid handling this gecko until she is feeding normally on insect food. You may not perceive this action as stressful to the gecko, however, it may be a contributing factor to her situation.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I agree. Antibiotics can upset their stomachs and kill off much of the 'good' gut bacteria that is needed to keep the GI system in balance, and give them a tummy ache.

Geckos that have been on 'assist feeding' can get lazy and even addicted to dropper feeding. There comes a point when they will need to be weaned off of it and begin eating for themselves. It's a tough one... but you may have to let her get good and hungry and try to stimulate her feeding response with a couple of crickets (pull their back legs off) or nice, wiggly mealworms dropped right in front of her face so she'll notice them.

 

[blarklark]

... Just letting you guys know but.. I tried "starving them enough to force them meal worms." And in the act it made Sophia weaker and she died.

As for Leona my Gecko is still hunting crickets. She runs after them. Its not like she isen't eating them. So the baby food is not stopping her from eating her usual meals. I just help her out when I notice her stomach is rather slim. I don't want to see her die.

As for worms I have tried everything. She is still really little and I think maybe its her size. She at one point did eat the mealworms then would throw them up. she I dont see the point in her eating something if she will just spit them back out. She downs crickets though.

As for the baby dropper. I only use it when I notice she REALLY needs some help. I realized my message above states every time I feed her. Which is not true.

I also just called my vet to see what he has to say.

 

[Gecko Ranch]

... Just letting you guys know but.. I tried "starving them enough to force them mealworms." And in the act it made Sophia weaker and she died.

As for Leona my Gecko is still hunting crickets. She runs after them. Its not like she isent eating them. So the baby food is not stopping her from eating her usual meals. I just help her out when I notice her stomach is rather slim. I dont want to see her die.

That is sad about your other gecko. I don't know the whole story there so cannot give you feedback. They don't all make it, even though we make our best efforts. I am sorry for your loss.

The fact that this gecko chases crickets means she is not quite hungry enough to eat them- likely due to the assisted feeding. If she has enough energy to maintain this level of activity that is a very good sign and she is a good candidate to try. I'd give it a week to try to see if she will eat on her own, consulting your vet first. At some point this does need to be tried if she is to recover.

 

[blarklark]

XD I guess my writing is bad.. She runs after them.. then eats them XD.. she eats crickets. I see their little legs twitching as she go down her mouth.. hahaha

 

[Gecko Ranch]

XD I guess my writing is bad.. She runs after them.. then eats them XD.. she eats crickets. I see their little legs twitching as she go down her mouth.. hahaha

That's a great sign, I would definitely drop the assist feeding and try to vary her diet a little, try soft mealworms, phoenix worms, wax worms.

 

[blarklark]

I'll see what the vet has to say. But I will mention it to him when he calls me back.

 

[blarklark]

Well the doctor called me back and told me I was doing the right thing. So I have continued to feed her with baby food as well as offer her crickets.

When watching her over time. I notice that she eats.. and quite a bit.. but there is never enough it seems.. I feed her alot of baby food and then some crickets that SHOULD be plenty.. but its not working. She has stayed the same size no matter what. She gets alittle fatter but then a day passes and poof back down to skinny.

So, I'm thinking its a parasite.. mind you I get her a months worth of antiboitics.. and good her to the vets and kept in touch with him. But I thought maybe there is some rain dance or something I might be able to do to make her well..

 

[Gecko Ranch]

Well the doctor called me back and told me I was doing the right thing. So I have continued to feed her with baby food as well as offer her crickets.

When watching her over time. I notice that she eats.. and quite a bit.. but there is never enough it seems.. I feed her alot of baby food and then some crickets that SHOULD be plenty.. but its not working. She has stayed the same size no matter what. She gets alittle fatter but then a day passes and poof back down to skinny.

So, I'm thinking its a parasite.. mind you I get her a months worth of antiboitics.. and good her to the vets and kept in touch with him. But I thought maybe there is some rain dance or something I might be able to do to make her well..

It is hard to help you here as we really don't have any formal diagnosis or knowledge of the type of testing your vet has already done. Is this a non-domestic vet?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Antibiotics will not help a parasitic infection. Usually, pinworm infections will not cause the gecko to lose it's appetite, just lose weight. I am not trying to diagnose your gecko, but I REALLY think you need to have a comprehensive fecal exam peformed by a vet that knows how to identify and treat these types of infections.

 

[blarklark]

That is correct.. he specificly does retptiles. The tests my doctordid was a poop sample test, and found nothing. I was accually standing watching a microscope screen and saw the "nothing" with him.
He by observation said he saw signs of a respitory infection before giving me the oral antibiotics to cure Leona.

 

[Gecko Ranch]

That is correct.. he specificly does retptiles. The tests my doctordid was a poop sample test, and found nothing. I was accually standing watching a microscope screen and saw the "nothing" with him.
He by observation said he saw signs of a respitory infection before giving me the oral antibiotics to cure Leona.

A few things. One, did you see him doing a test for cryptosporidium in addition to the standard slide? Not everyone tests for crypto as part of the regular fecal. Did he also explain to you that one fecal is not sufficient in drawing the conclusion there is not a parasite problem? This is due to the fact that parasites are not always shedding at the time a fecal is done. You have a much better chance at finding them if you do multiple tests over about a 2-3 month period. If the gecko is not well in a few weeks after the intervention I would certainly take this approach to make sure something major is not being missed.

I found a link to a nice article where a non-domestic vet gives a "second opinion" that should help you understand why crypto should be thoroughly considered. http://www.reptilechannel.com/reptile-health/lizard-health/lizard-cryptosporidiosis.aspx

 

[blarklark]

I just wanted to take the time to thank all those people who have been helping me out. Its been a pritty rough road and I'm learning alot

as for the poop sample. NOPE! he didn't mention that. I took both my lizards in sophia and leona in.. when Leona's tail was shrinking.. and have them looked at and their poop done. Then they were both put on antibotics.. Sophia died.. and leona got alittle better.. but then crashed after a week into her 1 month of daily feedings of the antibiotics.

As for today she still eats.. she eats crickets.. but just isen't gaining the weight. Doctor said to keep feeding her baby food and hope she gets better.

 

[Gecko Ranch]

I just wanted to take the time to thank all those people who have been helping me out. Its been a pritty rough road and I'm learning alot

as for the poop sample. NOPE! he didn't mention that. I took both my lizards in sophia and leona in.. when Leona's tail was shrinking.. and have them looked at and their poop done. Then they were both put on antibotics.. Sophia died.. and leona got alittle better.. but then crashed after a week into her 1 month of daily feedings of the antibiotics.

As for today she still eats.. she eats crickets.. but just isen't gaining the weight. Doctor said to keep feeding her baby food and hope she gets better.

I hope so too. In the future you should get necropsies (gecko autopsy) done so you know what went on. The fact that another one of these petstore guys you kept passed, and, the fact that shrinking tail is also a symptom of crypto, should raise a big red light here. Testing for crypto should be done in the manner recommended.

What do the feces look like? Have you seen any regurgitated sheds?

 

[Mel&Keith]

I would call and ask whether or not he did the test specifically for Crypto. It's harder to diagnose than other parasites or worms and can be very common and contagious in pet store environments where there is a lot of cross contamination. Not to question your vet but if what you've been trying hasn't been working and your gecko still isn't gaining weight (assuming there isn't an unknown parasitic condition) then I would try feeding it only gutloaded crickets. Every vet has a slightly different opinion on how certain situations should be handled, so while they certainly know more than you or I, they may not be 100% correct to how your gecko will react to a certain diet.

 

[blarklark]

I called the doctor but didn't get a pick up or a call back. But, it to late. This morning I went to go check and see if she was okay and she had passed over night.
In many cases I think because she didn't die in my hands like that last one did I'm nost as histaricle. But being completely helpless against what happened is gut wrenching.
I am however happy that she is no longer in pain or unable to poop.
I learned alot through having her as a pet and I don't plan on getting another leopard gecko for a long time. I think the trips back and forth between school and all the tempature changes due to my school not being able to keep heating going might have been problems.
If and when I get another gecko I will let you all know. And again thank you ALL soo much for all your advice and help without it i would not have been able to help at all.

Thank you
RIP Leona

 

[Gecko Ranch]

I called the doctor but didn't get a pick up or a call back. But, it to late. This morning I went to go check and see if she was okay and she had passed over night.
In many cases I think because she didn't die in my hands like that last one did I'm nost as histaricle. But being completely helpless against what happened is gut wrenching.
I am however happy that she is no longer in pain or unable to poop.
I learned alot through having her as a pet and I don't plan on getting another leopard gecko for a long time. I think the trips back and forth between school and all the tempature changes due to my school not being able to keep heating going might have been problems.
If and when I get another gecko I will let you all know. And again thank you ALL soo much for all your advice and help without it i would not have been able to help at all.

Thank you
RIP Leona

Very sorry to hear. Now would be the time to call and see if your vet will give you a deal on a necropsy since you are a client. Keep her in the fridge in the meanwhile (NOT the freezer) if you go this route.

 

[blarklark]

Sorry, after she passed I let her rest in piece in the ground. I feel more comfortable that way. Rather then have a doctor look at her and tell me why she died. I think she went through enough.