Need Help! Gecko Has tiny Tail Lethargic.

[crazyxedy]

Hey guys im new to this forum but I really need some help with my fat tail gecko (I know this is leopard but they dont have a health section) Anyways I rescued him from a friends house because he was simply not taking care of it whats so ever... He would feed it once a month.... if even.... and water bowl was disgusting. I couldnt see an animal die like that so I took the gecko from him. (he didnt care obv).

The first day I had him I gave him about a 1-2 dozen crickets and he ate a most of them... I'm not a fan of crickets so there are a couple of them in his tank still. Anyway then he pooped them out (rather huge poop for his size) and now he hasnt eaten in about 2 days.
I'm worried because he is supposed to have a big fat tail and be a nice size gecko and he is 5yrs + and his tail is tiny.... porbably because he was triggered into hibernation im not entirely sure. I made two houses in his enclosure although im thinking about removing one of them since I want to give him more space..... Most of the time he just lays there with his eyes closed not doing anything.... i feel like he is dying and all I want to do is help him out and get him big and fat the way he is supposed to be. The only time he is actually active is when I handle him as he likes to walk around but thats the only time he even moves really... I dont know if he is dying or sad or anything and I really could use some help as I have never had a gecko before.

Here are some pictures of his enclosure and of him... please help us out!
Oh and I heard Wax worms provide the most fat... I really feel like he needs it or maybe I should feed him a pinky??..... Not even sure if he can handle it he looks more like a ethiopian skinny tail..... its so sad because hes such a sweet little guy.....http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/crazyxedy/vaderskinny.jpg

<a href="http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/crazyxedy/?action=view&current=vaderskinny.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a206/crazyxedy/vaderskinny.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

thank you !

 

[jemjdragon]

You are right, he is too skinny. As long as he is eating, I wouldn't worry too much. Continue to feed him and giving him fresh water. Make sure you are dusting his food with reptile vitamin and calcium supplements 2-3 times a week. Try not to over feed him though because he could puke. I would leave the two hides there because they need one on the warm side and cool side so they can thermoregulate. They hide in the day because they are nocturnal and might "enjoy" climbing over his hides at night. As for wax worms, geckos can get addicted to them and they have no nutritional value. With pinkies, geckos can not really digest "meat" because their stomachs are more specialized for insects.
You should also see if you have a reptile vet near by so they can check his poo for parasites.

EDIT:
You should also remove any uneaten crickets. They can bug the gecko. If youre okay with worms, you can try mealworms.

 

[crazyxedy]

Hey man thanks allot.... im removing the crickets now because I dont want them to stress him out.... ill buy some calcium spray tomorow... How often should I feed him? every 2-3 days?

 

[LZRDGRL]

He doesn't look so bad. He probably just has overeaten the first day when he got 1-2 dozen crickets, and then needed a little break Geckos have to get used to food slowly after an extended time of starvation :main_yes: Just keep feeding him and taking good care of him, and you'll see in a couple of weeks there will be a BIG change in his tail already.

Chrissy

 

[Dog Shrink]

Agree'd. Slow down on teh fattening him up thing. He isn't emaciated but just thin. Read up on re-feeding syndrom as to why to not stuff him to the gills now. Also get him on a regimented feeding schedule every day or every other day feeding the same amount of crickets or worms each feeding. That way you're not guessing if he is full or still hungry and you can tell when he truly is off food because of health reasons. I think for an AFT that is similar in size to a leo, I would go with 3-4 super worms every other day or 1-2 supers a day or what ever the cricket equivelant would be.