New leo... having issues. help?

[Zaphire]

In late june early july i decided to get a gecko. She seemed to be doing pretty well until the last couple weeks. I'm not really sure what has changed for her. i still feed her the same way keep her water clean etc. ive had to use a heating lamp during the dayin the past month for short periods to keep temperatures up as i live in canada and its winter now. I'm new at reptiles. I have no idea what I'm doing. She has thinned out and so has her tail. she is very lethargic... Can anyone help????

 

[Embrace Calamity]

What little information you gave isn't enough to go on. Fill this out:
http://geckoforums.net/f130-health-medications/70912.htm

Also, pics of the leo and the setup will be very helpful.

~Maggot

 

[NikkiC223]

I'm very new to the reptile world but have you tried feeding her something different than what you normally feed her? Maybe a change in diet, or a treat with start up her appetite again...just a thought Hope you figure it out and she starts eating again!

 

[Zaphire]

Well I spoke with a breeder at the pet store this whole time i've been having issues. Sadly I still don't know what was done wrong, i did as i was instructed but my gecko died in my hand right after i posted my request for help

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Well I spoke with a breeder at the pet store this whole time i've been having issues. Sadly I still don't know what was done wrong, i did as i was instructed but my gecko died in my hand right after i posted my request for help

I'm sorry to hear that. Are you sure this person was a breeder? Or did they just work there? You can't really trust what people at the pet stores tell you. They might mean well, but the chances they're experts are slim to none. Many people and their reptiles have fallen victim to bad information given to them by pet store people. Did you not take it to see a vet at all?

~Maggot

 

[Zaphire]

I would however still like the advice if possible. I'm just putting pics on my computer of her so i can add them on so you can see.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I would however still like the advice if possible. I'm just putting pics on my computer of her so i can add them on so you can see.

The only way you can be sure how she died is by taking her to a vet and having them perform an autopsy. But if you want us to give you some ideas, fill out the form.

~Maggot

 

[Zaphire]

The chick worked there and she bred them. she had a lot of information. i did all she asked... but clearly wasnt enough. i was going to cal lthe vet in the morning cuz this was the first day she was lethargic.
but i didnt get that chance . I've only had the poor thing since late june. I should have joined a forum before investing in a pet im not used to.

 

[Zaphire]

About your leo:
- Sex : girl at petsore said she was confident it is female
- Age & Weight : don't know her actual age. young?
- How long have you owned your leo : 6ish months
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend) aquarium place that has a reptile section

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo : several times a week
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now. normally she wanders around and does what she does and today she just kind of laid out in the open.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe. i was told i had to keep hertank between 85 and 90 degrees. so on the one side of her tank she has two heating pads ( i believe the tank is about 20 gal).. and since i couldnt keep recommendedtemp i got a heat lamp.. i asked if i needed red uvb light or anything and they said no just need the extra heat. she was skittish of my son at first, but i moved her tank into my bedroom instead of in a main traffic area of the house. she was doing well in november.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal) her last fecal matter was very watery and right before it she spent a lot of time at her water dish.. even falling aslep on the edge of it and sometimes she would lay in it
- When was the last time he/she went ; two days ago.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on
she has been fidgety last couple weeks but had still been eating and pooping so i didnt think much of it. but she was thinning out her tail was much puffier beginning of november and today it is thin..she is thin.
Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size : beleive its a 20 gal glass tank.. amybe a tiny bit bigger screen top
- Type (ex. glass tank)
- Type of substrate she's been on papertowel as i was told it was a safe bet and simple to clean.
- Hides, how many, what kind : she has two reg hides .. one rock shaped thing and a wood shaped one , along with one moist hide.
B) Heating
- Heat source : two heating pads o nthe one side of the tank bottom and i heat lamp over top
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side) the tank temp on the bottom is 83.9 currrently and lamp is off. thiisusually around the temp it is with no lamp
- Method of regulating heat source :heating pads are always on and lamp i usually have on between 11 am and 5 pm for daytime heat
- What are you using to measure your temps ; digital thermometre taped to the bottom of the inside of the tank like instructed
- Do you have any lights (describe) other than the heat light no other lights for her, they didnt tell meot use one when i asked
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) : no cage mates
- Describe health, or previous problems

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much) she was eating meal worms as she refused crickets and butterworms
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect) i started off hand fed and eventually she would just catch em herself
B) Supplements (describe how often) : i had a jar of nutrient stuff for crickets that the mealworms were eating called flukers cricket quenchers. also is repticalcium... i asked about gut loading and she didnt say i had to since they gutloaded the mealworms.. i dusted them with calcium jsut in case though and stored the melworms in a container of oatmeal and calcium.
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)
- What are you gut loading food with


I definitely think i was misinformed on how to properly take care of my gecko.

 

[Zaphire]

this was november 1st when she was doing alright this is a crappy picture but its her tank set up withoutthe lamp on

this is her right after she passed sadly.

 

[NikkiC223]

Oh gosh, I'm so sorry for your loss! Something definitely was wrong with how skinny she looks in the last photo. Its hard to want to take advice from pet store employees because you don't really know if they know what they are talking about or if they are talking out of their butt. Regardless, so sorry for your loss!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

You didn't have a warm and cool side? The temp was just kept at the same? And that doesn't look like a digital thermometer. That looks like an analog.

~Maggot

 

[Zaphire]

the heating pads were both on the same side, its not a rectangle shaped tank so the heating was weird. it did have a warm cool side. it is digital you can see it i nthe pic. its taped on the bottom behind the rock shelter on the warm side and the cord is sticking out of the tank to show the digits and thats what it said. thank you to those kind words. .... i guess i know now not to seek advice from pet store people. i forgot a good friend of mine has geckos .. i hear more about his dragons than his geckos so i didnt think to seek adivce from him.. he gave me shit for lsitening ot petstore person as well. now i know lesson learned, thats for sure

 

[Embrace Calamity]

the heating pads were both on the same side, its not a rectangle shaped tank so the heating was weird. it did have a warm cool side. it is digital you can see it i nthe pic. its taped on the bottom behind the rock shelter on the warm side and the cord is sticking out of the tank to show the digits and thats what it said. thank you to those kind words. .... i guess i know now not to seek advice from pet store people. i forgot a good friend of mine has geckos .. i hear more about his dragons than his geckos so i didnt think to seek adivce from him.. he gave me shit for lsitening ot petstore person as well. now i know lesson learned, thats for sure

Warm side temps should be 88-93, and cool side temps should be about 10 degrees cooler. There need to be hides on both sides so that the leo can thermoregulate effectively. Without proper temps and a proper gradient, they can't digest their food. It looks like she starved to death. You really should have sought help sooner. Any time an animal is losing weight, especially that much, there's something seriously wrong.

~Maggot

 

[NikkiC223]

the heating pads were both on the same side, its not a rectangle shaped tank so the heating was weird. it did have a warm cool side. it is digital you can see it i nthe pic. its taped on the bottom behind the rock shelter on the warm side and the cord is sticking out of the tank to show the digits and thats what it said. thank you to those kind words. .... i guess i know now not to seek advice from pet store people. i forgot a good friend of mine has geckos .. i hear more about his dragons than his geckos so i didnt think to seek adivce from him.. he gave me shit for lsitening ot petstore person as well. now i know lesson learned, thats for sure

Its not your fault for listening to them, you didn't know much about them and they thought, as well as you, that they were helping. I would have done the same but I had been doing a lot of research prior to purchasing one so the only advice I got from pet store employees were where the crickets were! lol...well I hope you are okay, losing a pet is never easy! Maybe the next one you get, read a little more and seek advice prior to purchasing one so you know you have everything set up right! Sorry again for your loss

 

[Ozy]

If I'm not mistaken, that appears to be a Repti-breeze type screen cage. THAT with 2 heating pads AND a heat lamp is WAY too hot. Your gecko was always in or around the water bowl because it's enclosure was too hot and it was trying to cool itself. Also, those types of enclosures are not suitable for leopard geckos. They are good for Chameleons and other arboreal types of lizards. I'm betting the reason it's last poop was runny was because by this point the poor thing's insides had been cooked. It probably lasted as long as it did because leopard geckos are very hardy. Also, you were not gut loading and supplementing properly. I feed my leopard gecko Dubia Roaches and Mealworms which are gut loaded with Repashy Bug Burger. I also dust every single insect she eats with Repashy Calcium Plus. On my leopard gecko's enclosure the only heat I use is a 30-40 gallon size ZooMed Repti-Therm UTH controlled by a HydroFarms thermostat set at 93 degrees. Here is a pic of my leopard gecko's enclosure.

EDIT- Looked a little closer and I can tell it's not a Repti-Breeze, but 2 heating pads and a heat lamp is way too much heat anyways, unless your leo is in a giant size enclosure.

 

[katie_]

Hi Amy.
I'm the "pet store" girl you were talking to.
I am very disappointed and sadden to hear that your girl has passed away.
The advice that I have given to you was not "bad advice", and I hope your experience doesnt turn you off geckos, and reptiles all together. I send everyone home with a care sheet and as much info as I can. Unfortunately some things slip through the cracks and get missed, but I cant say what in this situation.
I had no idea your gecko was this thin, or I would have recommend a vet visit a lot sooner than a few days ago when you called.
I know you were having heating troubles, and keeping the tank warm enough. I do find it very hard to believe that neither of the mats I sold you were effiecent enough. If you would like to bring in your enclosure, I can set it up there and use my infered thermometre to check the temps. If both mats are broken, we can send them back to zoomed for you and replace them free of charge for you. Is there a chance you were reading your thermometre in celcius???
I sent you home with a great care sheet, and you seem to have done everything right.
Other than that, I really have no idea what your gecko died. How often were you feeding her? I remember sending you home with some super worms, how many would she eat of those a day? I also sent you home with your calcium, and I see youve added that to her enclosure.
I remember every gecko I sell, as we have a very small scale reptile section (our specialty is fish). She was a great eater when she was with us, and was hatched and cared for by a friend of mine before coming into our store at 4 months old.
I would really like to help you resolve this problem for any future reptiles you choose to own.

I recommended you join this forum as I am an active member, as well as many other knowledgable gecko keepers. We should all be able to help you if you choose to get another gecko for your son. I am sorry I couldnt chat with you longer on the phone, but it is boxing week and I was swamped. If you'd like to come into the store during the new year with your enclosure, I will have all the time to help you.
Id like to find the cause of this as much as you, as this is the first gecko I have lost.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

If I'm not mistaken, that appears to be a Repti-breeze type screen cage. THAT with 2 heating pads AND a heat lamp is WAY too hot. Your gecko was always in or around the water bowl because it's enclosure was too hot and it was trying to cool itself. Also, those types of enclosures are not suitable for leopard geckos. They are good for Chameleons and other arboreal types of lizards. I'm betting the reason it's last poop was runny was because by this point the poor thing's insides had been cooked. It probably lasted as long as it did because leopard geckos are very hardy. Also, you were not gut loading and supplementing properly. I feed my leopard gecko Dubia Roaches and Mealworms which are gut loaded with Repashy Bug Burger. I also dust every single insect she eats with Repashy Calcium Plus. On my leopard gecko's enclosure the only heat I use is a 30-40 gallon size ZooMed Repti-Therm UTH controlled by a HydroFarms thermostat set at 93 degrees. Here is a pic of my leopard gecko's enclosure.

EDIT- Looked a little closer and I can tell it's not a Repti-Breeze, but 2 heating pads and a heat lamp is way too much heat anyways, unless your leo is in a giant size enclosure.

I don't think a Reptibreeze would be able to hold in any heat though. The bases of them (I have one) are too small to provide a proper gradient if that's what it is. Hard to tell from the pic though.

EDIT: And if Katie was the one giving information, I'm sure she gave good info.

~Maggot

 

[katie_]

EDIT: And if Katie was the one giving information, I'm sure she gave good info.

~Maggot

Thank you, I try my best.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Thank you, I try my best.

Do you know if this person had a temp gradient? She gave one temp at 83 (I think), but that's it, which wouldn't be warm enough for a hot side or cool enough for a cool side.

~Maggot