Our gecko is 4.5 in. long & 5g - super skinny

[hilltowner]

I know I've written several posts, but I'm still trying to figure things out. I've seen a lot of posts on weight, but couldn't find any on length. We purchased our gecko from Petsmart and they said she was 4 mo. old. She weighs only 5 g., but according to posts, she should be at least 20 g. if not more.

So, now I'm questioning if she is really 4 mos. old (it wouldn't be the first time with a chain pet store). She is 4.5 inches long (from tip of snout to tip of tail) and weighs 5 g.

I know she is skinny and we are taking her to the vet tomorrow. Could she be 4 mos. old or is she younger?

Thanks again!

Marla

 

[hilltowner]

Here is the info. sheet. I updated it slightly as we have made some changes.

About your leo:
- Sex - female
- Age & Weight – 4 months old & weighs 5 g (3/11/12)
- How long have you owned your leo – 12 days
- Where was he/she obtained – Petsmart (I know, should've been breeder )

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo – daily at nighttime for about 5 minutes, my daughter puts her hand (sometimes with mealy worm on it, sometimes with nothing) on the bottom of the tank and leaves it there until leo climbs on. Leaves her hand down and in tank as we are still introducing ourselves to the leo. Don't want to move too fast.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now. Not really. She's very mellow. Spends most of her time in her moist hiding spot or out on her uth. Isn't too active. She seems to be behaving the same as since day one. If we put our hand in, then she moves around, but we leave our hand down until she climbs on or goes in a hiding place. She did shed a day or two after we had her (2/29/12 or 3/1/12), but didn't eat her shedding material. She looks fine.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe. We haven't had her long enough to know. We did purchase her from Petsmart, which I know is not the best choice.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal) – very runny and brown, bringing fecal to vets on 3/12/12.
- When was the last time he/she went – tonight – 3/11/12
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on – she ate a small mealyworm the first day we had her (2/28/12), but hasn't seemed to eat much since. She hasn't eaten anything but maybe a couple of small mealyworms in the last 11 days. She also has only pooped a couple of times. She did shed a day or so after we had her (2/29/12 or 3/1/12), but didn't eat her shedding material. Main concerns are lack of eating and pooping and extreme loss of weight. (see photos below)

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size – 10 gallon tank with screened top
- Type (ex. glass tank) – glass tank
- Type of substrate – ZooMed Eco Reptile Terrarium carpet
Hides, how many, what kind – Three hides. One plastic house/stump and one intricate log with several levels and several holes to climb in and out of. The stump has moist paper towels in it.
Water source – small, shallow dish with water. Also, mist the paper towel in the hide once daily.

B) Heating
- Heat source – Zoomed ReptiTherm UTH for 10-20 gallon tank on one side
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side) – The warm side is about 90 and the cool side is about 70. I also don't trust our thermometer, so I just ordered a new digital one that was recommended on the chameleon forum.
- Method of regulating heat source – Measure temps daily.
- What are you using to measure your temps – Currently a Zoomed analog thermometer, but just purchased a Chaney Instruments Acu-Rite 00891A1 Indoor and Outdoor Thermometer with Humidity which should arrive soon.
- Do you have any lights (describe) – I initially had an infrared light (as per Petsmart), then switched to a 60-watt bulb, then got rid of both when purchased the Uth.
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) - none
- Describe health, or previous problems – none

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much) – 2 small crickets and 3 small mealyworms per night, have also tried silkworms and waxworms.
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect) – left in a small, shallow dish along with calcium supplement, sprinkle some feeders on tank floor and also drop in front of her nose at night.
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands) – Have been using Rep Cal calcium without phosphorous or Vitamin D. We have switched over to Repashy Calcium Plus. We purchased it for our panther chameleon, but read that it is fine for geckos.
- What are you gut loading food with – banana skins, apples, carrots, broccoli, oranges,

 

[animeavatar]

You can feed more than that. Feed as much as it'll eat. It isn't 4 months old( was looking at youtube vids and the 4 month geckos were way bigger). It is younger than that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCyR9amb5K0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRZ4UwGZcsw

 

[katie_]

PetSmart employees guess.

Your gecko looks very ill.

 

[TranceZ]

You described the poop to be 'runny'. Could be sign of parasites... of course a vet could tell you though.

If it was me, I'd get rid of the repti carpet and use tile or paper towels. Repti carpet could lead to broken teeth or toe nails. I know you're probably going for the natural look which is totally fine, but tile would look just as good and safer.

 

[Jayme]

Also consider a baby who is kept in crowded or improper conditions, not fed enough or has a parasite load will probably have his growth stunted. Let us know how the vet trip goes!

 

[hilltowner]

Thanks, Animeavatar, for the videos. They were really helpful in determining that our gecko is not 4 months old. The vet agreed as well and said it was a baby, too. Trance Z, I will look into paper towels instead of the repticarpet. It would definitely be easier to clean and the gecko maybe able to see her food better. I agree, Katie, that she looks very ill. I didn't think she was going to make it over the weekend. I also agree, Jayme, that she was probably in a tank with several other geckos.

As for the vet visit, he did say that she was much younger than the 4 mos. old that Petsmart said she was. He tested 2 fecals and neither one had parasites. He was very thorough, looking at her eyes and mouth. He said she was too tiny to get a blood sample to check calcium and white blood cell levels. He thinks that she's not eating due to the stress of recently changing her environment, etc. He did say she was skinny. He gave her a shot of liquid and vitamin D. He told us to get Fluker's Repta aid and feed it to her 2 - 3 x's a day for the next week and see if that gets her back on track. He also said I could continue with the Pedialyte and warm water baths, too.

So, we'll keep our fingers crossed and hope we can get through this.

Thanks again for everyone's input!

Marla

 

[Dimidiata]

She very well may be 4-5months, theres no problem with her being at that age because simply put petsmartco employees take horrible care of them, she can have easily been stunted from not getting enough food, if shes not getting food she wont grow and if shes not growing shes not shedding very much leaving you with a 5month old baby. Of course she could be young aswell. Either way i dont think the weight to leangth adds up anyways, she could go for a lot more food.