Possible impaction, help!

[MeganJones]

About your leo: "George"
- Sex: Male
- Age & Weight: At least 8 months & I don't know.
- How long have you owned your leo: About 8 months.
- Where was he obtained: +++++

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: Once a week, he doesn't like to be bothered.
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now:
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): Two lizards in one tank so it's hard to tell but seems to be only enough poop in the tank to come from one lizard so my guess is he hasn't gone in a few days.
- When was the last time he went: Hard to tell but a few days for sure.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: Seems to be an impaction, showing symptoms. Noticed a change in behavior that alerted me to the symptoms a few days ago.

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 10 gal tank
- Type: glass tank, like fish tank.
- Type of substrate: Cal sand
- Hides, how many, what kind: Two hides, one rock looking formation and the other a ceramic tank.
B) Heating
- Heat source: Over head heat lamp.
- Cage temps: Don't know, didn't know I needed to monitor it until he got sick.
- Method of regulating heat source: Heat lamp on every day for about 9 hours.
- What are you using to measure your temps: Nothing yet but getting a thermometer.
- Do you have any lights: Heat lamp.
C) Cage mates
- How many: 1 other male about the same age (Yes I know they fight, mine used to but don't anymore and seem to get along.)
- Describe health, or previous problems: No previous problems from either until now.

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding: Meal worms dusted with calcium every 2-3 days. About 20 at a time (so roughly 10 each lizard).
- How are you feeding: Ceramic dish in 'cool' corner.
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using: Repashy Superfoods, Leopard Gecko Calcium Plus.
- What are you gut loading food with: Not, only meal worms.




Ok, Ok, so I know that he needs to go to a vet for an impaction but can anyone suggest any reliable home remedies? I can't exactly afford a vet but if he gets worse I will take him.

I usually don't see this lizard much so it is hard to tell when he passes anything or eat but from the conditions in the tank it seems that only one lizard is eating a passing any waste. I DID see him drink some water today so, good sign, maybe?

 

[Dinosaur!]

Well I cant tell you if it is impaction or not, only a vet can diagnose and treat that. sorry. but just so that you can tell us more about what's wrong with him, you should definitely think about separating the two so that you can monitor George more closely. it may also be possible that your other male gecko could be bullying him away from the food without you noticing, so if that's the case, if they are separated, he should improve! also, you should probably never keep a leopard gecko on sand, as they will eat it to supplement themselves if they are lacking calcium in their diets, and calci-sand only encourages this behavior which causes impactions which eventually lead to death if it goes untreated. You should also think about investing in a UTH (under tank heater) because even if your heat lamp provides the right temperature, leopard geckos don't absorb the heat through their backs. they need belly heat to digest their food, ranging between 85-90 or so degrees. if I were you it probably would be very beneficial for you (and your geckos) to read care sheets on breeders pages, read books from the store or library on leopard gecko care, or ask questions around this forum! there are plenty of friendly people her that I'm sure would be glad to answer our questions seeing as you were given bad information! I hope George recovers, and that he isn't actually impacted! good luck!

 

[MeganJones]

I am definitely looking into getting them off sand because I think he likes to eat it which is probably why he got in this situation. I just have yo find what I want to use and then change their tank to make it better.

 

[Dinosaur!]

imo, you should invest n slate tiles or paper towels, as tile is easy to spot clean, absorbs heat well, and looks pretty good too! paper towels are cheap and easy to change (my personal preference actually) but either would be much better for your geckos health than a loose substrate like sand!

 

[MeganJones]

I think I like the idea of the tile the best but im not sure how or where to get that. Any suggestions?

 

[Dinosaur!]

After doing some reading online, most of the people who use tile for ther tanks just purchase solid, smooth slate tiles from a local hardware store such as Lowes or Home Depot. hope this helps!

 

[sausage]

also make sure the UHT is sandwiched between two tiles to protect the base of your viv and to prevent the leo from geting burned. there should be an air gap under the tank to preven it from cracking through heat.