Possible sick gecko?

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

Can anyone help me with this one? I have an albino leopard gecko with the engima gene. he has been not eating and is now losing a lot of weight and moving weird. He's never been real coordinated and can't seem to catch crickets so I tried roaches and he had a problem with those. So I switched to mealworms and for awhile he was eating those but in the last month or so he hasn't eaten hardly anything. His worms end up morphing before I take them out and replace them. He won't take any food if you try to hand feed him.

He has multiple sources of calcium/D3 powder in his tank. His tile is kept at 93 degrees. He has both his humid hide and a warm hide on his tile and a cool hide that is not on the tile.



The tank he is in when I took the picture was a temp tank while I cleaned his. I have a video on my facebook if you want to see how he moves

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151359461356009&l=8548256948486408466

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Are you sure it's an enigma? I'm no morph expert by any means, but it looks like a regular super snow to me. Also, fill this out:

About your leo:
- Sex
- Age & Weight
- How long have you owned your leo
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend)

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo
- 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)
- When was the last time he/she went
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size
- Type (ex. glass tank)
- Type of substrate
- Hides, how many, what kind
B) Heating
- Heat source
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)
- Method of regulating heat source
- What are you using to measure your temps
- Do you have any lights (describe)
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)
- Describe health, or previous problems

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much)
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect)
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)
- What are you gut loading food with

~Maggot

 

[SC Geckos]

Are you sure it's an enigma? I'm no morph expert by any means, but it looks like a regular super snow to me.

Looks like it could be a SS Enigma because Enigma causes alot of speckling which this animal has instead of the typical SS look. However it is not an albino due to the fact that it is covered in black pigment.

he has been not eating and is now losing a lot of weight and moving weird.

When you say it has lost alot of weight.... How much weight are we talking about??
Can you elaborate on moving weird? Is he spinning in circles, head tilting, off balance, that kind of stuff?

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

When you say it has lost alot of weight.... How much weight are we talking about??
Can you elaborate on moving weird? Is he spinning in circles, head tilting, off balance, that kind of stuff?

This was addressed when I posted the link to the video of his movement but I'll share that link again.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151359446406009&l=424209022072464120

He is known for running in circles, being off balance and wobbly, he is not the most coordinated gecko out of my bunch. He even had a hard time catching roaches in a small critter keeper.

As for the enigma I was told by the breeder I bought him from that he was an Albino enigma. Since then I have found this breeder to be less than reputable and will not be buying any animal from him again. If you have an idea on the morph (the breeder was wrong before I believe) I would be happy to hear it. I have 4 other geckos besides him and he's the only one that acts this strange.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Could just be another victim of Enigma Syndrome. Can't know if there is anything else at play when we know nothing about the gecko.

~Maggot

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

About your leo:
- Sex: Male
- Age & Weight: About 4 years old I never got a straight answer from the breeder about the age. Not sure on the weight as I don't have a scale for that
- How long have you owned your leo: Since July 2009
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): Chaotic Nights Reptiles in AZ. He was a breeder friend of mine that is no longer a friend.

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: 2-3 times a week we try to take them out
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.: He seems a lot more wobbly than usual
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.: None other than the running in circles, lack of coordination, and eating issues.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): There is nothing different than usual. Kind of hard to tell though as I am constantly cleaning out his water dish because for some reason he has picked that as his potty
- When was the last time he/she went: Unsure
C) Problem
- For at least the last month he has not been eating barely anything. I would leave the mealworms in the dish and they would morph before he ate them.

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size: 10 gallon tank
- Type (ex. glass tank) Glass
- Type of substrate: paper towel, slate tile
- Hides, how many, what kind: He has 3. One cool, one humid, and one on the warm side of the tile.
B) Heating
- Heat source: UTH
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): Hot side temps are 88-92F and cool side is around 73F
- Method of regulating heat source: Zoomed Rheostat
- What are you using to measure your temps: Infrared temperature gun. Checked once a day at minimum
- Do you have any lights (describe): No lights directly on tank. Just the lights in the room.
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females): None
- Describe health, or previous problems: Described above

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much): mealworms in a glass dish. The mealworms are dusted in Calcium Powder with D3. I try to feed him twice a week but I haven't been having to change out the worms because he's not eating them
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): The mealworms are left in a dish and swapped out weekly or twice a week.
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): Fluker's Calcium with Vitamin D3 Phosphorus Free powder, Tetra Fauna ReptoLife Plus Multi-Vitamin
- What are you gut loading food with: Carrots, fruit that we have on hand

 

[SC Geckos]

It looks to be a Super Snow Enigma that has pretty severe "Enigma Syndrome" . At least from what the video shows. This type of animal I consider a special needs gecko. Stress like loud noises, bright lights, new surroundings, and lots of people traffic by the enclosure all can compound his problems. I would recommend housing him in a part of your house that does not get alot of traffic, with plenty of hides that are nice and dark inside, and keeping your contact with him to a minimum. This should reduce his stress and possibly reduce some of his symptoms.

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

Could just be another victim of Enigma Syndrome. Can't know if there is anything else at play when we know nothing about the gecko.

~Maggot

What is the lifespan of a gecko with the engima gene? He has solid red eyes and if I look at them the right way I can see the vertical slit in them.

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

Our Lizard friends lol | Facebook

That's a link to the entire album of all my geckos. I have a total of 5. 3 Females and 2 males. Not really sure on any of their morphs other than what was told to me by the breeder of two of them. Lulu and Slither(the male in question). Lulu was said to be a lavender stripe but she has lost all her lavender color. Suki, she's my oldest and is about 4 years old I believe. And Blitz I acquired last summer from a local breeder this time, Garrik Demeyer. He was said to have been born Jan of 2012.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

What is the lifespan of a gecko with the engima gene? He has solid red eyes and if I look at them the right way I can see the vertical slit in them.

No one really knows. The morph has only been around since 2006, so anyone who says they can live normal life spans is misinformed. I'm not sure if even the first Enigmas are still around (but I'm inclined to believe they're not). It probably depends on the individual gecko, as some die before they hit a year or two and yours is a few years old. Unfortunately, at the rate yours is going, I wouldn't expect it to be around much longer. However, it would be worth taking it to a vet to see if there's not something else going on. Also, I'd suggest not handling it at all unless absolutely necessary.

~Maggot

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

It looks to be a Super Snow Enigma that has pretty severe "Enigma Syndrome" . At least from what the video shows. This type of animal I consider a special needs gecko. Stress like loud noises, bright lights, new surroundings, and lots of people traffic by the enclosure all can compound his problems. I would recommend housing him in a part of your house that does not get alot of traffic, with plenty of hides that are nice and dark inside, and keeping your contact with him to a minimum. This should reduce his stress and possibly reduce some of his symptoms.

Our daughter is Autistic so no loud noises in our bedroom and if I vacuum in here I even take all the geckos out and put them in another room. Our room is usually kept dark as my husband doesn't like light lol. The only light is usually from the window with a opaque curtain on it and my overhead light above my desk but neither is near him. If we have him out we usually have as many lights out as possible and usually only the TV for light. the only traffic in our room is my daughter who has been sitting in front of his enclosure for the last 2 years. Nothing in his enclosure has changed one bit other than being cleaned lol.

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

However, it would be worth taking it to a vet to see if there's not something else going on.

~Maggot

Unfortunately we do not have a vet around here that deals with reptiles of any sort. I have looked and called several.

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

I went and got him Giant Mealworms today in the hopes that maybe having larger prey will help him. Maybe if I get him back on a good diet with proper calcium intake his symptoms will lessen some. I'll be heartbroken if we lose him

 

[Phoenix1115]

If he's having trouble catching food, you can take the back legs off of crickets, as terrible as that sounds...

 

[Ozy]

I rarely feed Ozy crickets, but I do on occasion for variety. I have always just held them in my rounded feeding tweezers and nipped the back legs off with a pair of scissors. You could also nip a couple of other legs off if they are still too fast. I also have to cut the antennae off because Ozy is used to eating Dubia Roaches and Superworms, so she doesn't like it when their antennae touch her.

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

WOOT! I put him in a critter keeper with a small tile in it and his feeding dish with a bunch of giant mealworms and so far he's eaten 3 of them. This is good

Oh I covered it with a small towel so there wasn't so much light in there for him

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I was asked to inform you to remove the calcium with D3 from the tank and replace it with pure calcium, as D3 toxicity can lead to problems.

~Maggot

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

Really, I had no idea. I will have to get some calcium without it cuz right now all I have is the stuff with the D3 in it. I've never been told that and I know a local breeder who has been guiding me. Guess I never asked or told him specifics like you asked. Wonder what I else I'm wrong on.

 

[Gwendolyn Wolf]

WOOT! Woke up this morning and all 4 giant mealworms have disappeared and they aren't running around the tank I checked. HE ATE! I hope this is a good sign. He seems pretty active this morning too. He's all over his tank.

 

[Ozy]

Aww! YAY! Hopefully he'll get better now! Did you make sure to put just PLAIN calcium in the tank?