Severely underweight gecko!

[Mio]

So, I have been told my gecko is underweight. I will do anything to help her, I love her to pieces! Please help.


About your leo:
- Sex: female
- Age & Weight: she'll be 2 in late May, I haven't weighed her(I will do that soon and update)
- How long have you owned your leo: since early June
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend): Pet Store, but the breeder worked there and I met her.

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo: every other day
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.: no
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.:yes, she had a shedding problem, lost part of 4 toes.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal): normal
- When was the last time he/she went: yesterday
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on: very skinny.

Housing:
A) Enclosure:
- Size: 11gallon
- Type (ex. glass tank): glass tank
- Type of substrate: Reptile carpet
- Hides, how many, what kind: 3, one cave on warm side, one moist hide in middle, and one tree trunk cave on cold side, she also has some stones, pebbles, and shells.
B) Heating
- Heat source:heating pad
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): in the air, it's 75 on the warm side and 68 on the cold, but the it's warmer in the ground because of the heating pad.
- Method of regulating heat source: ?
- What are you using to measure your temps: thermometer
- Do you have any lights (describe): no, should I?
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females):none
- Describe health, or previous problems: N/A

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much):mealies, they're almost always in her bowl.
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect): bowl
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): not sure, I put it in a bag a long time ago and forgot the brand
- What are you gut loading food with: same as above, I got it in bulk when I got her and put it in a Ziplock.

Thanks!

 

[Olympus]

I commented on your other thread, I think parasites may be a possible culprit. Most vets will let you take in a fecal ($18-24 usually) without having to see the animal, so you know if the test is positive or not before spending the money on a consultation. But I think it's worth looking into that because it could just be a belly full of worms that are making her feel full or too yucky to eat a lot.

 

[tb144050]

About your leo:
- Age & Weight: she'll be 2 in late May, I haven't weighed her(I will do that soon and update)

You can get a cheap "gram scale" from eBay or Amazon. I use the American Standards (??) gram scale. I think it costed $9, shipped. You need to be able to track her weight to see if she is improving or continuing to lose weight.

B) Heating
- Heat source:heating pad
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side): in the air, it's 75 on the warm side and 68 on the cold, but the it's warmer in the ground because of the heating pad.
- Method of regulating heat source: ?
- What are you using to measure your temps: thermometer
- Do you have any lights (describe): no, should I?

1) You need to check the SURFACE temp on the warm side. It NEEDS to be about 89-90F for her to digest food properly.
2) Air temp is not nearly as important as SURFACE temp, but...I would use an overheat lamp. Your leo would prefer air temps of 70F (coldside) -> 80'sF (warmside). This again affects their own body temp so it directly affects metabolism, energy, etc etc.
3) You can find a cheap "IR temp gun" on eBay or Amazon to get fast accurate surface temp results instantly.

Their body temp (ESPECIALLY their belly temp...from the warm side) is what gives them the ability to digest and metabolize food into energy...and other body functions. If the temps are lacking, their body will suffer.

Describe Diet:
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands): not sure, I put it in a bag a long time ago and forgot the brand
- What are you gut loading food with: same as above, I got it in bulk when I got her and put it in a Ziplock.

You need to know what she is getting!! I would trash that "random stuff" and follow a "Leopard gecko care guide" (available on google...just search). A proper supplement diet rotates between Calcium without D3, Calcium with D3, or Multivitamins......or you may find recommendations for "combined vitamins."

Also, if you are leaving mealworms in her dish for 10 days (I think that is what you said in your other post), I would gamble to assume that they are no longer "properly dusted" when she gets around to eating them. Crickets are easier to get a thorough "supplement dusting" if she has the energy to catch them.

Remember, supplements/vitamins/etc are NECESSARY for a gecko to be healthy. As humans, we also lose weight, wither, and pass away if we suffer from vitamin deficiencies.

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And of course, as mentioned above (and I am usually the first to suggest parasites because of my bad experiences), parasites are a possibility. However, you have had this leo a "fairly long time" and I see other things that may have caused her to lose weight slowly since last June....?? Fecal test wont hurt, but DEFINITELY get everything else up-to-par also.

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Please post back with updates on what you are doing to help her and how she progesses. Fixing the temps and supplements should give her a fighting chance at being healthy!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Samantha12]

You need to try to get a reading of the floor temperature on the hot side. Also, you should consider switching up your gecko's diet and offering crickets/superworms/dubia roaches. Meal worms are a good staple for young geckos, but adults should have a little more variation. As suggested already, a fecal test would probably be a good idea.