Treatment on female that doesn't eat

[Sandra]

As many of you know, I have a female that has been two months without eating. I thought that it was due to ovulation so I didn't worry excessively, she didn't lose too much weight and was very active.

Well, I went yesterday to the vet at last and I wanted to share with you and see your opinions. The truth is that, as I thought, I probably knew more than her about these animals. The first thing she said is that she should have layed some eggs at her age, and when I asked her if they didn't reabsorbe them most of the time when they are infertile, she answered me all convinced that they didn't, that they layed the eggs always.

When I asked her if she was ovulating or not, because I wanted a second opinion about it, she said that there was no way to know just by looking at the tummy. So she couldn't tell me anything.

The gecko was annoyed by the handling of the vet and she pooed on her, so we had material for a very small fecal analysis. She reconigzed some parasites and bacteria, but couldn't tell the amount of them with a fecal as simple as that, so it could be a normal amount as well and not the cause of her hunger strike.

Just in case we gave her some panacur and I'm giving her some antibiotic for the next 10 days. The vet also told me to give her two different kinds of serum to keep her hydrated and she also gave me a sachet of some kind of vitaminic supplement that I must force-feed on her. Right now I'm at school, when I get home I will give you the names of the medicaments used.

Isn't it a bit exaggerated and shocking for a gecko that it's all right except for the fact that it's not eating? The vet couldn't even find a reason for this. Since see doesn't seem a connoisseur of geckos (she is good with turtles, though) I wanted you opinions on the treatment.

Ps. Something funny I realised when I was at the clinic. My gecko was really annoyed by the vet, and she was continuously with her mouth wide open and menacing tokay-style, so we could see clearly her tongue. I noticed that when she was more nervious the tip of her tongue turned red, while when she was calmer it was pale pink. Just something curious, I didn't know their tongues changed color.

 

[Sandra]

The sachets with vitamins are called Gevral. The two bottles of saline are B|Braun brand and one of them says "physiological saline" and the other "Lactate Ringer's solution". I don't know the name of the antibiotic, since the vet only poured some into a small bottle and gave it to me... So it doesn't have a label.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I'm so glad you took her to the vet! Bacterial and parasitic infections can certainly cause anorexia in Leopard Geckos. Most antibiotic treatments will make them feel worse before they feel better so stick with the vet's course of action. You can always make some of my slurry, or baby food, to feed her while she is being treated.

BTW, one of the ways to tell if your gecko is pale is by the color of their tongue.

 

[gothra]

Last time I took Bambi to our vet (because she isn't eating and I suspect ovulation as well), the vet used ultrasound to check on her. Our vet suggests that we do nothing unless Bambi is showing symtoms. And so...here I am, still waiting for her to start eating for me! She still seems fine in every way.

 

[Sandra]

Our vet suggests that we do nothing unless Bambi is showing symtoms. And so...here I am, still waiting for her to start eating for me! She still seems fine in every way.

I was doing that too for some time but waiting was killing me!! It's good to know the opinion of other vets about how to act in this situations too, specially when my vet it's not a gecko specialist (but she's the best I have found around here).

I still think that this treatment is a bit exaggerated for a gecko that it's not showing any symptoms apart from not eating (it breaks my heart having to force feed her), but well, I'll follow my vet's indications as Marcia says, after all the vet is the one with an university degree

 

[Sandra]

I'm still force-feeding her with the medication the vet gave me, and I haven't noticed any changes since then. She hasn't eaten anything (before she would eat a little at least once in a while) and I'm a bit concerned about the fact that she sleeps exposed instead of sleeping in her hides as she always used to do. On the top of all I don't know what's happening with the clinic because I've called several times to make an appointment and nobody picks it up.

Some days ago the tokay of a person I know died after being taken to a vet and being under medical treatment, without apparent reason of why would he stop eating. That made me realise the possibility of her dying, because I never thought about it seriously since she wasn't showing symthoms, but every day it passes my hopes decrease. I feel really helpless about this.

I've bought a plastic container that is translucent so she has more privacy than in the crystal tank, and I'll move her to another room that is more calm (right now she's at the office and we are always coming in and out of there). Let's see if it has to do with the tank or the place. Any other ideas of what can I do? I just can't stay still while waiting her to eat without doing anything.

Bonnie, how's Bambi doing? Has she started eating already?