Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My leo was eating on Wednesday, but began refusing food again yesterday. The vet decided to try and force feed it but it spit everything back up. She said when she left last night it seemed perky, but this morning it just gave up and died. Poor thing. I'm pretty sad. But I guess I learned a lesson - my geckos will be ordered online from now on...
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-Kristin

Well, I decided that I can't stand looking at my empty tank. So I am doing something about it. I am ordering a gecko online. I found one within my budget (after the vet bills and all that jazz).

I am pretty excited to have it shipped. So here it is. The description is "Hi Yellow" but it also says it is an "Albino x albino" female. I am assuming the parents were (maybe I'm wrong) so doesn't that mean it should be an albino? I am probably just confused about what albino x albino means. Either way, I think it is adorable and I love its little pink head.

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-Kristin

I'm sorry to hear what happened! And congratulation on your new gecko! Hopefully, this one will be nice and healthy!

I'm really sorry to hear about what happened to your little guy.

Make sure you disinfect EVERYTHING with a 10% bleach solution before your next gecko arrives, or you will run a good risk of re-infection.

Also, don't ever let a vet force-feed your gecko (and rarely ever a snake for that matter). If the vet was trying to get nutrients into him/her they should have suggested you offer watered down baby food (with calcium and vitamins added) through an eye dropper/syringe. Leopards usually lap it right up.

Good luck with your new gecko!
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

n.p.
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-Kristin

I just looked at your other posts and I'm in utter shock that a University Vet would be so ignorant as to try and force feed a gecko at all, especially one in that shape.

I assumed you got stuck with a normal vet that didn't really know what to do with a reptile.

Another common mistake many vets will make with leopards is giving injections to the tail (for future reference).

If you ever have any kind of a similar problem again with anorexia offer baby food watered down with pedialite. Sprinkle in a bit of calcium and vitamins and drop on the tip of the nose/corner of the mouth.

I still can't believe the vet tried to force feed that poor little thing. Jeez...
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

>>I just looked at your other posts and I'm in utter shock that a University Vet would be so ignorant as to try and force feed a gecko at all, especially one in that shape.
>>
>>I assumed you got stuck with a normal vet that didn't really know what to do with a reptile.
>>
>>Another common mistake many vets will make with leopards is giving injections to the tail (for future reference).
>>
>>If you ever have any kind of a similar problem again with anorexia offer baby food watered down with pedialite. Sprinkle in a bit of calcium and vitamins and drop on the tip of the nose/corner of the mouth.
>>
>>I still can't believe the vet tried to force feed that poor little thing. Jeez...
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>>-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Well, she WAS a specialist vet... We have a really good veterinary school and hospital around here. It is supposedly one of the best in the country. I am really shocked about the force feeding thing - I didn't know that you weren't supposed to. I would obviously never try such a thing as I KNOW I would injure it. It was in such bad shape in the first place that I wonder if it was doomed from the start. Either way, it is tragic and I am sad, but I DID learn a lot from the situation. Like to really inspect the animal before taking it home. Or just never getting it from a pet shop in the first place...

Anyway ideas about the albino thing?
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-Kristin

We had the misfortune of having a gecko with a parasite which took 9 months to show it's symptoms and we took it to a specialist and was instructed to force feed it after it reacted badly to the meds. They make special syringes and a formula just for feeding underweight geckos who cannot eat on their own. (I'm not talking about breeding here, I am speaking of underweight, sick, geckos) The formula is a frozen powder mixed with water at each feeding and contained all sorts of good stuff. What I understand this is common as a last ditch effort to save the reptile who is too sick to hunt, or in our case, had GI distrubances due to the meds to get rid of the parasite. I see no problem at all that they tried to feed the poor guy, sounds like it almost worked too.

I think you showed more care in taking your gecko to the vet than most first time owners would, a fact I am saddened to learn from forums like this where I want to scream, "Take it to a vet, it's too late!", I know your newest gecko will be happy to have you.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

The gecko starting eating on it's own after hydration. Then for some reason the vet decided that going one whole day off food was cause for a force feed? Not to mention that this improving leo just happened to die the night after the force feeding attempt.

1) The stress of force feeding a severly sick animal will cause more stress and problems than good 99% of the time.

2) Why stick a tube down a severly ill gecko's throat when you can just water down baby food with pedialite, sprinkle with vitamins/calcium and simply drip it on the leos nose. IF worse comes to worse you can squirt it directly into the corner gecko's mouth. I'm sure this powder you speak of could be administered the exact same way as the baby food.

Just relaying info that was told to me at Texam A&M's vet school, as well as many other legitimate reptile specialist.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

I don't think either of us have enough information to determine the state of health of the poor gecko when it was force fed. I just wanted Lefty82 to understand that he was making all the right choices when taking care of a gecko. Too often I have seen poor or extremely irresponsible reptile ownership and for a first time owner to go to such lengths was impressive. I was afraid he was feeling like he took it to the wrong place (when comments about force feeding were thrown about), when clearly he did not.

As for feeding, I personally, have experienced both the "drip and lick" and, unfortunately, the "force feeding" method. I would do either when necessary if anything under my care was that close to death to make it necessary. Unfortunately, in our case even that wasn't enough and we had to have our first gecko put to sleep after a month of support.

Seems there is a time and a place for everything, I just wanted to make sure Lefty82 understood that nothing "wrong" was done to his gecko, just heroic attempts to save him. Given that either of us were at the vet's watching over the gecko, I guess you and I will just have to agree to disagree on whether the feeding was necessary.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

Absolutely nothing wrong with what Lefty did, infact she did everything possible to save the little guy.

I applaud her efforts.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Thanks you guys for the kind words. Although this is my first experience with geckos, all my life I have raised and loved all kinds of animals. Although I was annoyed that I got a "dud" from the pet shop, I wasn't about to let it suffer to death and then flush it down the toilet - it just wouldn't have felt right.

I know a lot of people don't understand that mentality. My dad even doesn't. He was shocked when he heard I took it to the vet. He said "You took a LIZARD to the vet? All you had to do was step on the thing and it would have been out of its misery." I think he was teasing me, but the thought disgusts me.

Anyway, I was really upset about the little guy, but I feel better knowing that I did what I could. Thanks everybody for all the support and interest you have shown. It proved to me that people who raise leos are very special indeed!
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-Kristin

Aww, man.. I'm so sorry things didn't work out with your first leopard gecko. =

However, congradulations on the new gecko and good luck to you with this one-- I'm sure you'll do a great job and have this gecko for a long time. Take care.

-Brittany