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I was really hoping the rescue gecko just wasn't eating for some undetermined reason. This morning, I found diarrhea. I am 90% sure he has crypto now.

Bummer, have you had a Crypto test done to conferm it. Diarea is once symptom but can also be a symptom for other problems as well.
Are you seeing any rapid weight loss?
Have you tried force feeding & if so does the gecko regurgitate?

I'm going to force feed tonight. I can't say rapid weight loss, because he hasn't eaten in a month since I got him from his other house. We'll see.

i'd keep your eye on the bright side man. it might not be crypto, mine has the same symptoms your does, hasnt eaten for a week and had a diarrhea turd, but im hoping it wont be crypto aswell. have you tried rubbing or mashing up waxworms and covering mealies or crix in them to get him to eat. im not sure how to force feed a gecko, i dont want to be too firm and hurt it, and i find it hard to keep him still enough so tht i can get my thumb and fore finger holding his head, and even when i do tappin his nose wont gethis mouth open. when i give mine flagyl, i have to hold the syringe to his nose and wait til he licks it himself. but dont stress until you done the tests man. now that you've said that im paranoid about mine having crypto. i have a theory that i'd like pro help on, but will post it in another thread. keep your hopes up man, dont suspect the worst.

I hope you're taking extra precautions to make sure that your other leos are safe...I just had to put down one of my sweetest leos, Twinkie, because she tested positive for crypto. She had been refusing food, and when she finally did eat, she began regurgitating everything she ate. She started losing weight, and became very listless. I took her in to our wonderful vet for some tests, so that we could find out what was causing her to deteriorate so quickly...

When we got our tests results back, I was devastated. Crypto. Every leo lovers' worst nightmare. I'm so confused, because she tested clean when I first had her looked at by our vet, and up until mid-March she'd been our sweetest, most gentle pets...

I made the choice to have her euthanized, as much as it pained me, because I know there isn't a cure yet for crypto, and you can only treat the symptoms. Since she was going downhill so fast, we decided that it would be best for her to end the suffering. I'm going to be taking in fecal samples from ALL of my reptiles now, to make sure that nobody else has been infected.

Please, please take this as a warning, and be VERY careful with your animals... if you haven't had tests run for them, DO IT, because there is nothing as heartbreaking as having to put down an animal that you love.

Crypto is extremely contagious, and not just for leopard geckos. Other reptiles, and even HUMANS, can be affected by it, so make sure to wash, wash, wash after handling each of your pets, and use the proper chemicals when you clean your tanks.

I've been washing hands twice between handlings, and he was in another room.

Unfortunately, I went in to get the gecko tonight for his force feeding, and he had passed away. It's a real shame, he was an awesome gecko.

I guess it's time to tear down the tank. 30% bleach solution and 2 weeks of sun is ahead I guess..any other suggestions?

That's sad to hear. For cage cleaning a 100% ammonia scrub wouldnt be a bad idea.

I have to adree with every thing begunwithaletter said & unfortunatly can relate.
Years back I made several mistakes aquiring a new animal that took out half my collection at the time. About 20 to 30 Leos. I learned alot of lessons the very hard way.
The only positive thing that I was able to come out of my war on Crypto with is the knowledge I aquired from all the research I did & makeing several changes to my husbandry technices to prevent it from happening again. I now do random Crypto test on any animal that shows the slightest sighn of looking ill. Glad to say Crypto free three plus years know.
You have my deepest sympothies & I hope everything else goes good with the rest of your guys.

Yes very sorry to hear that! It is always hard loosing something or someone you love dearly. Yes i would 100% ammonia that tank up as for it could not kill the crypto either. I personally would be safe then sorry and just toss out that tank and build or buy a new one.

i didnt see there were more posts on your situation. and im terribly sorry to hear that crypto actually did strike. hopefully mine doenst have crypo, but i can only hope. im getting mine into the vets within a week, but for then i'll just have to either force feed. or result to a waxie a week. i hate the thought of force feeding, but if it needs to be done, i'll do it.

sorry to hear for your losses..

I'm having to force-feed one of mine now, my vet gave me a great tip as to how to go about it. I have the dropper of "food" ready then instead of tapping around their nose area go to back by the jaw and put a little gentle pressure on it. She resists a bit at first but then opens her mouth, I get the dropper in the corner of it and slowly feed her. She usually bites down on the dropper, just try to keep your fingers out of the way. You might try that, I'm having a lot of success with it. Fran