Reptile & Amphibian Forums

He used to be a pretty regular eater, but all of a sudden he's not eating. Every couple of days he "might" eat 1 cricket, but he used to eat 2-3 a day. As of now, he's got 3 crickets in his cage that have been there for 4 days now. Last night, I had my husband pick up some mealworms because I thought maybe he wanted something different. Fed them to him last night and he snatched those up quickly, but then just now he regurgitated them and they are still intact. Like he wasn't able to digest them. Please help!

whats the temp in the cage? Do you have UTH and a thermal gradiant?

I'm not sure what the temperature is in there because I don't have a thermometer in there. I have an undercage heater and a UV light on during the day and at night I have a nightlight. I should probably get a thermometer for it but I've never had a problem with his temperature or his eating until now and I've had him for eight months. He's on Calci-Sand and always has been.

has he Defecated at all?

When he was eating he was. But he hasn't eaten in days and therefore hasn't defecated since. Should I call my local vet that deals with reptiles? He doesn't seem to have lost a lot of weight or anything, but I know it's normal for him to just not be eating like this.

I mean, in the past two weeks, he's eaten maybe 3 crickets.

well i would get other peoples opinion too, but i say he is impacted. He would get so by eating the calci-sand, which will stick together in his gut and block him up, which is why everybody says dont use it. If he is im not sure what you can do. I could tell you for chameleons, but dont have a clue on leopards. Hope someone else has better news.
Ryan

usually when a leo regurtates it has ate to much and cant fit anymore in his stomach. A temp. gauge would be a good investment. It might be to warm or cool for him and so forth. Calci-sand does cause impaction and I would remove him so you could narrow that down of none impaction. If he is impacted a warm soak for like 10-15 min 2 - 3 times a day usually gets them to use hte restroom. A vet trip would also be good too.
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2 male leos: Winky HY & Lenny TangCT & 2 Female Leos: Sunshine Super tang & Serenity Tremper HY Jungle Albino

What is the safest way to soak him without him getting out? Lately he's expressed a great desire to be out of his cage, but when I take him out, he tries to run off.

same thing you do with chameleons and snakes. Didnt know for sure on geckos and didnt want to give bad advice. Thanks for clearing that up.
Ryan

Well, I've gotten him a thermometer now and it reads a pretty constant 85 in the middle of his tank; between his hot side and his cool side.

Im sure this isnt the best way but it worked for one of mine that wanted to run rather than get better. I bleached out my sink in my bathroom and then filled it with some warm water, only enough water to reach around his belly and I did it that way. What size tank do you have for your leo. If its a 10 gal tank and its reading 85 in the middle you probably dont have a good temperature gradient for it so that might be the problem. If it is a 20l tank it would be ok. For my 20L tank I have 2 thermoaters in there one on the cool one on the warm and the humid one in the middle. If it is a 10g tank try taking the light off of it or the uth. It might be to warm for it.
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2 male leos: Winky HY & Lenny TangCT & 2 Female Leos: Sunshine Super tang & Serenity Tremper HY Jungle Albino

That's pretty warm for the middle of the tank. You have to remember that the temperature of the tank isn't going to remain consistent throughout the year unless you have a thermostat. 8 months ago was winter time, and depending on where you live, the temperature of your house can fluctuate greatly even with the AC on. If he wants to get out, then that's even more of a reason to think he's not comfortable with the temps.

I would lower the temp of your tank first. Impaction isn't always the reason geckos stop eating. Soaking your gecko will probably stress the heck out of him, so it might be an unnecessary call for action.

But if it's what you're going to do, just get one of those Glad plastic tupperware containers, punch in enough airholes (I put in four holes that are big enough for them to stick their nose through), put in some paper towels and enough warm water to reach his belly. Then put on the lid and put the container half on the warm side and half on the cooler side. He'll probably stay on the cool side, but the warm side is to keep the water warm.
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Lovin' would be easy if your colors were like my dreams...

I had a similiar problem several years ago and though I don't know enough specifics to diagnose your gecko I will give you a possibility. Well my first gecko had been eating great usually around 9 mealworms a night, but then one day all of a sudden she stopped eating almost completely. I checked my thermometer and it was up around 95 even though my thermostat was set for 90. I figured out the explanation was that it occurred sometime during summer and my house is not airconditioned. So I moved into the basement since then and it still gets up to 82 in there on some days so rgular checks of the warm side temp are neccesary but I have not had any trouble since and I have two or three fans available at all times.