Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just adopted a leopard gecko from a friend you was not a "pet person," to say it nicely. anyway the little guy is pretty skinny and dull but i was wondering if anyone had some ideas for putting some weight on 'im... Heres a few pics:

Well, the obvious question with a skinny gecko is if it's eating, and if so, how much? If it isn't eating well, there could be several reasons. What are you feeding it/does it like that food? Parasites are always possible, impaction is possible as well. I'm not going to lecture you on substrates, and I wouldn't expect impaction with bark in chunks that big, but it could well be that the gecko just doesn't like that stuff. It could also be stress related - if they're in an environment of continual stress, they can stop eating from that too.

Basically, I'd take a thorough look at what your current care practices are, and presuming that's all in order and you've tried a couple of different kinds of food with no change, I'd head for the vet just to check and be sure there's no parasites or impaction to contend with.

If the gecko is fundamentally healthy, then it's probably just a matter of getting the enclosure set up so that it's comfortable and finding the kind of food it likes best, be that crickets, mealworms, or whatever. Just don't fall into the trap of feeding a bunch of waxworms to fatten it up. They are much fattier than just about all the other types of feeder insects, have less vitamins and essential nutrients, and can be addicting, so they're pretty much bad all around, except as occasional treats.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

Yeah I know I haven't been able to change the substrate/cage yet(i just got him tonight), but he is eating some mealworms i put into the enclosure. I was just wondering if anyone had some specific foods in mind that might give him a little nutritious "boost."

ps i already dusting everything i feed him with calcium dust and herptivite.

just feed him well, daily until he fattens up. You could give him just a couple of waxworms once or twice, just that's it. Once he puts on some weight, you can offer a day old pinky, but that's too much for his tummy right now.
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1.0 Hypo stripe, Het RW from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino from Petsmart (Cloud)
0.1 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko from Petco (Beatrice)
0.1 Stripe female (rehabilitated rescue)(Pepper)
0.1 Jungle het RW hatched by me! (Jungle Bunny)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko from Petco (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko from Petco (Rainbow)
0.1 RW Stripe hatched by me! (unnamed yet)
0.1 Leucistic rescue (unnamed yet)
2.1 Ball Pythons
RIP Peaches, Ghost, Bill
Adopted out: Goldie, Leucy, "Q"
Hatched: ~50

apparently that was the only thing that the previous owners fed him...

thats not too healthy for him, right?

Not healthy at all to have a staple of waxworms. If that's all he's been eating since he was young, he def has some pretty severe malnutrition, and may have fatty liver disease, which is serious. Does his tummy look good or can you see a big black spot? If you see a lot of black, that's his enlarged liver and his chances are not great.
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1.0 Hypo stripe, Het RW from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino from Petsmart (Cloud)
0.1 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko from Petco (Beatrice)
0.1 Stripe female (rehabilitated rescue)(Pepper)
0.1 Jungle het RW hatched by me! (Jungle Bunny)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko from Petco (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko from Petco (Rainbow)
0.1 RW Stripe hatched by me! (unnamed yet)
0.1 Leucistic rescue (unnamed yet)
2.1 Ball Pythons
RIP Peaches, Ghost, Bill
Adopted out: Goldie, Leucy, "Q"
Hatched: ~50

I looked at his belly this morning and it looked just like my other leopards belly. but he shed last night heres a pic:

That's good. Most people don't know much about fatty liver disease, but it can be fatal, I've seen it. Cute pic- good luck with him, shedding is a good sign, too. Sounds like he will do well with you. Enjoy him!
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1.0 Hypo stripe, Het RW from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino from Petsmart (Cloud)
0.1 Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko from Petco (Beatrice)
0.1 Stripe female (rehabilitated rescue)(Pepper)
0.1 Jungle het RW hatched by me! (Jungle Bunny)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko from Petco (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko from Petco (Rainbow)
0.1 RW Stripe hatched by me! (unnamed yet)
0.1 Leucistic rescue (unnamed yet)
2.1 Ball Pythons
RIP Peaches, Ghost, Bill
Adopted out: Goldie, Leucy, "Q"
Hatched: ~50

Hey, thanks for all the help!

Well...I kind of got my gecko Sora like that from the petstore...anyways, just keep and eye on his/her eating. Feed it fattening foods for a little while like mealworms. I hope it gets better, it is pretty thin