Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 3 year old F Lep gecko. Its tail has gone down to pencil thin. It is drinking water but it is very lean and I need advice on how to proceed. I am not a professional gecko dealer just a pet owner. There are feces in the cage and she has eaten crickets and meal worms. She was housed with 4 other females in a large enclosure and was moved when we thought she was not getting her fair share of the food. Its been a few weeks and there is little improvement.
She is on newspaper substrate. Please relay any helpful suggestions before we go to a vet, as we are unsure we have a reptile vet locally.
Thanks in advance for your help.

first is first
is her poop normal ? instead of taking her to the vet maybe send a stool first ? about 20 dollars
it is possible she/he could have parasites which is never good for a gecko

im sure you have this little one in a ten gallon
if not a ten gallon is fine with a uth
keep the tank at 88 - 90 degrees on 1 side and the other should be 70ish ?
im only saying this becuase her temps possibly could not be right ? she will not eat then
have a humid hut misted in there.. a cool and hot hut too some water and pure calcuim in a little like milk gallon jud lids work great
( if she/he does not start eatting soon i would get some baby food and mix it with some calcuim ( im not positive on the baby food ) .. to help the gecko give you a stool ( just a tip )

i would say if your gecko does not start eatting by like soon you will have to take it to a vet a herp vet .. if possible
the gecko right now has no food storage and is probley living on what fat it has on it is left
but you said it was eatting ??

update us please thanks
and good luck

Not babyfood, wrong species, the won't digest it...

Pick up vanilla flavored Ensure. It is a liquid supplement targeted at older adults, full of calcium and protein, usually by the vitamins or diet products in the store. Secret weapon for sick leos. Drop a bit on their nose and they should lick it up.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

one of are good rep vets tolds us that sorry about that but i learned something new ... ensure

I got some boost this morning and feed her about 2 eye dropper full. How much and how often??? I can not get an appointment until Monday evening. Thanks all for help!!!

That is a good sign, tonight try offering her crickets, maybe one at a time as many as she wants. Repeat tomorrow with ensure and trying crickets. Her digestive system my have just needed a jump start or it might be just a gecko cold. As long as she is getting some nutrition, feed her as much as she'll take of whatever she'll take until you can see the vet. The outlook is promising.

PS The vanilla ensure is a really good trick. We had a sick gecko and was suggested some weird thick sugary reptile save all / jump start their metabolism stuff. We could only get him to eat it if we watered it down. Ensure is the best and a good amount of calcium too. Just make sure it is vanilla the other flavors are not gecko friendly. Wish I had known that at the time our first gecko was sick, but we are always learning here.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

Thanks for your encouragement!!! She pooped twice since the morning feeding. One looked like it had blood in it. I changed the paper, water and feed her again with the dropper. She ate alot! I had left a cricket it with her last night and when I change the paper the cricket was still there. I'll put another cricket in tomorrow.

just a tip take the crickets out when your done feeding even if she did not eat any while the gecko sleeps the cricket could nip at her toes ,or tail ..
just a though
im gald shes eatting best of luck .

Just curious, I was worried when you said you saw blood, but was encouraged when the gecko ate. I hope all went well and the treatment was easy.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

Cheslsey die today at 7:30 pm. Went to the Vet Monday and he said it was hopeful, but wanted the vet who specialized in Geckos to take a look. Cheslsey's liver was enlarged and there was a spot that was probably cancer. The vet put her to sleep tonight. Just got home, going to sleep now... very sad news.

But thanks all for you help. At least I spent some good time with her these last few days.

I'm sorry for your loss- I also lost a leo due to an enlarged liver condition. If it's any consolation, my herp vet said it is a not uncommon genetic defect, so unless all you fed her was waxworms, it's not your fault, and your leo thanks you for doing the best you could.
Disclaimer: I have not read any of the prior posts in this thread!
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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 (Lucy?)
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0.0.1 SHCTB hatched by me! (Sunny II)
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Hatched: ~50 leos

Thank you so much!!!! I only feed them wax worms and meals as a treat. But now I am paranoid. My other light colored leo has a dark spot on her head. I just keep a close eye on it.

I'm so sorry for you loss. We also experienced having to have our first leo, Harvey, put to sleep rather than see him suffer more from a parasitic infection.

My deepest condolences, sometimes things just happen. At least please take my praise for being a responsible pet owner and putting her to sleep... the hardest decision to make, to ease the pain and suffering of a little one, but in turn increase your own due to the loss.

My best wishes.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock