Reptile & Amphibian Forums

O.K. I'm a newbie to the forums!Please try to help!
My high yellow adult male was bright and beautiful and just a picture of perfect health until he escaped his enclosure.He was M.I.A. for three weeks and five days-I was starting to give up when he came out from the heating duct.He wasn't physically hurt on the outside but terribly dehydrated,starved,bland colors,etc. So I ensured his enclosure was ESCAPE PROOF,appropriate temps,etc.I gave him a few days of rest-knowing that he's going to be weak.At first, I really thought he was eating and just a bit slow.He would respond well and seem perky when handled,just slower.One big issue is his fat tail he once had is almost diminished to that of a baby gecko.Almost a week has gone by since his return-I am feeling that he's not responding-I have not seen him eat or drink or bathroom break or hunt or anything for several days!He is very weak and doesn't want to have any activity!I have forced him water from a medication dropper and he will lap it up.I have read and known of geckos dying from non-responsive behavior after escapes and the like.Can I force feed him something such as the baby food and calcium?I am well approaching emergency status!I don't have a real herp vet in my area,my box turtle vet may be able to help!He's not a lost cause by any means but any great tips on pumping him up and nursing him back would be greatly appreciated!thanks for reading and for helping!!

since you dont have a herp vet, go see the box turtle vet. Thats not a issue that can be solved with simple advice. He could have eaten somthing that has impacted him, or he could just be stressed. Its really nothing I can gamble on advising. I recomend a vet soon Good luck.

I'd also recommend seeing the box turtle vet...aren't turtles reptiles anyway? It is quite possible that your leo was exposed to something very bad during his MIA trip. If he is very dehydrated, he may not have the strength to eat. I would recommend continuing to dropper him water several times a day. Place him on damp paper towels, to keep the humidity up in his cage. Rehydration is going to be your first goal. If he does not start to eat soon, I'd go with a dropper method with baby food mixed with calcium and vitamins and minerals. Just a drop of water helps it not clog the dropper also. This is also a good way to get him to produce a stool to take to the vet. Good luck, and keep us updated!
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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?)
0.1 Tremper stripe from JMG (Delta)
0.1 SHCT hatched by me! (Blinky)
0.0.1 SHCTB hatched by me! (Sunny II)
0.1 Ball Pythons
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
Hatched: ~50 leos

I totally agree, turtle vet will know enough or who else to consult with.

I disagree with the babyfood. Vanilla flavored Ensure. It is a dietary supplement for older humans, tons of calcium and protien and generally your best option. Slightly sweet, he should lick it up when dropped on his nose. You get all that and extra hydration. The canned drink is found usually in the vitamin or diet areas of most stores, but only use the vanilla flavor.

I'd stay away from baby food, leos aren't really set up to digest the fruit kind and the meat kind are cooked, another thing they don't necessarily do well with. Don't stress him worse.

Good luck at the vet, we are pulling for him.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

Sorry, I concur with the Ensure wholeheartedly! No chocolate though, vanilla!
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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?)
0.1 Tremper stripe from JMG (Delta)
0.1 SHCT hatched by me! (Blinky)
0.0.1 SHCTB hatched by me! (Sunny II)
0.1 Ball Pythons
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
Hatched: ~50 leos

Ok Im gonna post a link provided by Marcia, this is what I would use.
http://www.geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=978