Hi. Someone I know has a leopard gecko that has lost a lot of weight in only two weeks. She says that the gecko has eaten very little for a few weeks, and its tail has gone from thick to very thin. I have not been able too see the animal personally, but from what I know, the gecko has eaten very small amounts of mealworms and waxworms, but is very lethargic. My first thought was that the lack of appetite is related to the time of year, but two weeks seems like an extremely short amount of time for a gecko to loose so much weight. The failure to eat consistently does not really concern me, but with a weight loss that quick, some other health issue must be present. The gecko lives on a substrate of coconut bedding, which I don't believe can cause impaction -- or can it? Any thoughts?
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Rapid weight loss
Replies (2)
My first impression on the matter is some sort of bacterial infection like Coccidia or Cryptospridium.
Is the gecko regurgitating or passing fecal matter that doesn't look fully digested?
I suggest collecting a fresh fecal sample and having it examined by a vet...........but just because they don't find anything initially in the fecal sample doesn't mean that it isn't there.
I would also recommend separating this gecko from any other geckos and placing the gecko in a sterile container void of any substrate other than newspaper and paper towels until it's healthy again.
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1.0.0 Lampropeltis getula holbrooki
0.1.0 Lampropeltis getula californae
0.0.1 Lampropeltis getula nigra
1.0.0 Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri
2.3.0 Eublapharis macularius macularius
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus
0.1.0 Gerrhosaurus major major
It probably has parasites, and you need to get it to a vet. ASAP.
Take it off of the substrate you have it on and use newspapers and paper towels, other substrats can be breeding grounds for parasites.
Have the vet. coax a sample of fecal out of your gecko and test it fresh.
I once had to have a fecal tested and they had told me to put it in the frig. until I could get to the appt., and when they tested it, it was negative. Will we where there, she went to the bathroom and he re-tested it, and she had to parasites.
So, your judgement.
