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Leopard gecko feeding problems

papageorgi091 Mar 03, 2009 01:57 PM

I have four females and two males, and one of the females and both the males love to eat, but i got two of the females from a breeder, and they are really fat, but they do not want to eat for some reason. I also have a problem with the last femle, I rescued her from a local Uncle Bill's pet shop, she was very skinny, andshe was the healthiet that was there! she does like to eat, but when she does she pukes everything up soon after... I just want to know what is wrong with me leopards, and what feeding tips I can get to make them more glutaneous (SP)...

sincerely Papa G!

Replies (3)

Niki458 Mar 03, 2009 02:48 PM

I'm not sure but it could be because of temps they do have a cool down time when they don't eat much, they may be egg bound or getting ready to lay. As for the little one that is puking up its food I would get it to a vet it might have parasites. GL

indictment Mar 04, 2009 12:15 AM

First off, puking is bad! I really recommend separating that particular female from all the other geckos immediately so the other geckos don't catch the disease if there is one.

Always wash your hands after doing anything with that gecko before doing anything with the other geckos. Don't take leftover crickets out of that gecko's cage and put it in another cage.........keep her as quarantined as possible. Keep it sterile as possible........use newspaper or paper towels and change them every time they are soiled. Don't allow insects to nibble on her poop or regurge as that will cause the parasites(if there are any) to get back into the system. I recommend getting a fecal sample when you're able to and taking it to your vet. To me, it sounds like cryptosporidium or coccidia, which are intestinal bacteria parasites. Fortunately Coccidia is highly treatable if caught in time.

Most importantly, give your geckos choices! Let them decide what temperatures they can access. A cool side of 72-75 F (about room temp)with access to a localized hot spot of about 88-90F F provides a thermal gradient spreading over 20 degrees F. Provide hide spots all over so they feel secure. Other than that, there's not much to encourage appetite.

If these are new animals, then give them time to adjust to their new surroundings before expecting them to eat everything in front of them.
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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

papageorgi091 Mar 12, 2009 11:41 PM

Thank you guys for all your help, now I have her on a diet of crickets instead of meal worms and she is gaining weight and looking more like a normal leopard gecko!

sicerely Papa G

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