Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi i rescued an 8 month old maybe older leo and his tail is thin i was just wondering what i could do to fatten it up he hasent beed eating the crickets or meal worms i've been giving him he did shed yesterday..so i guess he's not sick or anything just underfed?

Shedding isn't really a sign of good health. It's good that he did it, but you can't tell anything of internal parasites or bacterial infections, etc. You don't mention how long you have had him or who it came from. It's not uncommon for a leopard gecko to not eat the first day home, but that one hasn't been eating for a while. Since he's not eating any mealworms or crickets, you should keep him hydrated and get him to the vet as soon as possible. It'll cost you, but could be the difference between life an death. If he defecates, take a sample with you in a plastic baggy. Put it in the fridge to keep it fresh if you're not going right away. Check out arav.org for a list of vets in your area.

On a side note, while I thought about it in the past, it's generally not a good idea to 'rescue' a sick animal like this. There are simply too many healthy leopard geckos to choose from and you don't need to support any dealers/stores/breeders who sell animals in this condition. Even if you got it for free, you risk infecting any other animals you have and it still removes the problem from the supplier.

Good luck
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Rob Jenkins
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If everything checks out at the vet and it still isn't eating, you may try wax worms just go easy with them they're very high in fat.
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2.5.5 Leos
1.2 Beardies
1.1 Okeetee corns

if everything checks out with the vet, you can try super worms. wax worms can be given as a treat once every other week to fatten them up because they are addicting and might make your leo avoid all other foods..it'll take a while before you can help your leo accept other food. if your leo is an adult, you can give pinky mice once every month/every other month as a treat if you want him to gain more weight... but try sticking to the worms b/c some mice can build up bacteria in the leo. so my advice - juicy super worms and a wax worm every other week!

aimee

btw, i've seen your pictures in the gallery since i joined... they're really nice i like em!
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1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Melvin)
1.0 Black Lab / Pitbull mix (Mikey)
1.0 Blue Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)

thanks! lol i finally got him to eat 4 mealies today im really happy about that i'll make sure i get those wax worms i want my leo to live a long and healthy life with me thank you very much for your help

Danny,

make sure you only give those wax worms as treats every 1 or 2 weeks and don't include them as part of his diet!!

the reason why is #1) wax worms are addicting and he could avoid other foods and it'll be hard for him to go back to anything else :::AND::: #2) you don't want him to become obese because there will be some health issues that MAY come up and he might end up getting sick.. i don't think you'll want that! examples of the health issues include respiratory problems, fatty liver disease, and constipation...

so feed him well-gutloaded mealies and superworms as a staple diet with a wax worm once every to every other week.

i'm glad he's starting to eat and good luck with him! take care!!

[aimee]
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1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Melvin)
1.0 Black Lab / Pitbull mix (Mikey)
1.0 Blue Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)

It is time to take alternate metheods. Regardless, DO see the vet, he could have a yeast in fection from high doses of antibiotics, a bacterial/fungal infection, or various parasitic/protazoan complications.

Now that I've said that...gather up the following supplies:
Calcium powder
fruit babyfood
chicken babyfood
ben-bac (or bird hand feeding formula)
para-zap
pedialite (electrlites)

(normally I would say syringe feed parazap tea prior to the above mixture, but this Leo seems too far gone and in immediate need of food)

So, using a pinch of the powders, mix it into 2 table spoons of each of the baby foods and add a table spoon of pedialite. These are only approximate measurements.

Fill an oral syringe with the mixture (add pedialite until easily sucked up the syringe - but you don't want it watery).

If the Leo refuses to lick the drops of mixture from the syringe, touch the side of his mouth with it until he bites at it. Move the syrnge so that it is at the back of his throat. Slowy, a drop at a time, dispense the mixture. 1cc a feeding (3xs a day or more) until he can comfortably hold 3cc a feeding.

I've used this method to keep animals alive before. Make sure to follow up with meds he needs or you will be feeding him the rest of his life, which may not be very long.

Good luck!
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