Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, baby is still not looking good. She hasn't moved since last night, and looks so, so weak. I may try to feed her later, but I'm afraid that other than keeping her warm and comfortable, I may have to let nature take its course.

I was wondering if anyone out there has had any success rehabilitating sick geckos, especially ones this small (she's only about 4 inches long).

Thanks!

KP

I'm really not sure what can be done, what are you trying to feed her? We have a sick baby, about 3 inches, who simply stopped eating a few weeks ago, and she's become very very thin, and we've been feeding her Ensure (you know that drink people drink for nutrition and stuff) with bananas blended in by a syrenge. She seems to be doing ok, though not really much better, but he hasn't gotten worse. Have you taken yours to a vet at all?
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1.2.0 Leopard Geckos
0.1.0 Miniature long-haired dachsund

I've seen leos make comebacks like you wouldn't believe, so I wouldn't give up hope on her yet. Now is a critical time more than anything to make sure the temps of the enclosure are correct. It has to be at 88-90 degrees on the floor of the warm side of the tank. Not only will this help stimulate her appetite but will aid in digestion. Leos that age also need more humidity than older leos, so make sure you've got a humid hide kept in her tank at all times. Use a small opaque container like the 100 ct. mealworm cups. This may not help solve the problem, but it will make her more comfortable.
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5.6 leopard geckos

chickabowwow

Thank you for the replies!

We took her to the vet on Friday, where they gave her an enema (it appeared that she might have been impacted, no poops for several days and a scant amount of blood coming from her vent) and also checked for parasites (negative). We keep our babies on paper towels, so no chance of a sand impaction, however I may have fed some questionably large crickets. She was my most agressive eater, and would go after anything and everything!

She stopped eating on her own about Wednesday, so I was dabbing a bit of chicken baby food mixed with a bit of Repta-Aid emergency diet mix. By Friday morning, she had quit trying to lick the mix off, so that's when I knew a trip to the vet was in order. He "prescribed" some mixture that we mix with warm water for feedings, twice a day. Anyone know any tricks to get their little mouths open? The vet made it look so eay, but I've had to pry it open with my fingernails, and I'm worried that I may cause some damage (better than letter her starve, at this point, I guess).

She has moved to the other side of her tank this morning, and I even saw a little "present" in the cage... can't tell if it's #1 or a runny #2, but was happy to see something, nonetheless!

Would welcome any and all advice!
Thanks!
KP

There is a certain way to get them to open their mouths by holding a stick near their mouth at an angle. Personally, I don't recommend physically prying open the mouth of a leo that small because you can cause serious jaw damage. I've medicated lots of stubborn leos using only the drop on the mouth method. You might have to wait a few minutes (maybe even more than 5) before they start licking again, but they always lick.
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5.6 leopard geckos

chickabowwow

I was using the drop on the nose method up until Thursday. When we checked on her Friday morning, she had not licked off her baby food, and had some even dried up on her nose. Subsequent attempts to feed this way have not been successful. Perhaps I'll try again this afternoon, now that she's had a few "force feedings". If not, I'll try the stick/angle approach. The doc was very good about telling me to be sure and dropper the feeding solution way back into the throat so that she doesn't aspirate it.

Thank you so much!

KP

Yeah our baby is stubborn when it comes to feeding with the baby food or Ensure mix, it just takes a lot of time/patience. We have a problem with ours of over-feeding him with the Ensure and he'll throw it up, so watch out for that.
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1.2.0 Leopard Geckos
0.1.0 Miniature long-haired dachsund

Could you go into more detail about how my temperature should be? We have our baby in a 10 gallon I think, with a small/medium size heating pad on, which seems to heat it pretty well, but perhaps it isn't enough heat, should I look into getting a lamp or something else?
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1.2.0 Leopard Geckos
0.1.0 Miniature long-haired dachsund

I use a combo of an undertank heater that stays on all the time and an aquarium hood with a 25 watt bulb on one side (the warm side). This combo has worked really well for us, as it gives off just a tad more heat during the day than using the uth alone, and the geckos have a nice warm spot to go at night. I have the sick baby in a "hospital" tank, and just moved her humidity hide to the warm side of the tank so she'll stay warm and moist, as suggested by another poster. Good luck!
KP

one of our eggs finally hatched.. Crystal found it, and the baby was just lying there.. Stayed there, alive, for a couple of days. We kept it in the incubator on a warm moist paper towel, but it never recovered.

~~Dusty Windom
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So Many Alleles, So Little Time...!
@
~~The Gecko Barn~~