Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A friend of mine recently dropped off a very skinny leopard gecko for me to try to bring back to health.. Anyone know of good ways to get fat back on them?? So far, I have been giving him 2 waxworms a day (any more than this and he regurgitates them) and every couple of days, gentle opening his mouth and squirting some blended fruits or vegetable juice in his mouth for some extra nourishment... Any help is appreciated.

Matt

leopard geckos are insectavores, meanign they only eat insects. Fruits are bad.

first thing you need to do is make your sleaze bag friend pay for a vet visit for your gecko. get a fecal done (about $15) to see if it has parasites. Go to http://herpvetconnection.com/ to find a vet

once you know what is wrong with the leo you can have it prescribed meds.

UNTIL THEN:
is your leo eating? wax worms aren't a great idea at the moment, not much nutrition and too rich. Take a mealwork or a cricket and pinch it's butt off (make sure you are gutloading your crickets/mealies). Wipe the ooz that comes out of the cricket/mealworm into the leo's face. Does he eat it? You might need to use alittle force but be GENTILE. If he takes it that's a good sign. How big is your leo? Feed him about 3 mealies/2-3 crickets (depending on size) this way. Next you need to know if your reptile is drinking. most leos die not from starvation but from not drinking. I've heard some people use pedialite, i would just take drops of water and place it on your leo's mouth. It'l eventually get irritated and lick it off. do this 2-3 times, about twice a day.

If your leo does not take the mealies, use TURKEY FLAVORED (no ifs ands or buts) BABY FOOD. Put it in a dish and add calcium to it. Dab some on his nose. See if he will eat.

reguritation on a skinny leo is bad, no more wax worms. keep that leo hydrated and make your friend take the poor creature to the vet.

it might be gross but at this time if you are feeding mealies and or crickets, just feed them the guts of the crickets/mealies. if your leo has a stomache problem the hard exto-skeleton in each animal might upset the digestive tracks. think of it as an ensure shake for a gecko. Just dab alittle bit of guts on its nose/mouth (not the nostrils) alittle at a time

it's time consuming but it works

Shame on your friend for dumping his sick animal on you. If you have your own leos i hope you are washing your hands after you touch the sick one (before handling yours).

...

I few things I just learned by bringing my leo to the vet:

My leo had pinworms. I've heard conflicting reports about pinworms but I think they are carried by crickets. If this is true, buy your crickets from a different place. That is of course if your leo has pinsworms. The only way to find that out is to bring him to the vet.

I was given a special feed to replace the baby food. It's called "Eternal Carnivore" made by Walkabout Farms. I was told this is better then the baby food becuase it was made just for canivorous reptiles. It consistes of lots of natural indredients. It sounds like it's a gut-loading medication for reptiles.

My vet also told me that leos can absorb water thru their ehem... butts too. So soaking your leo in a warm bath will also help to hydrate him.

Some of the problems my leo had prior to going to the vet was diarreah, smelly stools, regergitating his food, not eating, sleeping all the time. After he was given the panacur meds, he started pooping better, he seems a little bit more alert and he's slowly starting to eat live food again. He's supposed to get another dose of panacur soon and that should be it for him.

I hope this helped out.
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- Jason

LEOS:
1.1 Hypos (Conan & Red Sonja)
0.0.2 Juvies (Dremel & Ryobi)

CATS:
2.0 Maine Coons (Sam & Tye)

FIANCÉE:
0.1 Tall Blonde (Christine)

Ok,thanks for the help so far.. The gecko will not eat crickets on his own, but has no problem taking down waxworm.. I heard they were high in fat which is why I was giving them to him. I don't keep other leos, but I still wash my hands after handling him. He seems very alert and active still, and he also has runny/smelly stool. I have used panacur many times, and have it at hand,maybe I will use some on him...

Matt

Also,I will pick up some turkey baby food today as well.

Matt

good lord, as safe as panacur is generally speaking, you cannot expect to give this guy the same dose as whatever other leos you have dosed before. if this is not an adult, its all the more important. you can also try some gatorade (a drop or two) for rehydration. and do try a soak or two. he may have coccidia or something not covered by panacur. take him to the vet before giving any meds!!!!
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1.0 Blizzard Bill
1.0 Hypo stripe 100% het Rainwater from JL (BJ)
1.0 HypoTang from Crested (Apricot)
1.0 Tremper Albino Hypo (Cloud)
0.3 Normal/Hi-Yellow Leopard gecko (Beatrice, Goldie (now w/SD), Freckles, Pepper)
0.1 SHCT Leopard Gecko (Brite)
0.1 Tangy Mutt Leopard Gecko (Rainbow)
0.0.2 Corn Snakes (MIA)
RIP Peaches, Ghost

panacur did work on coccidia? My beardie had coccidia and after some vet prescribed panacur he was rid of it.

I think the point is, it might not be something panacur can fix. It might not be internal parasites at all but a bacterial infection. If so you can waste 3 weeks doing the panacur thing only to find out that it didnt help.

yeah, no more wax worms. the best reason i can give you is well, have you ever heard about what happened to holocaust victums when given food after a long period of starvation? their bodies couldn't handle it and they died. same deal with your gecko, it's too rich so don't do it. do the mealworm thing and tell me how that goes. until then, schedule an appointment and make sure your leo is drinking.