Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my gecko is about a juvenile she is about maybe 6 months old or 8 but anyways when I first got her she was eating like a monster she was getting fat and as soon as winter came she started eating less now her tail is very slim and she seems to be eating about maybe 5 mealies a week if id have to guess i was thinkng about taking her to the vet is this wise she hasnt been there at all she seems active just not eating she is in sand so should I switch her to paper towels or thin wood chips because i dont have much luck with leos 2 of them passed away under my care (RIP) and I dont want this one too

thanks in advance

(sorry for the spelling /grammer)

Yes take her to the vet. there is no good reason for a thin tail, winter or no. Get her off the sand and put her on paper towels. NEVER wood chips. And she especially should be taken to a vet if you've had other leos die. There may be something contagious that's now affecting this new leo. Or it could be sand impaction. Call vet right away.

ok i am going to make a call and try to schedule an appointment for the week this week looks busy but ill try really hard and switch her to paper towels in the morning

any more suggestions are welcome

.

Clean your tanks with some bleach and rinse it out good with water, whatever killed your other 2 leos must be effecting this one. Get some feces and ask your vet to do a fecal check to see if it has any parasites in its stools. Since it sounds like it has a parasite, if it eats any sand it will be a lot more vulnerable to it because of it is now much weaker.

Are you providing your baby with adequate heat? If you haven't adjusted the temperature controls to compensate for winter, this will affect your leo's appetite. Remember to keep the warm side of the tank at about 88-90 degrees. Babies are more sensitive than adults to drops in temperature, and they constantly need warmth available to keep up their appetite.

Your bad luck with leos sounds more like husbandry issues, but it's good that you're going to schedule a vet appointment. You can refer to herpvetconnection.com to look one up.
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