Reptile & Amphibian Forums

today while feeding my ever so sick leopard gecko she died in my hands i was feeding her teh formula and after i "force feed" it into her mouth she tried to throw it up and i wouldnt let her bc she doesnt know it is good for her but thank you all for helping me i really appreciate it and i think my gecko did too but do you reccomend i get another leo or not because i dont want to kill that one again

I am soooo sorry ! You did all you could for her.She was lucky to have someone to fight for her even when she was to weak to fight for herself! That makes you a great soul! take care! ~Denise

>>today while feeding my ever so sick leopard gecko she died in my hands i was feeding her teh formula and after i "force feed" it into her mouth she tried to throw it up and i wouldnt let her bc she doesnt know it is good for her but thank you all for helping me i really appreciate it and i think my gecko did too but do you reccomend i get another leo or not because i dont want to kill that one again

I say get another gecko, but give yourself some time before you get a new one. That way your confidence level will come up as well as your heart from the break that was caused by this one dying.

I'm sorry, I know all too well the pain that is caused by pets leaving at an earlier time then we planned.

Good Luck and once again my condolences to you.
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2 Mali Uromastyx-Ares & Apollo
2 Bearded Dragons- Draco & Hades
0.1.1 Leopard Gecko's-Kalypso & Phoenix
1 Tokay Gecko-Sid Vicious
1 Tarantula-Peter Parker
1 Amazon Red Head Parrot-Pancho
1 African Gray Parrot-Keya
1 Dog-Cheeka
1 Zebra Finch-Beeps

I don't want to sound harsh, but isn't this the third or fourth leopard gecko that you have had die?

Before you consider getting another one you really have to look at what you are doing wromg and correct your mistakes.

Sorry if you feel I'm being mean, but someone needed to say it, I'm surprised at these other people that are telling you to get another one, perhaps they are unaware of the previous dead geckos.
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Sam
Gecko Den
Email Me

one of my main problems is i keep getting them from pet stores and i do not take them to the vet right away which i should but wait until a little before they get sick or when they start to get sick

Sorry about your lost, the same thing happened to my first leopard gecko, she would not eat or drink, I had to force feed her to and one day I took a look in her cage and found her died. I did get her from a pet shop, when I bought her she was very thin and sick. You sould get a new leopard gecko but wait until you are ready to get a new one, I did get another one and I still have my new leopard gecko. Sorry again about your lost, Scott Glover

I'm really sorry.. Don't blame yourself at all, you really tried to save the little leo's life. Like someone else said, get another, but wait a while before you do. Also, I recommend you buy one from a well-known breeder if you can, you'll recieve a happy and healthy gecko, so you shouldn't have any problems as long as the habitat is suitable. Good luck next time and I'm sorry again for the loss of your little leo.
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-Britney

2.4.1 Leopard Geckos: Ron, Raine, Dream, Tango, Go-Go, Johnneh and Salleh.
0.0.1 Bearded Dragon: Lil' Little.

If you get another one, I would start over with a new cage, water dish, food dish, calcium dish, and hides.... And spend a few extra bucks and buy from a reputable breeder..... It pays off in the long run..... Good luck with your next leo....

i will get anotehr leo but not until may that woudl give me 2 months to look at breeders and their credibility maybe ill ge her a friend also because maybe my leo died from lonliness or drepession or ill gte myself a giant male

Your leo didn't die from depression or loneliness.

And don't spend two months checking a breeders credibility, spend the time figuring out what is wrong with your husbandry.
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Sam
Gecko Den
Email Me

I have to agree here. Maybe you should get something like a hamster or something. They are a easier to take care of. Or maybe get like an anole, they are really easy to care for. I wouldn't rush back into get a leo after all your other ones died so quickly. And getting one from a breeder as opposed to a pet store really doesn't make any sense. If your leos had a bug or something, taking them to the vet early on would have fixed the problem, but from your past posts, it didn't seem like you were in a big hurry to take them to the vet. When you get any animal, you have to be willing to, and be able to afford to, take them to the vet right away if something happens. Unless of course, you're like an expert at diagnosing and treating ailments.

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~*Chibi*~
Sir Iggy ( 1.0.0 El Salvador Blue Iguana), Ryo-ohki, Orion, Bud, & Finnegan (3.1.0 crazy kitties), Rosebud (0.1.0 cockerspaniel), Trixie and Kayko (0.1.1 leopard gecko)

I'm sorry for your loss -- Even though everyone always says not to, I've taken on several sick Leos -- I've definitely almost been in tears watching my current "donation" struggle through courses of anti-biotics, baby food feedings, daily electrolyte "baths" etc. I have to commend you for seeking so much information and educating yourself, so hang in there!! Sometimes there's nothing you can do for the sick lil' ones.

This may have been asked already, but where are you getting your babies from? Perhaps your seller/breeder/petstore is selling you Leos that already have parasitic infestations, etc? Also, its better to pick a flighty lil' bastard than a "sweet" baby that tolerates handling. All my babies have been psycho but all calm down eventually and are happy to chill on an arm or shoulder while watching TV. It just takes time.

If you do opt for a new pet in the future and you can interact w/the babies before picking one, ask to see them at feeding time and pick a nice fat one that's more interested in its food than any of the others.

I hope this isnt rhetorical and you've heard it 200 times but perhaps try another source for a new baby Leo after the "mourning" period and make sure you cleanse the tank thoroughly, new substrate, everything. If you're tying to use bleach, I'd be VERY careful -- try one of the commercial anti-bac gels/cleansers and make sure to get ANY residue left over from the cleaning products out (I do this w/my feeding tanks in the bathtub!)

Good luck & hang in there,

~Linz

ive had her since sept from a pet store and she was eating fine until winter started does it take that long for a bug or something to kick in

I had the exact same problem. I got my leo from a pet shop four months ago. It ended up having Giardia. Although the bug was taken care of, it was still young, & there wasn't much fat in its tail for it to use up. I'd been forcefeeding it, but it would throw up, so I was putting the food on its nose instead. It was doing better, but died only a few hours ago. I think it was a problem with the petstore. The bugs take a while to really show up. I, too, am wondering on whether or not I should get another. I think I eventually will, but this time I'm going to a reptile show, & I'm buying from a reputable breeder. Just as a tip for next time, you should bring the leo to the vet right after you get it. I wish I would have done that. =( But I definitely think you should get another. I'm going to get an adult... one with a big fat tail just incase something goes wrong, so it has more of a chance than my little guy did. And if you use the same enclosure, make sure to bleach it. Good luck with any future leos, or future herps for that matter. Oh, & another thing, I picked up some Repta-Aid for non-feeding herps. Unfortunately, the leo had died by the time I got back from the store, but I had some trouble finding the stuff. It would be a good idea to track some down before you get another leo, just in case. I got it at Petsmart (I could only find one Petsmart with it in stock) for about $10, but you can buy it online as well. It's made by Fluker's. Anyway, sorry this was so long, but I was surprised to see someone else in the same situation. I hope you feel better about your loss, & don't let it get you down when it comes to other leos. They're great animals, & under normal circumstances, you shouldn't have any problems. Good luck. =)
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-Prttyhtmchn
1.2.0 ball pythons
0.1.0 albino California kingsnake
0.1.0 Columbian red-tail boa
1.0.0 albino burmese python
1.0.0 Argentine B&W tegu
0.0.1 albino leopard gecko

i might get it from a breeder but the next show they got in my area is on my palm sunday and im very religious and the next one after that is in july and that is a far way away about 2 months later thne i expected to be getting a new leo but i could wait, but teh problems with the breeders is they have 500$ leos that i like their colors but am not interested in breeding leos just havin a lil friend around, if you know what i meen

I understand what you mean about just wanting a little friend. Even so, your best bet is to wait for the reptile expos. The last one I went to had several hundred leopard geckos from many different breeders, all for $30 or so. Most people weren't even selling morphs. It was a fairly small show... the most expensive animal was probably the $8,000 motley boa (which turned out to be infested with mites, according to my friend that purchased it). Not that it's inexpensive, but the larger the show, the more expensive the animals. Just try to find a local show. You should have no problems finding the leo you want. What area are you in? Reptiles Magazine usually lists shows all over the country. I could check the last issue, or find some websites for show listings. Good luck. =)
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-Prttyhtmchn
1.2.0 ball pythons
0.1.0 albino California kingsnake
0.1.0 Columbian red-tail boa
1.0.0 albino burmese python
1.0.0 Argentine B&W tegu
0.0.1 albino leopard gecko

i live in teh northeast area of the us in ct and i go to the shows in ny but there is a show a few hours away frum me in new hampshire but the ny 1 im more familiar with and they have about 120 vendor tables and the other 1 has about 80 so ill check out teh otehr one too

I can recommend it highly. It is not overwhelmingly large. The prices aren't bad either. Depending on which vendor you go to. I got both Boo and Popeye for $30. Depending on the morph you want the price goes up. Most are reasonable.
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7 Leos
Milo(my adult male) Mongo, Raptor,and Spaz
Popeye and Boo(named after Monster's Inc. Character)
and Pumpkin the Patternless (my baby male)

1 2 month old. Female Bearded Dragon. Tequila Sunrise, Tequila for short

1 dog
Baby (Peekapoo)

2 Cats
Mr. Kitty and Shelly (my adopted senior citizen. She's 14!)

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I would not beat yourself up about to much though. Sounds like you did your best. I have four leos that were bought a pet store by my fiances brother. I got luckly in that they are all healthy, but I would not recommend buying from a store. They often don't know about the needs of their reptiles, or don't care. I have been going to reptile show for about three years now, and have gotten three of my geckos from breeders. However, there are breeders you are just out to make a quick buck too. So, you jsut have to use your best judgment. I am pretty sure that I have seen websites that tell you what to look for in a healthy gecko. There are also breeders online, if you don't mind the shipping costs. I have never gone through one, I am not comfertable with having a gecko mailed to me. Quite a few people have posted on her abut doing though, and they were quite happy. You can even post and ask for recommedations about good online breeders. I don't know about dosile young ones being worse than little freakazoids. My leucistic Pumpkin was fine with being held the day we brought him home, Boo and Popeye were total spazs though. Babies on the whole though will be jumpy and just general scaredy cats. Hope this helps.
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7 Leos
Milo(my adult male) Mongo, Raptor,and Spaz
Popeye and Boo(named after Monster's Inc. Character)
and Pumpkin the Patternless (my baby male)

1 2 month old. Female Bearded Dragon. Tequila Sunrise, Tequila for short

1 dog
Baby (Peekapoo)

2 Cats
Mr. Kitty and Shelly (my adopted senior citizen. She's 14!)

Im sorry for your loss as well...

If you want to get a leo again i would start over from scratch. Not just a new leo or a new tank but with a whole new outlook. Do research as if you have never had a leo before, buy books, and make sure you set up your tank in the best way you can. Also, when you get your new leo take a fecal sample (at least, if not the whole leo) to the vet immediatlely! Parasites are much easier to irradicate eariler on.

Someone above mentioned you were reluctant to take your leo to the vet, if this is true you may want to wait until you have a "vet fund" saved up. I try to keep several hundred dollars stashed away in case of an emergency trip to the vet

good luck!
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican kingsnake
1.0.2 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Rose Hair Tarantula
1.0 BTS
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats