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I have a similar problem to the one just posted except my leopard gecko that it isn't eating is full grown. She is about 5 or more years and her eating habits have been getting worse lately. She has always had problems eating, I have almost always had to feed her by hand except when I put crickets in the cage. But last week I put crickets in and she didn't eat a single one. And when I tried feeding her meal worms by hand she only ate one and then was not interested. She is getting really skinny and I'm starting to get worried. I have another leopard gecko from the same clutch as her and the other one eats great, in fact she's pretty fat. So I'm not really sure what to do anymore. Any suggestions?

I have a similar problem to the one just posted except my leopard gecko that it isn't eating is full grown. She is about 5 or more years and her eating habits have been getting worse lately. She has always had problems eating, I have almost always had to feed her by hand except when I put crickets in the cage. But last week I put crickets in and she didn't eat a single one. And when I tried feeding her meal worms by hand she only ate one and then was not interested. She is getting really skinny and I'm starting to get worried. I have another leopard gecko from the same clutch as her and the other one eats great, in fact she's pretty fat. So I'm not really sure what to do anymore. Any suggestions?

First i have a couple of questions for you...

1. you say your leo has always had trouble eating, has she ever been to the vet to have this evaluated? if so, what did the vet find/say?

2. You say you have another leo from the same clutch, are they housed seperately or together? If they are housed together seperate them immediately, the other leo may be causing her stress, and if she has parasites the other leo is at high risk for developing them also.

3. what is her enclosure like? How big is it? How is it heated? How hot is it on the warm side? How hot on the cool side? What substrate are you using? (some substrates are notorious for causing impactions, which can lead to anorexia and weight loss)

The first and most important thing i would suggest is to get her to the vet, or at least bring a fecal in. It will save you time to just bring her into the vet for an exam when you bring the fecal because if the fecal is positive for parasites the vet will need to see her for deworming, and if it is negative he will need to see her to figure out whats wrong. If she is losing weight then you really do not have much time to lose. IT worries me that you are noticing weight loss after only a week, most leo's have good enough fat reserves to go a week or more without food and not lose any weight...

I would check all your husbandry, make sure the temps are correct (85-90degrees on the hot side) etc...and fix anything that may need fixing, or leave it alone if they are all correct.

have there been any changes to your leo's life lately that could have upset her? Did you move her tank? Or rearrange it? Think very hard to see if there is anything, even something little that has changed. SOme leo's are more sensitive than others and can be upset by small changes.

Whenever a lizard stops eating, if the immediate cause cannot be determined (low temps, stress etc) then it is time to go to the vet. Where you said your girl is losing weight already i would get her to the vet asap. Please do not delay.

I hope this helps a little.

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

To answer your questions...

1. No, I've never taken her to a vet because the eating problem she had was that she couldn't really eat on her own and when I hand fed her it wasn't a problem. But now she won't eat even though she is being hand fed.

2. They are housed separately.

3. Her enclosure is a 10 gallon aquarium and I use paper towels for substrate. Everything I have for this gecko I have for the other one which is what confuses me. I normally have a heating pad on one side of the enclosure but recently they haven't had heating because my roommate's rabbit chewed through the cords.

Which kind of leads me to my next point, I don't have the money to replace the heating pads so I definately don't have money to take her to the vet. I'm in college, I have 10 dollars in my bank account, and my parents don't give me money. I was kind of hoping for a solution that might suggest changing her diet to something else or trying a new feeding method. Using paper towels as a substrate is something new I just started because none of the pet stores where I live sell the substrate I used to use, so I would have to go back home to get it. I'm going home this weekend for a short time, should I buy the stuff I used to use and replace the paper towels?

Thanks so much for all your advice, maybe I can talk my parents into giving me some money for the vet.

I know how tough it is to not have enough money to treat an animal but in a case like this there is not much you can do without a vet. Some people might suggest force feeding her yourself but the problem is leo's do not just stop eating for no reason, and until the reason for the appetite loss is solved no amount of force feeding is going to put her right again. I would suggest asking your parents, friends and anyone who might be willing to help if they would help you pay for a visit to the vet. Also, especially while she is sick it is very important to have the proper heating on her so replacing that heating pad is of the essence. If you cannot afford that at least supply some lighting for heat, you can use a desk lamp with a flexible neck bent over to rest on the screen cover with a 50-60watt household bulb and that should up the temperature to suitable levels.

Good luck! Sorry i could not help more
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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

There is a desk lamp on the table she is on with a 60watt bulb. Hopefully that will work. And I'll see if I can talk my parents into the vet thing.

Thanks so much for your help!

No problem, i hope everything works out ok, keep us posted on her progress!
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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