Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I purchased a baby leopard gecko from a retailer nearby last Tuesday, and so far all it has eaten is two wax worms and two crickets. She doesn't seem to be very interested in any food that I put into the tank, and I am quite worried she is under weight. I have no idea how old she is, but if anyone has an idea of what might be causing this?

get it off that substrate and take it to the vet. get it on somthign that it cant eat. give it wax worms because they are fatty. it isnt very old it a littl ebit older than my leo. but im no expert but it is deffinately underweight. if i had pics of my leos tail now id show you what it shoudl be like

Take it to a vet right away. It is extremley underweight and may be impacted by the sand it is on. Baby leopard geckos should be kept on paper towels or repticarpet. Substrate is easily ingested and causes blocks in their digestive track. The lizard will be constipated, and unanble to eat. If not caught in time, the impaction may cause tissue degradation in the area and recovery is minimal. The vet can get her on an iv and maybe prescribe some kind of suppliment that can be force fed to get something in her belly, if impaction isn't the problem. Leos must have a fatty tail. The fat builds up as they grow. Your leos tail is so thin.

To tell if its impacted look at the leos under belly under some sort of light and see if you can see an impaction of sand. If it has been pooping any sand that youve noticed, this may also be a sign. If it is pooping normally that is a good sign.

In the meantime, before the vet visit try to mush up some wax worms and force feed with a syring or try to have it lick it off its mouth or nose area.

She ate two crickets yesterday and her poo was normal. Does this suggest there is no impaction or that it has passed as she now seems to be eating?

2 crix is not eating properly my leo eats about 5 -7.
it could wel be paracites or neglect causing stress. take it to a vet all the same. if you had to ask on here your not experiacned to deal with it yourself. evena breader would that that to the vet even with all their experiance. so i strongly suggest it. im no expert but it needs a vet

He is extremely underweight and i would suspect parasites...the tail should not be that drastically thin. He needs to be seen by a vet ASAP, and a fecal sample should be brought to test for parasites. I agree with everyone else as well, get him off that substrate and onto paper towels. Make sure he is warm (hot spot of 90degrees, ambient temps in the 80;s) has several hiding spots, a water dish, and a calcium dish. Do not handle him at all as he is very stressed right now and needs time to recopurate. Hopefully all he will need is some dewormer...but it may also take additional medicine and force feeding. The longer you wait the more dire the situation will become, please go to a vet immediately.
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0.1 Bearded dragon
0.1 mexican Black kingsnake
1.1 Leopard Gecko's
0.0.1 Tokay Gecko
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink
0.0.1 Reverse Okeetee Corn
0.1 Anerythristic Corn
0.0.1 Red Tegu
0.1 Bullmastiff
4.1 Cats

Our very first leo we had died of impaction and she wouldn't eat and didn't poop, so you probably aren't dealing with impaction. I would get it off the sand though. Also yes that little one is very underweight. I have a hatchling thats tail is bigger than that one. I would get it to a vet and then start feeding it some mealworms and maybe some waxworms.

Sorry forgot to attach it the first time. Here is our baby that hatched out at 45 days of incubation.

His tail does look awful, but I've seen WAY worse. Do you have photos that show his size relative to other objects? Very young leos don't have much of a tail and I've been shocked to discover how young pet stores have been selling leos lately.

If he's pooping, he's not impacted...but he still could be on his way to getting impacted. Get him off the sand or whatever tha is and stick him on papertowels.

How are you feeding him? Are you watching him the whole time? Do you leave some mealworms or anything in there overnight so he can pick at them freely? How big are the crickets you are feeding?

Can you give us some details about his living arrangements? (ie, heating, tank temperatures, hides, where his tank is situated?)

I've had leos take over a week to destress and start eating. Lets rule out improper husbandry, temperature issues, etc. before we all freak out.

I still agree with everyone's advice that a visit to the vet and a fecal done by the vet are imperative.
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

Thank you very much!
I have taken the sandy substrate out of the tank, and replaced it with paper towels.
I asked the salesman at the store that I purchased the lizard, and set-up about the risk of impaction, and he said it would be fine for him.
I also think that the temperature is much lower than it should be, I don't have a thermometer, but I seriously doubt that the tank is anywhere near those temperatures.
Tomorrow I will have to look for a larger heat pad, and I shall see if I can get in contact with a vet.
The lizard is quite small, and I have taken a picture of him in relation to the size of a penny.
I really do appreciate this.

that means your pic ias bigger than actua size and ive jsut worked it out andyoru leo is abotu 4 3/4 inches. thats tiny. min was 5 1/2 when i got it and that was small. thats young. scary!!! i cant belive that that pic is actlay bigger than actual size for all you americans. is that a 2p? pleaes let it be a 2p and not a 1p cos if its a 1p thats schockingly small

He IS itty-bitty, but that doesn't mean he can't put on some weight...if we pin-point the problems ASAP...and become a fat, happy little guy...

Like everyone said, a good herp vet is the best way to start. Parasites are extremely common in pet store animals and for the most part, very treatable. Now until he gets to the vet...

Cool! Paper towels are good. You're going to need 2 thermometers in his cage. One for the "warm side" and one for the "cool side". ** If temperatures are inadequate, the gecko will not want to eat, his digestion and activity levels will be inadequate, and the tank will be a breeding ground for parasites, etc. Try to give him privacy to destress. Keep his tank out of high-traffic areas and away from windows. Try not to handle him.

I'm referring you to one of my favorite care sheets (thanks to Marcia @ Golden Gate Geckos) Read EVERYTHING on this care sheet and try to get his set-up up to par:

www.goldengategeckos.com/care.html

Check out info online -- try a search of old threads in this forum and look-up Leopard Gecko info on search engines.

Here's another decent site to get you going:
www.drgecko.com

There's also info on there about how to safely transport your little guy to the vet (heat/cold packs, etc.)

Lastly, here are some pictures of an emaciated baby gecko that I received as a rescue. I believe he came from a pet store too. I was shocked that he had been sold so young! With the right care, he perked up and started eating like a champ:

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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"