Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, I work at a pet store and I was given a female 3 month old leopard gecko as she was of no use to the store.(you can't sell a blind gecko) anyway, she will not hunt on her own so I am force feeding her, I have never had a gecko before and am absolutely clueless but I will do EVERYTHING in my power to save this animal. so here are my questions.
1. I have her on newspaper as sand and bark make her crazy she seems confused by it, is that ok?
2. she is very emaciated and I am forcefeeding her wax worms (2 worms, 2x a day)for the fat, is that enough or should I be doing more?
3. I am working on a water system where there will be a bubbler or waterfall so she can hear the water, any suggestions? right now I just place her front feet on the edge of her water dish after feeding her. and then I wait she hasn't drank anything yet.
4. will she ever learn to hunt? can I teach her to hunt? If so how?
5. how about a hide box, she can't find it? very timid does not move about in her habitat. she stays in the middle between warm and cold sides, how will she molt, she poops and takes a few steps to get out of it, but thats about all the motion i've seen.
I have had her for 2 days.

What i would do is this:

First, i would lay off the waxies and try something a bit different for a little while. WAxies are very high in phosporus and quite addictive, which is a bad mix. What you should do is go to a vets office and pick up a couple of cans of hills a/d diet. It is manufactured for cats and dogs that are ill and have a hard time eating, but it works well with emaciated or anorexic herps too. I would dilute it with water and add some sandfire leopard gecko dust and calcium to it every 3 feedings. You will need to syringe feed her, but alot of the time, putting a drop on the snout will induce a licking response. Go slow with this, and do not feel tht you need to cram the syringe into her mouth. Also remember that her tummy is very small, so dont over do it.
Once you have done this for a while, she may want to eat on her own. A good way to get her to do this is to pop the head off of a meal worm or cricket and hold it in front of her. The smell may be enough to get her to eat.
This tends to happen to older geckos, and this feeding method can work, while allowing the animal to lead a fairly stress free life. First tho, i would get her nutrition up with the a/d diet.
Paper towels will be best for her. I use them for my leos anyway, so they do not incur any impaction problems.
You may want to consider a red heat bulb instead o fa day light bulb. You did not mention why she is blind, but if it has to do with albinism it may help to reduce the brightness (maybe help alittle anyway)
good luck with her and keep us posted. jen
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"Brains for dinner, brains for lunch. Brains for breakfast, brains for brunch. Brains for every single meal; why can't we have some GUTS?"-Misfits

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho......MIA
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
0.1 partial stripe ghost corn- Raven
1.0 Sunglow motley corn-Ernie
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.2 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.0.1 crested gecko- Jubeh
0.1 leucistic texas ratsnake-Ojo
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
2.0 bettas
0.0.1 goldfish-fishwad

thanks for the response I really needed it. No one knows why she is blind but she appears to have eyeballs and such, the vet says he is clueless as to the cause. Right now I am feeding her Jumpstart,dusted crickets,pedialite,and wax worms blended in a blender then I force open her mouth and feed. I am feeding 1/2 teaspoon every 2 hours. I gave her 2 waxworms and 2 1/4 criks but she threw them up 3 hours later so i'm back to the blender. Other than the fact that she is not eating on her own she is healthy according to the vet no problems with stool sample. (could not do blood yet, shes too weak) but will get that ASAP. I have also placed repti-vite in a tray in her habitat in the hope she will smell it and eat it.
Any suggestions on a hide box? my main problem is the moist spot she needs to molt, from all I've read its very important but I don't know how she will find it. The vet says she will FEEL her way to it but I think her space needs to be open with just water and her rock (slate under a black repti-light) red was not availabe in 30 watt so I ordered one.
I am thinking of shifting to an every other day feeding schedule because I think I am feeding her too much and that's why she barfed. It also may encourage appetite? any thoughts on that? My Crickets are being fed gutload and potatos and my wax worms are on gutload too so I think I'm doing that part right. I really want this gecko to live, please help me save CLEOPATRA.

WOW Sounds like you are doing a super job. What you are taking on is something not a lot of people would do, I admire you for that By the way, my females name is Cleopatra also LOL
The waxworms may be more than her stomach can handle right now with their high fat content. You might just try a couple of crickets at a time and see if she can keep those down or some mealworms. You seem to be on the right track, I wish you the best of luck with her, she's a very lucky Leo. Keep us updated on how she's doing !!

Oh yeah, and about the humid hide, I think your vet is correct, she will eventually "feel" it out. You might start with one that has a larger than normal opening to help her out. I had a blind dog when I was a kid, it's amazing how animals can adapt.

Best of luck to you! It sounds like you are doing your best. Force feeding her by opening her mouth may also be stressing her out too much to eat. Close your eyes and have some one sneak up on you and force a hose down there. It would probably make you pretty upset. Try my 'drip feeding' idea for a bit. maybe after a day without her eating. It may work. With out stress like that, it may just illicit a response you need.

Rescueing animals is VERY possible, and sooo rewarding. i have rescued so many. Here are some pics. it may encourage you and give you a bit of hope.

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"Brains for dinner, brains for lunch. Brains for breakfast, brains for brunch. Brains for every single meal; why can't we have some GUTS?"-Misfits

1.0 ball python- Azazel
1.0 red blood python-Hiss
1.0 peach phase thayeri-Sancho......MIA
0.1 creamsicle corn- Pandora
0.1 partial stripe ghost corn- Raven
1.0 Sunglow motley corn-Ernie
1.1 hognose- Pricilla and Odd
0.2 leos- Boji and Kodama
0.1 beardie- Indie
1.0 BTS- Griffon
0.1 Iggy- Sunny
0.0.1 crested gecko- Jubeh
0.1 leucistic texas ratsnake-Ojo
0.1 pacific parrolet- Mishka
1.1 cats- Cairo and Oberon
2.0 bettas
0.0.1 goldfish-fishwad