HELP w/picky eating leo

I saw my girl in a pic about 2 1/2 months ago & fell in love with her so I bought her. Unfortunately the gecko I received was her but she was super skinny. I was thinking of sending her back but she was so sweet that I didn't want to put her through the stress of re-shipping her. Here is the problem: even after all this time she still only eats enough to keep barely alive & she is still very skinny! I have offered small, medium & large crickets. I have offered small, medium & large mealworms. I have also offered wax worms which I know have no nutritional value but she'll eat maybe one of those and I figured at least she's eating. She's scared to death of superworms, literally. I do have the zoo med gecko food (flies) in her cage but it doesn't look like she tries those either. I am at my wits end because it looks like I have a vegetarian gecko! Does anyone have any ideas as to what other foods I can offer her that won't hurt her? Believe it or not I have 9 other geckos who have no problem at all with eating...thanks for the help.

Janey
Gecko Palace

I would suggest getting a fecal analysis done at a vet as a start. What are your temps? Raising them a degree or two may help.

A vet vist sounds in order. Also you may want to try some of "Marcia's Slurry" before she gets real thin. It may help get her going in the right direction. Also until you figure out what's going on I would keep her away from your other geckos. Good Luck! Keep us posted.

Didn't add this before but in answer to one question my temps are approx. 83 - 90 on the warm side & 75 -80 on the cool side & at night the temp goes down to approx. 75. Also took her to the vet in the beginning with nothing being found wrong other than probable stress. Go figure.

the slurry mentioned is a good choice....

Is she by herself in a tank as well? You might want to try the feed and leave method. Worked with one of my picky eaters, just WOULD NOT eat when I was in the room or she was exposed at all. I put her feeders in the tank, turn off the lights and leave the room. Come back a half hour later and usually everything is gone...

Is she pooping? If so, what do the poos look like? Runny, loose, or very foul smelling poos can be indicative of internal parasites or a bacterial infection. In case it is some kind of infection, keep her isolated from your other leos and wash your hands thoroughly after handling her and before handling your other leos or the feeders, and be sure not to offer any feeders she's refused to your healthy leos.

Your temperatures sound fine. What kind of substrate do you have her on? How big is she? Do you know anything about her history (age, did she breed last year etc). Have you tried regular mealworms? You can offer them in a shallow bowl like one of the glass ash trays you get at Walmart. If she's used to getting bowls of mealies it could explain why she doesn't want the crix. You could also try things like waxworms, and depending on her size, a pinki. Both should be used in moderation, but can help a put some weight on a thin gecko.

You might also want to flip her over and check for developing eggs. Sometimes egg binding or other similar problems can manifest themselves as weight loss and a reduced appetite.

The fact that she is eating but is not maintaining / gaining weight, would tend to send up red flags for me. Usually this indicates that something is wrong with the leo. I would also recommend documenting the leos condition with pictures and weights, and contacting the seller. Some sellers will extend their warranty period if you contact them within their guarantee period about problems. The seller could also give you information about her former maintenance regime.

-Alice

I wanted to say that if the vet said stress lets make sure we reduce it as much as we can. I would have her alone for sure w/ papertowel substrate and heat right at 90 degrees and then she can have from 75 through 90 to choose from at all times. Also if your using a light systen to heat her I suggest a Under Tank Heat Mat this might help. Those Heat lights/Red Bulbs can change temps depending on the temps in the room. I had to change mine according to the season swhen I 1st started and also It's just alittle better for them to get the underneath heat. I'm not saying they can't do great w/ the heat bulb it's just tricky to know where the temp is at you have top really check it often and w/ the UTH you can set it at the temp you want w/ a thermosate. How old is the leo?? If it's adult I suggest trying the foods they gain weight on the quickiest. Waxworms and pinkies. Dipped in calcium and leave calcium in w/ the leo at all times. Also I wouldn't handle her at all right now and just leave her be so she can eat hopefully. Also make sure she has plenty of hides this will stress them out enough to not eat if they don't. She has to feel safe in her home. If it's a tank are 3 sides covered? You can use papertowel instead of the backgrounds if you want. Also there not to much light in the room as your leo is here?? What kind of heat are you using? If your using any type of lights STOP unless it's the red heat bulb. This can really stress them out for example the daylight bulb. If you can take and show pics of the leo and caging then maybe I can tell you more then for sure. But these are just quesses off what I know. Let us know how she does? I hope this helped so you can save her!

I wanted to also let you know that I think it might be a good idea to get a dish and put mealies in it w/ calcuim and leave the gecko alone for a while w/ good temp,h2o,food(in dish),darkness,quite,and it's not on the floor is it this can also stress out your leo. Feeling all the activity on the floor all day. Also I've realized that plastic drinking cups from krogers make a perfect dish b/c you can cut it to just the right hieght for your leo to be comfrontable w/ to see the mealies and eat from it. This works perfect for my hachlings all the way up to my adults. Good Luck!

Vet visit and I also had a leo that did the same thing and died. It just wouldnt eat anything and seemed very lathargic. try misting the tank and upping the temp.