[Hannibal]

My exotics vet had never heard of a uroplatus (let along a gargoyle) so she has been of little help. What little fecals he has produced have been negative, but went ahead & treated him 2 weeks ago with Flagyl.

I acquired Niko as a WC this past May, he was about 11-12g when he arrived. I got him up to 23g this summer, but within the last couple of months he has steadily gone down to 15g as of 2 weeks ago, & looked even skinnier tonight. I didn't want to stress him any more by weighing him tonight so not sure how low he actually is at the moment. He has practically no interest in crickets or dubias, I've attempted syringe feeding him calcium/water, & different CGD flavors this past 2 weeks with not much interest in the calcium or CGD; he does drink his water & his tail is still full/flat.

Tonight I broke the news to my husband that I feel that Niko's time is very near, so we moved him to a 10g vertical to watch him very closely (kinda like a hospice death watch). When I put him in & misted him, he started drinking the water so I immediately offered peach CGD which he actually ate .5ml of; he even tilted his head back so I could squeeze the CGD drops in his mouth.

I have no idea if age is an issue since he was WC; if he has an internal health issue; or just one of those uroplatus mysteries. Is there anything else that I can try to help get him to eat? Would critical care be a better option than CGD at the moment? Poor guy is starting to shed also.

Here's the temp 10g I just put him in tonight.

[pakinjak]

I'm sure you know already, but it's only a matter of time before you have a gecko decline for mysterious reasons. I'm very sorry to hear... and you know I know what it's like.

A couple things-

soak him, nose drop water for him, just hydrate the crap out of him. It looks like you're already doing that but I don't think it can be emphasized too much.

Has he been in with your two females since quarantine? Female sikorae can be pretty nutso, and are such voracious eaters that the male can sometimes get left behind. Hopefully he'll turn around now that he's by himself.

Get another fecal done. Maybe they don't know what a Uro is, but your vet should be able to do the fecal. sometimes they come back false negative. That being said, are you confident you vet isn't missing something small like flagellates or coccidia? I would think you'd be able to find a herp knowledgeable vet in a big town like Indie. Did you get a fecal done when you first got him?

I'd try the CGD again and try to sneak a cricket or dubia while he's licking... a little tiny one. Once he's got it in his mouth I bet he'll take it down. Plus I think "stress" is a little overrated with these guys, and I mean all the Uroplatus species I keep. I can't count the times I've had to grab somebody around the body and get them to gape for some reason. I haven't had a tail drop or any negative result yet. If I had trouble getting him to eat the above way, I'd pick him up around the body and get him to gape and put a cricket in his mouth. Shouldn't be too hard if your husband helps... I'm always by myself and I still get it done. It might feel harsh, but once he loses that much weight you just have to get food into him however you can.

[Hannibal]

Thanks Kevin! He's only been with Mia in the 2x3x4 foot enclosure and she's 32g as of 2 weeks ago; just laid her first infertile egg on Sunday. He has plenty of food near him when she's on the other side of the enclosure & I've not noticed any visible signs of bullying from her at all (but doesn't mean there's not as soon as i walk out of the room). They had negative fecals when I got them and he's had 2 in the last month both negative also. Since he ate the CGD last night, I take his next poop in also. He's a pretty strong boy considering how much weight he has lost. Will continue the saunas, syringe feeding & try to sneak a small cricket or dubia into his mouth. He gave me hope last night by eating the CGD, but I know from reading your prior post not to hold my breath with ths species...If it's meant to be then it is & if not then it's not.

Surprisingly, Indy has on 3 exotic vet offices & when I called all of them they were clueless on the all the species that I keep....guess Indy people just like their Leo's, beardies, chameleons & snakes for reptiles. The vet I'm using had treated our chameleon in the past & her staff is great, but clueless none-the-less on species care for these guys. I'll get them educated since I plan to grow my collection even more.

Thanks again!

[Yoshi'smom]

Sorry to hear this Andi! Keeping your little guy in my thoughts! Keep us updated on his progress.

[Hannibal]

Thanks Kelly! He pooped for me this morning, so he made my day I even got him to eat a few more licks of CGD. He seemed to have a litte more energy than last night (calories will do that to you) but wouldn't budge on the cricket. Will try again with him tonight. I'll see if my husband can stop by the vet this morning to have the fecal done since vet doesn't open til 8 & I'm at work already.

[lauraleellbp]

I'd try some clear pedialyte, too.

I believe that stuff made a world of difference pulling one of my Cresties through a bout with stomatitis earlier this year. I put it in saunas instead of water a few times a week, and I could tell a dramatic difference after each sauna.

Best of luck!!!

[Hannibal]

Thanks Laura! I'll pick some up today & give him the sauna tonight.


Edit: got the pedialyte and gave him a 15 minute sauna, then before taking him out of the sauna I offered him some CGD. He ate another .5ml for me via syringe feeding When I put him back in the temp enclosure, he seemed as active as ever. Will try feeding him CGD & a cricket later tonight when I feed everyone else....if I remember, I'll get a current weight on him.

Thanks again or the suggestions, advise & well wishes.

[Precision Geckos]

One thing that I have always done with Uroplatus especially W.C. that wont eat is rip the head off of a cricket so its juicy and rub the jaw line of the gecko with the headless cricket from a tongs. I would honestly say just in my experience its worked 99% of the time. Just another option.

[Hannibal]

Update: Good news - this morning he was very alert & moving about the temp enclosure. He is looking way better than the other day. I'll give him another pedialyte sauna tonight & try the crickets without their heads.

It appears that he had some troube with his shed, so will do the Q-tip thing at the end of tonight's sauna.

[Yoshi'smom]

Keeping my fingers crossed for the little cutie!