IslaReina
New member
So I have had a leopard gecko for about three years, Nova. I got her from p**** and the one by my house generally has healthy animals. She has had no health problems, fattened up no problem, she was my healthiest girl. I went away to college two years ago and my dad has taken care of her at home while I'm away, and he takes good care of her. Last winter, she slowly started eating less and less and then only took hand feeding and eventually stopped eating all together. I thought maybe she was brumating or whatever because she was acting fine, eating, pooping, drinking water, maintaining her weight. When I got home from school for the summer in early May, I noticed she was losing weight and her temps were a little high so I lowered them.
It's been all downhill from there. She hasn't eaten any mealworms since. She has been losing weight like crazy and I could see her little shoulder blades and her eyes looked like they'd sunken in. She barely shed at all and I had to give her a bath and get most of her skin off. She spends 99% of the time in her moist hide (warm side, moist coco fiber). I started trying to feed her chicken baby food but that didn't seem to change much.
I took her to the vet, and he did fecal tests and there are no parasites or bacterial infections. He said that the temp range on the warm side should be between 76-87 (that sounds a little cold, I've always read the warm side should be around 90) and he said that maybe she doesn't have a good day-night cycle (I had a desk lamp next to her tank that I turned on in the day and turned off at night. I have recently moved her tank and she doesn't have a light next to her but gets a day/night cycle from the room). The vet said she looked fine and to keep feeding her the chicken baby food and eventually shell start to eat mealworms again. I thought the vet visit was fairly unhelpful.
So it's been a few days and the baby food seems to be making her worse. Tonight after I fed her and put her in her tank, she keeps opening her mouth and violently shaking her head to try to throw up the baby food, I assume. She is hitting her head on the glass and I really don't know what to do. I don't want her to hurt herself.
She is my first leopard gecko and I really don't want to lose her. I feel like I have done everything I can think of but I'm really not sure what to do next.
BTW she has a tile substrate, UTH that is about 89 on the warm side, calcium supplement (switched off between D3 and no D3), and she's in a ten gallon all to herself.
Please help me, and thanks in advance,
Laura
It's been all downhill from there. She hasn't eaten any mealworms since. She has been losing weight like crazy and I could see her little shoulder blades and her eyes looked like they'd sunken in. She barely shed at all and I had to give her a bath and get most of her skin off. She spends 99% of the time in her moist hide (warm side, moist coco fiber). I started trying to feed her chicken baby food but that didn't seem to change much.
I took her to the vet, and he did fecal tests and there are no parasites or bacterial infections. He said that the temp range on the warm side should be between 76-87 (that sounds a little cold, I've always read the warm side should be around 90) and he said that maybe she doesn't have a good day-night cycle (I had a desk lamp next to her tank that I turned on in the day and turned off at night. I have recently moved her tank and she doesn't have a light next to her but gets a day/night cycle from the room). The vet said she looked fine and to keep feeding her the chicken baby food and eventually shell start to eat mealworms again. I thought the vet visit was fairly unhelpful.
So it's been a few days and the baby food seems to be making her worse. Tonight after I fed her and put her in her tank, she keeps opening her mouth and violently shaking her head to try to throw up the baby food, I assume. She is hitting her head on the glass and I really don't know what to do. I don't want her to hurt herself.
She is my first leopard gecko and I really don't want to lose her. I feel like I have done everything I can think of but I'm really not sure what to do next.
BTW she has a tile substrate, UTH that is about 89 on the warm side, calcium supplement (switched off between D3 and no D3), and she's in a ten gallon all to herself.
Please help me, and thanks in advance,
Laura
I wish we could have helped, however for us to help we would have needed to be informed much earlier. Not after the problem going on for months. Sorry again, and if you ever plan on getting another best to get new things in case she had a disease.