Um Hi, Im a leopard gecko owner. I have two females. One is troubling me. She has gotten a bit fat or bloated and is not up on all fours walking around anymore. she seems really depressed. She has three hides lots of heat and enuff room. she is a 20 gallon tank. But. she will only eat waxworms. is this theproblem has she gotten sick? i dont know who to talk to.
I need advice im so worried. could she be pregnant? what are the signs
- Thread starter DowdCore
- Start date
norea
New member
Well i found out your problem... Waxworms...It is high in fat content and that is the reason why your gecko looks bloated and lethargic.
You NEED to cut down and replace it with other feeders.It will most likely be tough for you to change her diet but do it patiently because if u dont, she will eventually fall sick... Offer waxworms as a treat not as a staple diet... All the best.
You NEED to cut down and replace it with other feeders.It will most likely be tough for you to change her diet but do it patiently because if u dont, she will eventually fall sick... Offer waxworms as a treat not as a staple diet... All the best.
M&S-328
New member
Waxworms is part of the problem Im sure. Leos can get addicted to waxworms easily when they are fed them too often.. So you should only give them a waxworm once a week when full grown as a treat (or even less often!). Getting her off waxworms and onto real food is going to be tough, but dont give up ever! Try many different feeder types until you see her opening up to one, for instance: mealworms, crickets (tear off their back legs so her can catch and swallow them easier as she isnt used to hunting and fighting her food), dubia roaches, etc. If she refuses to eat for over a month (which she might in "protest", but as long as she has a fat tail she'll be ok) dont get too worried. But once you get close to a week+ over a month, then you might want to go on a force-feeding regiment once or twice a week so she doesnt lose all her strength. So yes, waxworms might have brought on a ot of her problems...But Im not sure you can say its the entire reason..
So, First off, does she poop daily? If not, when is the last time she did?
What substrate do you have her on?
Do you ground feed her, hand feed her, or dish feed her?
Do you have a calcium dish available at all times in her enclosure?
Do you have a water dish available at all times in her enclosure?
But, the number one thing you need to do is take her to the vet. If she is pregnant/gravid he will be able to tell you. However, if she has caught some sort of disease, parasites, etc., you'll need to know that too so you can get her the proper medication, treatments, and quarantine her from your other leo/other pets.
Good Luck
So, First off, does she poop daily? If not, when is the last time she did?
What substrate do you have her on?
Do you ground feed her, hand feed her, or dish feed her?
Do you have a calcium dish available at all times in her enclosure?
Do you have a water dish available at all times in her enclosure?
But, the number one thing you need to do is take her to the vet. If she is pregnant/gravid he will be able to tell you. However, if she has caught some sort of disease, parasites, etc., you'll need to know that too so you can get her the proper medication, treatments, and quarantine her from your other leo/other pets.
Good Luck
M&S-328
New member
Well, until DowdCore replies, I think its to hasty to judge that.
Perhaps they meant that recently all their leo will eat is waxworms (like the past few weeks or so). Or of course they might mean thats all they've fed her for quite a long time.
Also, until they've taken her to a vet it wouldnt be wise to rule out her being gravid, having parasites/a virus, or even possibly being quite impacted.
I agree the waxworm diet is very unhealthy and definitely is contributing to her not walking around much (being lethargic), but her bloating/distended belly may be due to other factors as well.
Perhaps they meant that recently all their leo will eat is waxworms (like the past few weeks or so). Or of course they might mean thats all they've fed her for quite a long time.
Also, until they've taken her to a vet it wouldnt be wise to rule out her being gravid, having parasites/a virus, or even possibly being quite impacted.
I agree the waxworm diet is very unhealthy and definitely is contributing to her not walking around much (being lethargic), but her bloating/distended belly may be due to other factors as well.
So, First off, does she poop daily? If not, when is the last time she did?
What substrate do you have her on?
Do you ground feed her, hand feed her, or dish feed her?
Do you have a calcium dish available at all times in her enclosure?
Do you have a water dish available at all times in her enclosure?
She was pooping daily and someone still is. not sure which one. she is on repti carpet. which i clean once a week it is spotless in there.
i ground feed them.
calcium dish always in there.
fresh water dish everyday on top of that its EVIAN water.
What substrate do you have her on?
Do you ground feed her, hand feed her, or dish feed her?
Do you have a calcium dish available at all times in her enclosure?
Do you have a water dish available at all times in her enclosure?
She was pooping daily and someone still is. not sure which one. she is on repti carpet. which i clean once a week it is spotless in there.
i ground feed them.
calcium dish always in there.
fresh water dish everyday on top of that its EVIAN water.
M&S-328
New member
If she is getting bigger and bigger by the day Id take her to see a vet. Right away. Even if she is gravid it isnt normal that you should see huge growth changes on a daily basis.
I had a leo that recently died from a virus - and rapid bloating in his belly was one of the symptoms.
So if the growth is really obvious, then yes she might be gravid... But she could also be very sick. She could have contracted a virus/parasites, or perhaps she was gravid but couldnt expel the eggs and is now bound (which can become a critical situation too). Its best to be safe then sorry when it comes to a loved pet.
I had a leo that recently died from a virus - and rapid bloating in his belly was one of the symptoms.
So if the growth is really obvious, then yes she might be gravid... But she could also be very sick. She could have contracted a virus/parasites, or perhaps she was gravid but couldnt expel the eggs and is now bound (which can become a critical situation too). Its best to be safe then sorry when it comes to a loved pet.
