22 year old leopard gecko dying of old age, or is something else going on?

[Melati]

My leopard gecko is 22 years old, and I've noticed he's been having some problems over the past couple months or so. His tail was starting to look a little too thin, so I started feeding him a little more frequently than usual, and it got back to an acceptable size for a bit, but he stopped eating completely about two weeks ago, and his tail has quickly gotten very thin. I was wondering if this is a sign that he's about to die of old age, or if it's more likely to be something I can help him recover from.

He's my only reptile, and I have had him his entire life, so there aren't any major new changes that I've added to his life. The only thing is that is different recently is that he's been having a lot of problems with stuck shed, so I've been giving him baths in warm water to help him get it off.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Welcome to Geckos Unlimited!

22 years old is a grand age for a leo. Many leos die earlier. Currently there's a retired breeder female leo in the EU who is mid-30s.

Please share a photo of him.

Please share which supplements (brand, name, and frequency) you use and what your leo eats.

Have you checked the ground temps lately: warm end and cool end?

 

[Melati]

Hi Elizabeth, thanks for the welcome and the response! I've had Smilie since I was three, so he's been a life-long companion, and I'm sad to see him go downhill so quickly. I always hoped he'd make it to 30, but 22 is a good age too. 30+ is amazing!

I feed him crickets dusted with ESU Reptile Nutri Grow CAL D3 2000 and Rep-Cal Herptivite with beta cerotene Multivitamins. When I run out of crickets I feed him mealworms until I get the chance to pick up more crickets. I dump the crickets out in a little dish to capture the excess supplements, and I leave the dish in there with him. I did that because I read that it was good for them to have access to supplements in a dish, but I see your signature says I shouldn't have done that. I feed him about 2-3 times a week.

I haven't checked the ground temperatures recently, but I'll try to track down where my mum put the thermometers. I use an under tank heating pad in the warm end, and I've checked that it's still working.

I saw him drink recently, so that's good at least. I've tried hand-feeding him, but he's not interested. He's pretty lethargic, and is quite skinny .

I mostly keep him on eco earth as a substrate, but he was on paper towels for the few weeks before he stopped eating, so I don't think that impaction's the cause. He is on eco earth again now.

I also noticed that his tail has been gradually curling up. At first I thought he was doing that himself, but I've realized it's definitely doing it on its own. Google isn't helping me much with that specifically. I was wondering about metabolic bone disease, since I think a couple of gentle kinks have appeared in his tail. I don't think I gave him enough calcium 10-15 years ago, but I have no idea if the impact of that would only be showing now.

 

[Melati]

Update: I picked him up because it seemed like he got stuck on something, and I finally got to see him move (I knew he was moving around his tank, I just didn't see him in action until now). He's very stiff, and it seems like he can barely move his back legs, kind of like he's paralyzed. I thought they looked weird earlier, but didn't want to pester him. His tail looks very stiff as well. He looks awful. I'll get him to a vet, but I'm not hopeful, considering his age. I wish I had recognized the warning signs that something was really wrong earlier.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Update: I picked him up because it seemed like he got stuck on something, and I finally got to see him move (I knew he was moving around his tank, I just didn't see him in action until now). He's very stiff, and it seems like he can barely move his back legs, kind of like he's paralyzed. I thought they looked weird earlier, but didn't want to pester him. His tail looks very stiff as well. He looks awful. I'll get him to a vet, but I'm not hopeful, considering his age. I wish I had recognized the warning signs that something was really wrong earlier.

I'm sorry that Smilie isn't doing very well. We do what we can.

Were you able to check out his ground temps?

Please keep us in the loop.