Last nights my Leopard Gecko Ziggy passed away and I’m not entirely sure what happened. She is the first pet I have ever lost and I am devastated.
I inherited Ziggy from a friend who could no longer care for her several months ago, at that point she was in a 10 gallon tank feeding only on super worms and was quite thin. Additionally my friend had picked her up from a pet store (she had been dropped off there). I have no idea of her age as a result. She ate ravenously under my care and gained some weight but soon after I moved houses and transferred her into a 20 gallon tank and I think this caused her a lot of stress. She wasn’t eating as much which I think was due to stress, and on top of that she started ovulating which reduced her appetite even more.
The past few months she would eat here and there, same as my other females (although they started off at a much healthier weight and took more food than Ziggy). And she was very active, I snapped some photos of what appears to be her ovulating during this time.
Then she stopped eating for very long intervals and would only take one or two bugs a week. I always have mealworms and Dubias on hand, so I decided to try Superworms again since this is what she had eaten prior to me acquiring her. To my surprise she ate a good amount! I thought this meant she was nearing the end of her cycle but after a day or two she refused food and then she had a watery poop. Prior to this all of her poops had been solid with a nice urate so I never thought of parasites especially because she has never had any other odd poops nor have any of the other geckos. I amounted it to being one of her first good meals in awhile and her stomach adjusting. But then her activity level decreased significantly and I went to check her stomach again and, I am almost certain it was impaction from the super worms. Yet I’m not sure she ate as much for how big the splotch is on her stomach. Internal bleeding? I didn’t catch it soon enough.
These past couple days I have given baths early morning and night to keep her hydrated, and also used olive oil as a laxative combined with tummy massages in case of impaction. And then as I was filling her bath last night I noticed her in the middle of her cage and I thought she was asleep but I picked her up and she was limp.
I think this is all my fault. I knew she was underweight, but I didn’t think it was deathly thin. She had been thin since I got her and I thought that as soon as she got past ovulation she would bounce back. I should have checked her stomach sooner.
For general care I house all my geckos in a 20 Long with a heat pad taking up a 1/3 of the tank, ground temps for the warm side are around low to mid 90’s, controlled with a thermostat. Dubias are a staple with mealworms and superworms also being offered for variety, fed every 3 days but more during months where they don’t eat. I dust with Repashy Calcium Plus and the occasional plain Calcium Carbonate. All my feeders are gut loaded with a variety of fruits and veggies. 2 hides on the warm side, one moist and one hide on the cool. Paper towels are the substrate.
I think I have covered everything, I just wanted to know if anyone has any advice for what I should have done or can improve upon for the future as well. My biggest regret is not taking her to the vet before it was too late. Thank you to everyone in advance.
Also: I know the best way to get cause of death would be a necropsy but with Covid-19 jobs are uncertain and since I am a HS student I don’t want my parents to pay for it.
I inherited Ziggy from a friend who could no longer care for her several months ago, at that point she was in a 10 gallon tank feeding only on super worms and was quite thin. Additionally my friend had picked her up from a pet store (she had been dropped off there). I have no idea of her age as a result. She ate ravenously under my care and gained some weight but soon after I moved houses and transferred her into a 20 gallon tank and I think this caused her a lot of stress. She wasn’t eating as much which I think was due to stress, and on top of that she started ovulating which reduced her appetite even more.
The past few months she would eat here and there, same as my other females (although they started off at a much healthier weight and took more food than Ziggy). And she was very active, I snapped some photos of what appears to be her ovulating during this time.
Then she stopped eating for very long intervals and would only take one or two bugs a week. I always have mealworms and Dubias on hand, so I decided to try Superworms again since this is what she had eaten prior to me acquiring her. To my surprise she ate a good amount! I thought this meant she was nearing the end of her cycle but after a day or two she refused food and then she had a watery poop. Prior to this all of her poops had been solid with a nice urate so I never thought of parasites especially because she has never had any other odd poops nor have any of the other geckos. I amounted it to being one of her first good meals in awhile and her stomach adjusting. But then her activity level decreased significantly and I went to check her stomach again and, I am almost certain it was impaction from the super worms. Yet I’m not sure she ate as much for how big the splotch is on her stomach. Internal bleeding? I didn’t catch it soon enough.
These past couple days I have given baths early morning and night to keep her hydrated, and also used olive oil as a laxative combined with tummy massages in case of impaction. And then as I was filling her bath last night I noticed her in the middle of her cage and I thought she was asleep but I picked her up and she was limp.
I think this is all my fault. I knew she was underweight, but I didn’t think it was deathly thin. She had been thin since I got her and I thought that as soon as she got past ovulation she would bounce back. I should have checked her stomach sooner.
For general care I house all my geckos in a 20 Long with a heat pad taking up a 1/3 of the tank, ground temps for the warm side are around low to mid 90’s, controlled with a thermostat. Dubias are a staple with mealworms and superworms also being offered for variety, fed every 3 days but more during months where they don’t eat. I dust with Repashy Calcium Plus and the occasional plain Calcium Carbonate. All my feeders are gut loaded with a variety of fruits and veggies. 2 hides on the warm side, one moist and one hide on the cool. Paper towels are the substrate.
I think I have covered everything, I just wanted to know if anyone has any advice for what I should have done or can improve upon for the future as well. My biggest regret is not taking her to the vet before it was too late. Thank you to everyone in advance.
Also: I know the best way to get cause of death would be a necropsy but with Covid-19 jobs are uncertain and since I am a HS student I don’t want my parents to pay for it.
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I "know" that empty feeling. 
