Leopard gecko trouble eating??

[Emilymemmily]

Hello!! I'm new to Geckos Unlimited, I have a leo who is about 6 years old, his name is Da Vinci. I adopted him from a local rescue about 5.5 years ago, and I have never had any issues until about a month or two ago. I noticed two sheds ago that he was not eating and removing all of the shed, he would do his body and maybe some of his tail and then give up and wait for me to help him (I put him in lukewarm water for a bath in a shallow pie pan and then rubbed/removed remaining skin with a needle nose tweezer and wet q-tip). I've also noticed more recently, within the past few weeks, that he's had difficulty eating. I have been feeding him mealworms lately, I usually do superworms but the local Petco is always out so I haven't been able to buy any. He's never had any issues eating before, he always had a huge appetite and has been healthy in all other aspects too (pooping, shedding, alert, etc). I've noticed that when he eats (I hand feed with a needle nose tweezer) he doesn't seem to open his mouth very wide, and when he does get a worm in his mouth he bites it once or twice and then it falls out. I have gotten him to eat enough to sustain him and his tail isn't getting any thinner, but I'm still worried that there's something wrong with either his jaw or something else. I don't know if the problem is enough where I should take him to the vet or not, so I wanted to see if there was anyone with more experience on here who could help me before I bring him to a vet for them to give me advice. I can provide pictures or videos or more information, and I appreciate if anyone can help me out!!

 

[acpart]

Welcome to GU!
Many geckos slow down on eating at this time of year. It's possible that he bites the worm and then decides he just isn't interested. I'm assuming that you've been supplementing him with calcium and vitamin D3. If for some reason you haven't he should go to the vet for an MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) check. You could try a few crickets just to see if he's any more interested. Otherwise, as long as he isn't losing weight or otherwise acting unusual, you could hold off for now.

Aliza

 

[Emilymemmily]

Hi Aliza! Thank you for your advice!! I use a calcium supplement without D3, but that's what I've always used (over 5 years) and I never had any issues before now. I will switch to a supplement with D3 in it, but I also checked his bones out today for MBD by doing a pressure test on his arms and legs and his bones feel as strong as normal. He also hasn't changed any in his walking, I like to take him out every few days and let him scamper around on some squishy blankets (he's a big fan of plush things) and so he looks healthy in that aspect. I'll try to get some superworms for him, I know they're generally better nutrientwise when compared to mealworms, but I'll keep doing checkups on him to make sure he stays healthy. I had some thought that it could be the brumation/hibernation setting in, but I tend to always worry something is wrong so thank you for your reassurance!!

Emily (and Da Vinci)

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Welcome to GU Emily & Da Vinci!

Generally speaking a leo should eat lightly dusted prey at 1 feeding per week with a calcium with D3 supplement plus 1 feeding per week with a multivitamin without D3 supplement. Supplement dust sticks less well to mealies and superworms than it does to crickets and dubia roaches.

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) symptoms include uneven (lopsided) gait, walking on one or both "elbows", bowed limbs, belly dragging, and an underbite. Difficulty chewing should be closely monitored.

 

[Emilymemmily]

Hello! I do have a small bowl of the supplement I generally use in Da Vinci's tank, but it's without D3. He definitely doesn't have an underbite, and walks normally and smoothly. I have been closely monitoring his difficulty eating for the past few weeks, I think he's maybe not as interested in the mealworms as he normally is in the superworms, especially since it's been a few months since he's had superworms.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hello! I do have a small bowl of the supplement I generally use in Da Vinci's tank, but it's without D3. He definitely doesn't have an underbite, and walks normally and smoothly. I have been closely monitoring his difficulty eating for the past few weeks, I think he's maybe not as interested in the mealworms as he normally is in the superworms, especially since it's been a few months since he's had superworms.

Please let us know the name & brand of your supplement.

What do you feed his mealworms and superworms?

Leos need:

• Calcium with D3
• Multivitamin without D3
• Maybe plain calcium too

 

[Emilymemmily]

The calcium I use is ReptiCalcium from Petco. It has calcium but is D3 free, that's why I have a small bowl of it available for Da Vinci in his tank. The worms I buy come pre gut loaded, so I'm not sure exactly what they have, the packaging doesn't say specifics.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

The calcium I use is ReptiCalcium from Petco. It has calcium but is D3 free, that's why I have a small bowl of it available for Da Vinci in his tank. The worms I buy come pre gut loaded, so I'm not sure exactly what they have, the packaging doesn't say specifics.

Please share a photo of Da Vinci so we can recommend decent supplements and frequency. Without a source of vitamin D3, Da Vinci is at high risk for bone density issues!!!

Based upon advice from both Aliza and me, Da Vinci needs additional supplements!!! It's super important to get him on a regular supplement schedule ASAP!

Zoo Med's Repti Calcium is a good beginning.

​

In order for plain calcium to be metabolized, it needs to have calcium with D3 at one feeding per week. He also needs a multivitamin withOUT D3. These:

​

Even if worms come "pre gutloaded" that food is pooped out quickly! In order for Da Vinci's worms to be nutritious, it's important to feed them something like Repashy's Bug Burger every single day -- like a bedding of food.

 

[Emilymemmily]

Hello, sorry for taking a while to reply. I hope I can get the photos I took of my little monster uploaded on this post. Some may be blurry, he was FULL of energy and didn't want to sit still so I did the best I could. I wasn't sure the angles you wanted, so I took a few different ones. As far as his bone density, he feels strong to me, and he doesn't have jerky walking or walk on elbows. When he eats it isnt like he has difficulty chewing, it's moreso that he forgot almost how to eat properly, and when a worm is put in front of him he sees it and bites at it but constantly misses. He has had this problem in the past, hence why I feed him by tweezers, but it was never this bad before. He misses almost 100% of the time now, when before it may have taken him a few tries but he would get the worm eventually. If that helps on 'diagnosing' his issues. I would also like to add that my fiancé and I have been shortening his days a bit, we usually have his light on for 8-10 hours, generally more toward the 8 hour side. Could that be impacting his eating at all? Also like I mentioned earlier, I have definitely not noticed any lessening in his energy levels, he seens more energetic than he's ever been, but that could be because we got him a new under tank heater a few months ago that regulates the temperature on his hot end better and allows for more of a warm/cool side difference now. I would also like to thank you for all your help again, I feel so happy to have experts on my side!!! Here goes trying to upload the pics, I also took a video of him walking (very quickly) so I can upload that too (or try to) if you want. Update, I'm on my phone right now and it isn't letting me upload, so I will go on my laptop and try that way.

 

[Emilymemmily]

Ok! I'm on my laptop now, here are three photos, one from the top, and one from both left and right sides. Please let me know if you want the pictures to be closer, or at different angles, I can provide

Not sure why that one is upside down. I posted it right side up, so I don't think I can change that. I also will be purchasing some calcium supplement with D3 for feeding time from amazon, I have prime so it will get here in a few days, so I can start feeding him correctly! I've had him for almost 6 years and nothing so far has gone wrong, so I'm really happy that I have been getting such good advice!

 

[acpart]

He looks great and at that size I don't think you have to worry if he stops eating for awhile, even if it's a few weeks.

Aliza

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Ok! I'm on my laptop now, here are three photos, one from the top, and one from both left and right sides. Please let me know if you want the pictures to be closer, or at different angles, I can provide View attachment 49428View attachment 49429View attachment 49430

Not sure why that one is upside down. I posted it right side up, so I don't think I can change that. I also will be purchasing some calcium supplement with D3 for feeding time from amazon, I have prime so it will get here in a few days, so I can start feeding him correctly! I've had him for almost 6 years and nothing so far has gone wrong, so I'm really happy that I have been getting such good advice!

Da Vinci looks good. Thanks so much for sharing his pictures.

Which brand calcium with D3 are you buying: Zoo Med, Repashy's, other? Some brands are better than others. It's easy to get them confused. Will you be getting some multivitamins withOUT D3 as well?

Check out the Reptile Supply Co based in Lodi, California. One can't beat their prices.

These tips might help you post a video of Da Vinci walking on some solid surface like a carpet, not on a squishy surface like a couch or a pillow.

(5) Posting Photos/Videos . . . . . . inline or attached
Follow Hilde's red arrows. [2019: Insert Hilde's 2 screenshots.]
To attach a video to this post click the ladder icon to the right of the image icon.

View attachment 48024 View attachment 48025
(click to enlarge)​

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Imgur and YouTube offer free online sites for sharing photos and videos.

Schedule 126 will be excellent for your leo!

Weekly Schedule 126 for Leopard Geckos 18 months old +​

(withOUT UVB)​

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) symptoms include uneven (lopsided) gait, walking on one or both "elbows", bowed limbs, belly dragging, and an underbite. Difficulty chewing should be closely monitored.

The Reptile Supply Company based in Lodi, California stocks Zoo Med's ReptiVite multivitamins withOUT D3.

• Monday > > crickets or dubia lightly dusted with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3
• Thursday > > crickets or dubia lightly dusted with Zoo Med's ReptiVite multivitamins withOUT D3
• Saturday > > Optional: mealworms, superworms, or black soldier fly larvae (Phoenix worms) > > no dusting

For link 126 click: Weekly Feeding & Supplement Schedule 126 for leopard geckos 18 months old +

 

[Emilymemmily]

Here is the video of him walking, doesn't seem funny to me, but let me know what you think! It is of him walking on my comforter on my bed, it's a firm bed and the comforter is pretty thin, so I think it mimics carpet pretty well. I don't ever put Da Vinci on the floor, and while his tank is large it isn't big enough for me to get him walking for this long. If you want I can record him walking on my kitchen table or coffee table. Also as a disclaimer normally he doesn't scamper that fast, I had just had him in a shallow bath to help soften the skin on his fingers and toes so he decided to be really quick and walk way faster than what he normally does.

As far as calcium, I haven't looked into any brands yet. What do you use for your geckos? I will also buy a multivitamin without D3, right now all I have is the repticalcium which has moisture and calcium listed, and no D3. I plan to do some amazon shopping tomorrow but I would appreciate a recommendation so I know what to look out for in a good brand.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Here is the video of him walking, doesn't seem funny to me, but let me know what you think! It is of him walking on my comforter on my bed, it's a firm bed and the comforter is pretty thin, so I think it mimics carpet pretty well. I don't ever put Da Vinci on the floor, and while his tank is large it isn't big enough for me to get him walking for this long. If you want I can record him walking on my kitchen table or coffee table. Also as a disclaimer normally he doesn't scamper that fast, I had just had him in a shallow bath to help soften the skin on his fingers and toes so he decided to be really quick and walk way faster than what he normally does.

As far as calcium, I haven't looked into any brands yet. What do you use for your geckos? I will also buy a multivitamin without D3, right now all I have is the repticalcium which has moisture and calcium listed, and no D3. I plan to do some amazon shopping tomorrow but I would appreciate a recommendation so I know what to look out for in a good brand.

Can you record him walking in the bathtub for 1 minute? What I'm looking for is an uneven front arm gait where he's leaning towards one side as he walks, so he's kinda lopsided.

Last I checked, Amazon did not carry Zoo Med's Reptivite multivitamins withOUT D3. The Reptile Supply Co has them both at awesome prices. I have used Zoo Med's supplements for years. You'll need both these Zoo Med products. Request the latest expiration date possible. Buy the smallest sizes.

& ​

Check out this company for prices and availability. Reptile Supply Company (Lodi, California): 916-226-4089 https://www.reptilesupplyco.com/8-products Use e-mail for customer service ---> info@ReptileSupplyCo.com

 

[Emilymemmily]

As per request, here is Da Vinci walking for a longer period of time. I put him in an underbed storage container, I lined it with fabric to give him better walking ability because the whole inside is smooth plastic. He didn't really want to move today, so I got a few bursts of him walking slower than the other video.