HELP! Baby leo hasn't eaten for 2 weeks.

[Marissa@MKmorphs]

Help! I took my roommates baby leo into my care because she was pretty much ignoring it and it never got fed or had water available. I got the baby to the point where it would eat about 6-10 mealworms every other day. Then, 2 weeks ago she just stopped. Shows absolutely no interest in mealworms, crickets or waxworms. She has lost a little bit of weight but is still alert and still has a little bit of fat in its tail, but not much.

What can I do to get it to eat? Would it be fair to say it might be time to try assist feeding, if there is such a thing for geckos?

[Vasiliki]

My gecko went off food for a month, lost a bit of weight then turned into a piggy.

But, I'd need to know more about your set-up to have a better idea of what might be the cause. Including previous location, current location, traffic and what she can see from your enclosure.

[Marissa@MKmorphs]

She is in a 10 g, 3 hides, hot side, cool side and a humid hide in the middle. Water and calcium available at all times. repti carpet substrate. UTH, 92-95 on the hot side, 78-80 on the cool side. I mist in the cage once a day. She is kept on a dresser in the corner of my room, minimal traffic, I'm only really in my room in the morning and before I go to sleep. So definitely not a high traffic area.

Her previous owner kept her in a critter keeper with blue calcium sand, 2 toilet paper rolls for hides, no water bowl, and offered food only once a week. The gecko weighed 2.8 grams when I took her from her previous owner. No heat, in a dark closet.

I just can't figure out why she went from eating so well to showing no interest at all in the food. At first the gecko would only eat mealworms off of tongs, but she started "hunting" them on her own after a while.

[sleepygeckos]

Two quick thoughts come to mind:

1.) Delayed impaction from the original sand - might be able to see this through its belly if you hold it up to a strong light and look through, almost like an x-ray. Also check the droppings for blue bits, it can take a while to get through the system.

2.) Might try to lower the cool side a bit...

In the meantime, stop misting the cage! You can make a humid hide and mist that, but don't raise the humidity of the whole enclosure or you risk illness. I'm in a bit of a minority, but I think UVB bulbs really do make a difference in the growth rates of baby leos - of course, this is just our experience and a handful of others I've spoken with. I would say to look for signs of impaction, don't mist, and see if you can do anything about the temperature. Give it a few more days - try offering food every 3rd day, leaving longer between intervals is actually something our vet suggested once after a gecko stopped eating post antibiotics. All else fails, call around and find a good herp vet and have a wellness and fecal done. Good luck!

[heathers*bps]

Two quick thoughts come to mind:

1.) Delayed impaction from the original sand - might be able to see this through its belly if you hold it up to a strong light and look through, almost like an x-ray. Also check the droppings for blue bits, it can take a while to get through the system.

2.) Might try to lower the cool side a bit...

In the meantime, stop misting the cage! You can make a humid hide and mist that, but don't raise the humidity of the whole enclosure or you risk illness. I'm in a bit of a minority, but I think UVB bulbs really do make a difference in the growth rates of baby leos - of course, this is just our experience and a handful of others I've spoken with. I would say to look for signs of impaction, don't mist, and see if you can do anything about the temperature. Give it a few more days - try offering food every 3rd day, leaving longer between intervals is actually something our vet suggested once after a gecko stopped eating post antibiotics. All else fails, call around and find a good herp vet and have a wellness and fecal done. Good luck!

This!

[EverEvolvingExotics]

I'm also a huge fan of UVA/UVB for ill reptiles. I wouldn't say you need to go out and buy an expensive light setup but instead take the little one outside and place it under direct sunlight for 10-15 minutes a day. I did this with a very skinny/beaten up crested gecko and within a couple days it was eating like I've never seen a crestie eat before.

Using tongs or a cheap pair of tweezers to hold the prey and get it wiggling around may entice a feeding response. Mealworms aren't the most active prey item and crickets are amazing at hiding.

Good luck and keep us updated!

[Vasiliki]

A few things come to mind that you can try out. Can you drop your temperature a few degrees? Anything over 93F is a little ‘hot’ for them. I keep my guy around the high 80s and he seems to be a bit more active than when he’s on a higher temp.

My one gecko went off food when he was moved into a different room. It was a less active room. He went off food during that time. This may sound strange, but follow me on this… Leopard geckos are immensely curious animals. Mine will ‘pout’ if there is minimal activity going on around them. However, when I’m in the room and doing things, they are out and watching me. You could try moving her to an area that sees a bit more traffic and interaction. This could give her some better mental stimulus. A lot of people say ‘Quiet’ areas are better. All of my critters went off food in a ‘quiet’ room. When I switched them to my office (I’m in there for usually an hour to two hours a day), they all went back on food and resumed normal behavior. Could be coincidence, but I personally don’t feel it is. Not with how interactive these geckos are and how I can look up to find three sets of eyes on me.

It could be delayed impactation. Is she pooping at all? If she is, then you can possibly rule that out.

You said she was hunting on her own for a bit. Have you tried offering a cricket or two to really ‘trigger’ her hunting?

I'm currently babysitting a gecko that is a little bit more 'flighty' than my chill boy. At first when I tong fed, she would freak out at the tongs and would not take food for the night. This went on for a few days. Eventually I put the mealworm dish beside her tank (so she could see it). When I came back, she was staring at the worms in total hunting mode. I picked up the tongs, and dropped mealworms to her using them. She learned to calm down during feeding time. I also noticed if she says 'No' in the early evening, she usually will take some a few hours later.

Edit: Also, has she ever accidently bitten your tongs? My male once bit my tongs and immediately he was upset (probably because he used a lot of force to bite an uncomfortable object). He refused food for a few days after it due to that bad experience, even going so far as to run from my tongs when I offered food. Now I'm far more careful to make sure I drop the food or give him lots of 'worm' to grab onto.

[ShadowSong]

The first thing I would do is determine if s/he is impacted, as stated above. A history with sand makes me suspicious of this. I've never done it before, but supposedly if they are impacted, forcing some mineral oil in them can lubricate the sand allowing it to pass.

Another thing to check would be his/her mouth. One of my geckos (before I lost him in 2009 due to the incurable ailment of old age) stopped eating due to a broken jaw. Another possibility is mouth rot- check his/her mouth for discoloration. If it is mouth rot, you need to get him/her to a vet ASAP!!

One of the other things to consider is MBD. Metabolic bone disease is a problem that occurs when a gecko doesn't get enough calcium (or in rare cases due to a genetic defect). This will decalcify their bones and make it hard/painful for them to eat... or hold onto food. A simple way to tell is to press GENTLY on one side of her jaw- if it bows out on the other, you probably have a case of MBD. If s/he has MBD, get a can of A/D critical care diet for cats and dogs - (I would put it in a bag and freeze it- one can is MORE than enough for a whole colony of ailing geckos) and try and give her some. This is what I do with my little gecko who has a tendency to develop eggs. You can get a syringe and carefully squirt a little bit into his/her mouth. It goes into fat within hours. If it's the jaw problem, sometimes just sticking some around their mouth/lips works and they will lick it up.


Good luck!

[vangarret2000]

I would recommend no longer misting and dropping the hot sides temps a little. The missing alone could be what is causing it to stop eatting as a cage that is always humid isn't what they should be living in.

[vangarret2000]

A few things come to mind that you can try out. Can you drop your temperature a few degrees? Anything over 93F is a little ‘hot’ for them. I keep my guy around the high 80s and he seems to be a bit more active than when he’s on a higher temp.

My one gecko went off food when he was moved into a different room. It was a less active room. He went off food during that time. This may sound strange, but follow me on this… Leopard geckos are immensely curious animals. Mine will ‘pout’ if there is minimal activity going on around them. However, when I’m in the room and doing things, they are out and watching me. You could try moving her to an area that sees a bit more traffic and interaction. This could give her some better mental stimulus. A lot of people say ‘Quiet’ areas are better. All of my critters went off food in a ‘quiet’ room. When I switched them to my office (I’m in there for usually an hour to two hours a day), they all went back on food and resumed normal behavior. Could be coincidence, but I personally don’t feel it is. Not with how interactive these geckos are and how I can look up to find three sets of eyes on me.

It could be delayed impactation. Is she pooping at all? If she is, then you can possibly rule that out.

You said she was hunting on her own for a bit. Have you tried offering a cricket or two to really ‘trigger’ her hunting?

I'm currently babysitting a gecko that is a little bit more 'flighty' than my chill boy. At first when I tong fed, she would freak out at the tongs and would not take food for the night. This went on for a few days. Eventually I put the mealworm dish beside her tank (so she could see it). When I came back, she was staring at the worms in total hunting mode. I picked up the tongs, and dropped mealworms to her using them. She learned to calm down during feeding time. I also noticed if she says 'No' in the early evening, she usually will take some a few hours later.

Edit: Also, has she ever accidently bitten your tongs? My male once bit my tongs and immediately he was upset (probably because he used a lot of force to bite an uncomfortable object). He refused food for a few days after it due to that bad experience, even going so far as to run from my tongs when I offered food. Now I'm far more careful to make sure I drop the food or give him lots of 'worm' to grab onto.

I was wondering if anyone else has found it beneficial to switch froma quite room to a active room. Like stated, generally it is said to do the opposite. Most people I know have reptile rooms so they are on the quiet side and they don't have problems. I would assume there is a different factor that triggered them to eat again not te activity from you, but who knows. This sounds interesting if it is true. That's why I am wondering why others experiences are?