My lizard is dying; is there a herpetologist in the house?

Factual Questions
1

:frowning:

She hasn’t eaten in almost a month now. The book says that leopard gecko’s can go for six weeks without food, but she hardly moves around any more and her once fat tail is now very skinny.

Since I got her in January I’ve been feeding her live mealyworms, except for a week in february when I tried canned ones. I switched back to live, but she’s stopped eating them.

Her heat bulb burnt out over the break, but the cage has been kept warm by a heating pad over about a quarter of it and she’s had a nice UVb light to prevent metabolic bone disease. I’m concerned that might be the reason, so I’m going to get a new heat bulb online and some vitamin drops that are for “anorexic lizards” as it says on the bottle.

So what else can I do? She always craps in the same place, but when I go to clean that area she moves over to a different spot. Could there be a similar psychology behind her eating habits? Should I try putting her food somewhere else?

She shed last week and ate some of the shed skin, butleft most of it behind. She has been leaving small craps in her most recent customary spot, but I don’t know if those are from recent eating. There have been 7 lively, apple-fed mealyworms in her bowl since thursday and they haven’t been touched. Should I get crickets? Should I feed them something different?

:frowning:

2

It sounds like an internal parasite to me.

You’ll need to take her to a vet that is experienced in herps; they will probably need to take a fecal sample to be examined.

Good luck with her.

3

Czech, one of my Leopards quit eating mealworms (actually bee moths,waxworms), I switched to crickets. She started eating again.

IANAH or vet but I would:

  1. Make sure she has fresh water

  2. Make sure the cage is the proper temperature. Almost all info I’ve read on reptiles suggest raising the temp when a herp gets sick or stops eating.

  3. Try crickets, making sure to dust with vitamins and calcium before feeding. The breeder I bought one of my Leo’s from said mealworms are hard to digest. He wasn’t a vet but he had raised several generations of Leo’s.

Also, UVb lights won’t stop MBD in Leo’s; you need to feed them calcium supplements. I found out the hard way on that. UVb is mainly for vegetarian (green) herps such as iguanas. I have had iguanas, monitor lizards and geckos.

Also, there seem to be very few vets with an understanding of herps, I would try to find one ASAP. You may want to call a University with a herp department.

Good luck.

Des

4

Here is a link to a Herpetology vet finder . I hope you can find one near you to at least consult with you on the phone.

5

I had a leopard gecko for about 12 years and they can go for a long time without food.

I used to let mine go about a month, and then get a shwack of crickets for him to eat. This worked quite well.

Bre’r Lappin :slight_smile: is probably right about the parasite so I would get that checked, pronto.

It’s worrysome that she didn’t eat her shedding. Get the heat bulb pronto, because a chill can be deadly.

Good luck!

6

I had a gecko that died this way. I didn’t have the money to take him to a vet. Poor George!

I hope your gecko is all right. Leopard geckos are cute little guys. The next time I get a lizard, though, I want a bearded dragon!

7

I would strongly urge seeing a vet about parasites.

Diet and light problems can be corrected over time; bugs kill.

8

Thanks, everyone. The thing about the light is reassuring. I’m going to get her a new heat bulb. Her cage is usually 85 to 90 degrees, since the bulb went out it’s been 75 to 80.

I worry about the mealyworms too, because I’ve been able to feel them biting me when trying to feed them to her. I’m concerned that their bites might be more damaging to her. If i get crickets, I’ll take their hind legs off so their spines can’t hurt her.

I don’t know if I could get her to a vet. I’ll feel very guilty if she dies because I’m effectively confined to campus both my transportation limits and time constraints. She’s a little life that I’m responsible for and by hoping something like this wouldn’t happen was an unnecessary risk to that life.

9

Is there a zoo with a reptile house in your town? You could call and talk to one of the herpetologists there. Also ask any petstores that sell reptiles if there is a Herpetological Society in your town. Those guys would be happy to help you, I’m sure. Mealworms are not generally good as a sole source of food. Their hard shells are hard to digest. I would try crickets if I were you. I mean your gecko should try crickets, not you.

10

Former Leopard Gecko breeder checking in (LATE! :frowning: ). Is your leppy geck still with us? If so, since you said you got her from a breeder, it’s unlikely she has parasites. It’s possible, but low on the list.

The first thing I’d suspect is impacted mealworm carapaces (shells). A steady diet of mealworms can do that. The shells aren’t especially digestible, if they’re in hard-shell condition when they’re fed to the gecks. She may also just be sick of mealworms, so trying crickets may perk her up. (It happens.)

Next most likely culprit would be indigestion from too cool a temperature. The heating pad should go UNDER the cage, where the heat can rise up through it. (Set on low, generally.)

Another possibility is substrate ingestion. You didn’t mention what substrate you use in the cage. If it’s sand, she’s probably been eating it, for extra calcium. If so, she’s in tough shape, but may pull through. Get one of the oil-based vitamin/calcium supplements, and give her a big dose of it. A full dropper. Ignore the directions on the bottle, in this situation. She needs the oil, to help clear out her system. This is also the solution to mealworm shell impaction. You can also try giving her some finely shredded cabbage (not iceburg lettuce, it has less fiber). Some will eat it, some won’t.

She may also need to lay eggs. You can usually see some swelling in her belly, just in front of her rear legs, if this is the case, but it’s not infallible. Some females will produce eggs every year, whether there’s a male around, or not. She’ll need a damp patch of sand or dirt that’s deep enough for her to dig about an inch deep in. You can use a tupperware or rubbermaid box. Try putting her in it, and leaving her there. (Make sure it’s warm!) You might also cut a hole in the lid, and put that on the box, once she’s in it.

One other possibility, though unlikely, given your concern, is that she’s dehydrated. It couldn’t hurt to put her right INTO a very shallow dish of warm water, and see what happens. Some leppy’s just don’t “get” water dishes, and won’t learn to drink from them. (You have to mist the cage for these guys. They’ll lick up the droplets.) Putting her IN the water will allow her to soak some up, through the skin, and may also prompt her to lap some up.

I love your attitude towards your little friend, and will hope for the best for both of you. Feel free to email me, if you like.

11

Czechmaster said, “My lizard is dying”

I happens to all guys at one time or another. Don’t worry about it…You’ll be fine the next time.

12

Evil…but, funny. :stuck_out_tongue:

13

Leopard Gecko
Here, this is a link to a leopard gecko forum. Actually if you click forums at the top, it’s got a specific message board for most herps. It seems plently of people here have hads leos, but if you ever want to check it out, here’s a site where everyone has them. BTW you can find me in the Bearded Dragon and Water Dragon forums!