my leopard gecko wont eat, can someone help with advice??? read everything before answering please my leo is 1 year old now, in a 10 gallon tank. she has a cave on the cool side, and a cave on the warm side. the warm side is heated by a heat lamp, with a red night bulb. i have a thermometer on the warm side, it stays about 75*F on the cool side, and 89-92* F on the warm side when the lamp is on, i usually turn it off in the day(unless the AC is on) because she will stay sleeping on the cool side all day anyway. she also only wants to be on the cool side all day and night, so she always feels cool to the touch instead of warm. she doesn't want to be as active during the night as she used to be. she has a medium rock bowl for water, a small rock bowl for calcium with D3 powder, and her substrate is paper towels. She has been refusing to eat for at least a month and a half now, i have only got her to eat 2-3 meal worms by herself twice, and two other times i just resorted to force feeding to be sure she had some food in her belly. she has even refused her favorite treats, wax worms, when i couldn't get her to eat meal worms. she wont hunt crickets so i don't bother to offer them, I've tried several times and they just go to waste. I've seen her drink some water once or twice though, and she has normal looking poops. she has not really lost any weight even with her eating so little, she is actually pretty normal weight, but i am still worried about why she wont want to eat. almost every time i offer her food, she gets that interested look like she is hunting it, she stalks it like she is about to grab it, then she just stares past it like it doesn't exist and then she ignores it and goes away. other times she shes completely ignores it, and even licks it and continues walking around like it wasn't even a food item.
Welcome to the boards! I would consider taking a fecal sample to the vet when she has another bowel movement. These shouldn't require an actual appointment and typically run somewhere in the ballpark of ~$20. At the very least, it can give some peace of mind knowing that there isn't something going on in the GI tract which are the most common infections (by parasitic worms, protozoa, and bacteria). I understand that getting a fecal sample sounds a lot simpler than reality may allow (given she isn't eating) but just keep an eye on her and try to be prepared to do so when the time does come. Use the following website to find a qualified herp vet in your area, and if she appears to be taking a turn for the worse at any time, get her to a vet: http://herpvetconnection.com You can sometimes encourage a poo with a bath, which doubles up as a good way to ensure the gecko is hydrated. Fill a small container with just enough water that it comes up to the gecko's belly. It should be just slightly warm to the touch of your forearm. A good 15 minute soak or so should be good to ensure hydration and to help potentially loosen up some stool. They will take water in through the vent. Once feces have passed, place them in a ziploc bag and label any pertinent information (your name and contact info, the gecko's name and species, date and time of movement, etc) Call the vet's office ahead of time for details on dropping off a fecal sample. If you cannot get the sample to a vet within a few hours, place it in the fridge and try to get it there as quickly as possible. Some pathogens dessicate rapidly. The red flag here is obviously the lethargic behavior and loss of appetite, but the Good news is the gecko does not appear to be losing weight. Could you provide us with a picture of the gecko? You can upload a photo from your computer to a website such as http://tinypic.com or http://photobucket.com and paste a generated url into a post for us to view. Globally, weather patterns this year are a little off (at least in the US and Neotropics) which may be playing a role in your gecko's odd behavior. I know that some snake breeders had a very late season because their animals were copulating and ovulating much later than usual, and we had a pretty awkward winter in the Midwest. Its possible that your pet is better-tuned to barometric and environmental changes and may be taking an odd-timed brumation; which is typically done in the winter. Brumation is a low-metabolism state that isn't as extreme as hibernation, but some herps experience it and will usually slow down in behavior and feeding but maintain their weight fairly well. Its always best to rule out the possibility of disease first, but your gecko may just be fasting at an unusual time exhibiting an unusual brumation-like state. It sounds like your husbandry is pretty solid. I'll provide some additional literature to review to ensure that you are providing the best care possible along with some additional trouble-shooting information for gecko's who aren't feeding: http://reptileboards.com/forums/leopard-geckos.46/ View the blue highlighted, "sticky" threads toward the top for the caresheet and other useful information. There's been a lot of "My Gecko won't eat" threads this year, which makes me wonder if there isn't something environmental throwing some animals out of whack.
Hm, only the 1st 2 photos are working for me. I would definitely get her to a vet asap. It's probably something simple like worms or an infection (let's hope).
Jeff's post has covered pretty much everything, and I would agree that a fecal test would be a good idea. One additional comment: Your leo is around the age/size of sexual maturity. Have you checked her belly for signs of ovulating or being gravid? If you aren't sure what to look for, a google image search can give you some visual examples. (I'm on a phone or I'd post links for you.)
cammy actually i was considering that but then why would she not want to eat this long? i was inspecting her and i think she may be, should i attach photos of the her belly? also, i purchased a heat mat yesterday and put it on the warm side(i tuned off the heat lamp), she spent some time on it and when i left earlier she was in the warm humid hide so she was warm.
I've read that females can go months without eating or with eating very little during breeding season. Even males will sometimes slow down when driven crazy by hormones. If you can get clear, high quality pictures, feel free to attach them. The fact that she is still active and not losing noticeable weight is a good sign, although I would still recommend a fecal exam just to play it safe since they are rather inexpensive and can help give you tangible reason to alleviate some of your worry. (I know we pet people tend to worry over our animals like children, haha.)
