I'm very worried.

[TryToForget]

I posted a while ago about how my leopard gecko wasn't eating. Well I've had her since the 24th and she's only ate 3 times. The last time she ate was on the 5th. She ate 4 white mealworm things before they turn into beetles and 3 mealworms. She ate crickets the other 2 times. She pooped after every meal (not right after but normally the next day). Well lately she's been peeing a lot or what I think is pee. It's white but sometimes there's a lot of liquid with it or just liquid without the white. I've very concerned right now. This morning she pooped but it was completely white. Is that normal? I've only had her for a little while and I'm not ready to let go of her :( . I wanted to try waxworms but the only place around here isn't going to get them in until tuesday. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do??

-Jamie

[Samba]

Jaime, you need to have your gecko evaluated by a vet... I thought this was recommended to you the last time you posted about your gecko not eating. Obviously your gut is telling you this isn't normal.

You need to schedule an appointment right away, before things get worse. Try to collect a fresh fecal sample and refridgerate until it can be taken to the vet appointment.

Has your gecko lost weight? How are you keeping it warm? How old is it?

[TryToForget]

Well like I said she started eating so I didn't think that anything was wrong with her. She herself hasn't lost any weight. Her tail is about the size of what it was when I first got her. Definitely not skinny but not fat either. I keep her warm by a infrared light bulb. I keep her temperature between 80-90. She is about 8 months old. She is still active and everything. Her behavior hasn't changed at all. How often do they pee? Because she does between 2-3 times a day/night. I also don't have a vet around here. There is one in Maine but he is really expensive and I heard that he wasn't that great. I'd have to go to another state, probably NH. I'm also 16 and I don't have the money to take her to the vet. I know people say don't get animals unless you can take them to the vet if they need to be seen. But I had to go out and buy a bunch of stuff for my snakes that just recently got mites and I only have about 30 dollars left over.

-Jamie

[Samba]

Dear Lord...

Well, it sounds like your gecko is acting normally except for the pee part. I had a female gecko prolapse once and she did this.

Get your gecko to a vet or find someone else to take her... not fair that you may be preventing her from getting better.

[TryToForget]

Well I did some calling around and I found out a vet that supposedly knows something about leopard geckos. They are in Maine also. About a half hour away so it's not too bad. They told me that for an exam it will cost 42 and that they won't charge more than 10.50 for medication if she needs it. I found someone who owes me 30 dollars so I should be all set :) . I'm going to try and make the appointment as soon as I can next week (since they're closed on the weekends).

I'm just wondering but why did you change your mind from saying that I need to schedule an appointment right away to saying that she's normal?

-Jamie

[TryToForget]

Well I just got back from the vet for those of you who care. Poor Eclipse has internal parasites . I'm not really sure but the vet said that it was unusual that she has the type of parasite because they are normally in bearded dragons (the person that I got her from also had a lot of bearded dragons at their table so she must have caught it from them?). It was called cocsillea or something along those lines. I'm not positive. If anyone knows what I'm talking about then feel free to correct me. But anyways, I have to give her medicine every other day for 21 days. He told me to call him back if she doesn't eat within a week. I really hope she does. He told me that she is in good shape for not eating since the 5th so I'm happy about that. He was telling me that I should get a uvb light. I have an infrared right now. Does anyone think that I should get a uvb? I don't want to go out and spend the money if I don't need to (the vet bill came up to 71.95 but it was worth it). He also told me to take her off of tile because it will get to cold when the light isn't on. I have a 75 watt and should have a 50 so I have to turn it off when it gets too hot. Does anyone thing I should just stay with it or get something else? I had reptile carpet but she would go to get a cricket and her teeth would get stuck on it so I went out and got the tile instead. Well any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

-Jamie

[augerdvm]

Jamie:

You gecko has "Coccidiosis". this is an internal parasite which can lead to alot of gut inflammation & life threatening diarrhea. The antibiotic your gecko is on must be a sulfa-based antibiotic. remember. this parasite is IMMEDIATELY contagious which means ALL bowel movements must be cleaned up immediately or your pet can re-infect itself. It will take 3-5 dasy to get the infection under control & the appetite should return soon thereafter. Make sure your gecko doesnt get dehydrated. Coccidiosis is very prevalent in beardies but to a certain extent can be considered a "normal" inhabitant of the intestines. However if the number of parasites gets too high it can lead to disease.
I recommend a UVB light to all my gecko clients even if some sources say its not required. UVB helps with normal metabolism * physiology and cant hurt the animal.
For a substrate...tile is not the best, i agree with your vet. it gets too cold too quick. Some of the reptile sands are adequate as a substrate

hope this helps

[TryToForget]

Wow that's really scary. The past few days she has been having diarrhea too. Well I totally murdered that word lol. Sorry about that. I knew it started with "coc" though. The medication that he gave me is called trimethoprim-sulfa. It was pretty difficult giving it to her but I put it on her nose and she licked it off that way so it must have tasted alright.

What type of uvb bulb do you recommend? Also is it going to be an adequate heat source or am I going to have to buy another lamp and have both lights on at the sametime? Sorry about the questions, I've just never used uvb light before. I only have ball pythons.

Thanks for you help.

-Jamie

[augerdvm]

i recommend reptisun 5.0 flurescent UVB light. They DO NOT produce heat. You can use a read heat buld on her and leave it on 24hrs as they dont perceive the red as light nad it wont interfere with the hours of daylight they get. Otherwise you can use the ceramic bulb heaters

[Cruciform]

What is the optimal distance on a bulb like that? The drop in UVB energy follows a steep curve as the distance increases right?

[herpslave]

if you want full use of a uv light it needs to be no less then 12 inches. tile can stay warm with any hot bulb. You can put substrate like peat moss in other hides. Since they most likely will hand out there if it is warm.

[Artemis]

Fyi- Coccidia and Giardia are intestinal parasites that can also affect PEOPLE. After a bout with giardia myself, trust me and WASH YOUR HANDS thoroughly after you have been dealing with your pets.

Good luck with your gecko!

Artemis
Artemis

[TryToForget]

Oh jeez. Believe me, after hearing that, I will wash my hands thoroughly. I had no clue that people could get it too. At least I found out now instead of later on. Thanks Artemis.

-Jamie

[Samba]

Originally posted by Samba
it sounds like your gecko is acting normally except for the pee part.

From what you describe your gecko appears to be acting normal. If your gut is telling you there is something wrong with her, and she doesn't eat, despite the best of care (which I assume) then something is wrong...

P.S. Well, I should have read the rest of the reptiles before answering. Glad you got her to the vet, it probably saved her life. If I were you, I'd keep her on paper towels until this all blows over... easy to clean, absorbant (for all the 'pee' and diarrhea). I would do cage cleanings every day as well... just to make sure. Actually, I'd probably go a step further and destroy the cage to prevent reinfection.

I don't know if she is drinking, but in either case, keep her hydrated... I use Pedalite (crap it's early and I can't spell). It helps them regain electrolytes A LOT quicker than regular water does. It can be diluted and mixed into the drinking water, or submitted orally via syringe. Don't offer any food for a few days, so that she can regain strength and reduce stress. (Not sure how long it's been). Keep us updated on her progress, and by the way, I'm proud of you for doing the right thing and taking her to a vet... You don't know how many people would rather just let their animal suffer than spend the money on them. Good luck with her... =)

[TryToForget]

Well I don't think that I need to change her to paper towels because she goes on only the top of her humid hide. It has a plastic top that I can take right off and run under hot water to get everything off.

She is drinking. I've caught her in action a few times. I have some mealworms in a dish so I'll take those out and then try her in 3 days or so.

Thanks. I hope everything is going to be okay now.

-Jamie

[Samba]

Jaime - if the mealworms are in a dish, I don't think they'll cause any stress; I mainly referring to having crickets jumping around and bothering her. =)

If she 'goes' on top of her hide make sure you clean it thoroughly and as soon as possible when you notice she has 'gone'. This will reduce the chances of reinfection. I'm not sure how well plastic cleans, but if I were you I'd put her in a disposable hide until she is better. I keep my babies in these, as they are cheap, and you can throw them away after a week or so and start fresh with a new, clean hide. (By disposables, I mean the tupperware bowls with tops that are designed to be thrown away after a use, instead of being kept and washed). You can get like, 4 of them with lids at Wal-Mart for about a dollar. Hope this helps... good luck!

[TryToForget]

The humid hide that she's using as her bathroom is one of those tupperwares that you're talking about. I didn't know how much they cost because I got mine from someone. I think I will go out and buy a few packages of those. I had no clue that they were that cheap.

Approx. how long do you think I should wait before I start trying to feed her crickets again? I've been giving the meds since wednesday. I was thinking about trying tomorrow or sunday since the vet told me to call back if she doesn't eat within a week.

Thanks.

-Jamie

[Samba]

Yes, I would try tomorrow. In the evening, gather your crickets, (a little smaller than normals helps, but don't go teeny tiny... 3/4 of an inch should be good) and place into a container which has a lid. Place crickets into the freezer for about 15 seconds. (Not too long... you don't want them to die). Remove crickets and place onto shallow dish (or lid of some sort), and place in gecko's tank. Crickets will twitch and turn as they come to, hopefully attracting a hungry gecko. Observe under low light, and in a quiet room.

Wait and see if she eats... and don't be impatient, after all the stress this gecko has been through it might take awhile for her to come around. Don't forget to count the crickets because they will come to and begin moving about the cage, and you'll probably need to remove the ones she doesn't eat within a few hours. You can calculate what she's eatten (if anything) by counting).

Call your vet within a week and report your observations, whether she's eating or not, bowl movements (in case she needs to have another fecal done), etc.

I hope this helps out a little bit; although I am not a veterinarian, I have rehabilitated a great number of reptiles, including leopard geckos. I find this technique works best if you maintain a low profile, dim the lights, keep the TV or radio down, basically just allowing the gecko to calm and relax.

Keep posting updates.... =)

[TryToForget]

Okay thanks. That's a good idea. I've never heard anyone say to put crickets in the freezer. I'll probably do it more then just this time (she's a little slow lol). Also, I'm figuring that the medicine is working because she hasn't had any diarrhea since wednesday. She hasn't peed since then either though so I'm a little worried about that. I'll probably give her some water with the syringe when I give her her medicine today.

:) .

-Jamie

[TryToForget]

Well I just tried feeding her and she wouldn't eat. I did that cricket in the freezer trick that you told me. I had 3 crickets, 3 mealworms, and 3 mealworm larvea for her to pick from and she didn't touch any of them. She also pooped earlier today it was half way between solid and liquid so I guess she must be getting a little bit better. How long do you think I should wait until trying to feed her again? Monday?

-Jamie

[Samba]

Well, since today's Monday, yes, LOL =)

Try again, make sure that once you place the insects in the cage to not interfer with her. No hands in the tank, moving things around, etc. I would suggest just getting a chair and watching her for awhile. Just pretend your not there. It'll be hard (sometimes you want to help), but just let her do her own thing. If she still hasn't eaten call your vet for further advice. Be patient with her, and keep posting updates! =)

[TryToForget]

I haven't updated on her progress in a few days so I'll do that now. My vet had told me to call in a week if she didn't start eating. Well, she didn't so I called Wednesday. I brought her in Thursday and she was weighed and I was shown how to force feed her. When I brought her in the first time she weighed 20.5 grams and when she got re-weighed (after not eating for another week) she weighed 20.4. I thought she would have lost a lot more weight then that but I guess not so that's good. So now every day I have to force feed her until she is eating well on her own. I need to give her 0.2 ml of canned/wet dog/cat food. I'll probably try giving her a few crickets on Monday or so to see if she finally wants to eat. I hope everything is going to be fine after this. I don't want to stress her out anymore then she probably already is..

-Jamie