I think my gecko might have sticktail

[Fred_thegecko]

Hello!
So I’ve had my gecko about a month, he’s 4 months old, he’s been looking quite thin and so we’ve been feeding him about 7 crickets and the occasional waxworm, which he was eating and he was pooping fine, but he hasn’t put in any weight really since I’ve had him and his tail is looking quite thin, not boney and you can’t see his spine or tail bone but definitely looks like there is little to no fat reserve in his tail. I’ve been worried about his weight for about 2 weeks however as he was eating and pooping regularly I thought I would see how he got on. Suddenly in the past 2 days he’s not eaten anything (only 1 cricket a day) and doesn’t seem interested in food or wax worms either! And he seems quite lethargic. Hes only shed once in the month I’ve had him and that was a week ago, and he’s been in and out of his humid hide in the last two days but doesn’t seem to be looking dusty like he does when he’s about to shed. I’ve got to the vet and showed a photo and she said all the husbandry Im doing seems fine but he’s definitely too skinny, so I’m just waiting for the results back from a poop sample.
Is there anything anyone can recommend to do in the mean time to help him out? The results will take about 10 days to get back due to the current virus situation, and I’m worried that if he carries on only eating 1 cricket a day he might not make it until then... I’m very worried and would like to know what I could do in the mean time to help him out. Also his substrate is kit hen paper.

 

[Hilde]

You have 3 threads started about this same gecko and same problem. I've closed the last two, since there's no need to keep starting a new thread every hour. It won't speed up any help.
Please don't start another thread about this problem, continue here.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hello!
So I’ve had my gecko about a month, he’s 4 months old, he’s been looking quite thin and so we’ve been feeding him about 7 crickets and the occasional waxworm, which he was eating and he was pooping fine, but he hasn’t put in any weight really since I’ve had him and his tail is looking quite thin, not boney and you can’t see his spine or tail bone but definitely looks like there is little to no fat reserve in his tail. I’ve been worried about his weight for about 2 weeks however as he was eating and pooping regularly I thought I would see how he got on. Suddenly in the past 2 days he’s not eaten anything (only 1 cricket a day) and doesn’t seem interested in food or wax worms either! And he seems quite lethargic. Hes only shed once in the month I’ve had him and that was a week ago, and he’s been in and out of his humid hide in the last two days but doesn’t seem to be looking dusty like he does when he’s about to shed. I’ve got to the vet and showed a photo and she said all the husbandry Im doing seems fine but he’s definitely too skinny, so I’m just waiting for the results back from a poop sample.
Is there anything anyone can recommend to do in the mean time to help him out? The results will take about 10 days to get back due to the current virus situation, and I’m worried that if he carries on only eating 1 cricket a day he might not make it until then... I’m very worried and would like to know what I could do in the mean time to help him out. Also his substrate is kit hen paper.

What you picture could be stick tail/crypto. These days vets can actually swab a gecko's vent to get the required sample.

For link 21 click: Cryptosporidiosis: disinfecting, Mail Order test, + links​

1. Is Fred's humid hide on the warm end of his enclosure? That's best.
2. Does the kitchen paper substrate have adhesive backing?
3. Does Fred have fresh water daily?
4. While Fred was eating which powdered supplements did you use?
5. How often did you dust with them?
6. Heavily or lightly?

Please buy one of these powdered foods and mix it with water. Your leo may lick this slurry off his snout.

• Lafeber's EmerAid for Carnivors ----> Maybe from the vet?
• Repashy's Grub Pie
• Oxbow's Carnivore Care

 

[Fred_thegecko]

What you picture could be stick tail/crypto. These days vets can actually swab a gecko's vent to get the required sample.

For link 21 click: Cryptosporidiosis: disinfecting, Mail Order test, + links​

1. Is Fred's humid hide on the warm end of his enclosure? That's best.
2. Does the kitchen paper substrate have adhesive backing?
3. Does Fred have fresh water daily?
4. While Fred was eating which powdered supplements did you use?
5. How often did you dust with them?
6. Heavily or lightly?

Please buy one of these powdered foods and mix it with water. Your leo may lick this slurry off his snout.

• Lafeber's EmerAid for Carnivors ----> Maybe from the vet?
• Repashy's Grub Pie
• Oxbow's Carnivore Care

hello!
1. Yes his moist hide is on the warm Side and has reptile moss inside.
2. No the kitchen paper doesn’t have a sticky backing it’s just normal, i did find that he has crawled under it and was hiding under there the other day so I thought maybe he wasn’t warm enough, so I turned it up to around 33.5C as it was on about 32.5 before.
3. He does have fresh water daily, but I’ve never seen him drink it, and he’s been in his moist hide the past couple days but I don’t think he’s about to shed as no colour change, so I’m worried maybe he is dehydrated? I have read that a Luke warm shallow back may help as he may use that time to lick up the water? I tried with a Pipette to drop it on his nose but he got a bit spooked.
4. I used pure calcium 5 days and then the other two Nutribal
5. Made sure they were always dusted, although I think it made them a bit hard to see as it was against a white background
6.i put the powder in a small sandwich bag with the crickets I was going to feed him in and then shook it about to coat them, however, I think at first the dusting may have a been a bit heavy so I reduced the amount for a lighter dusting.
I have the repashy meal replacement stuff I think it’s mango flavour haha, I tried making some of that up and leaving it in a milk top and tried putting some on some tweezer ends up close to him but he just turned away, i don’t want to force it into his nose as I’m worried it might dry and then clog up if he doesn’t lick it up bit if you think that’s best I can give it another go!

Any help would be much appreciated, as I’m worried what to do in the mean time while I wait for vet results!

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

hello!
1. Yes his moist hide is on the warm Side and has reptile moss inside.
2. No the kitchen paper doesn’t have a sticky backing it’s just normal, i did find that he has crawled under it and was hiding under there the other day so I thought maybe he wasn’t warm enough, so I turned it up to around 33.5C as it was on about 32.5 before.
3. He does have fresh water daily, but I’ve never seen him drink it, and he’s been in his moist hide the past couple days but I don’t think he’s about to shed as no colour change, so I’m worried maybe he is dehydrated? I have read that a Luke warm shallow back may help as he may use that time to lick up the water? I tried with a Pipette to drop it on his nose but he got a bit spooked.
4. I used pure calcium 5 days and then the other two Nutribal
5. Made sure they were always dusted, although I think it made them a bit hard to see as it was against a white background
6.i put the powder in a small sandwich bag with the crickets I was going to feed him in and then shook it about to coat them, however, I think at first the dusting may have a been a bit heavy so I reduced the amount for a lighter dusting.
I have the repashy meal replacement stuff I think it’s mango flavour haha, I tried making some of that up and leaving it in a milk top and tried putting some on some tweezer ends up close to him but he just turned away, i don’t want to force it into his nose as I’m worried it might dry and then clog up if he doesn’t lick it up bit if you think that’s best I can give it another go!

Any help would be much appreciated, as I’m worried what to do in the mean time while I wait for vet results!

3. A 30*C lukewarm bath daily for about 20 minutes will be excellent! That bath will help Fred stay hydrated.

4. That schedule was excessive for any age leo. Nutrobal contains more calcium than any other product on the market. Nutrobal is a good thing.
For 0-12 month old leos

• Mondays - lightly dust prey with Nutrobal
• Wednesdays - lightly dust prey with plain calcium carbonate like Pro Rep's Calci Dust
• Fridays ~ lightly dust prey with plain calcium carbonate like Pro Rep's Calci Dust

6. Is Repashy's Meal Replacement Powder formulated for crested geckos? Just mix it and place it on his nose. Fred will have 2 choices: lick it off or wipe it off on the ground or somewhere else.

When he's done, wipe his nose on top and underneath with a wet paper towel.

I've fed some off-foods geckos this way. I've never had a problem doing so.

7. What insects and worms had you usually fed and dusted?

 

[Fred_thegecko]

3. A 30*C lukewarm bath daily for about 20 minutes will be excellent! That bath will help Fred stay hydrated.

4. That schedule was excessive for any age leo. Nutrobal contains more calcium than any other product on the market. Nutrobal is a good thing.
For 0-12 month old leos

• Mondays - lightly dust prey with Nutrobal
• Wednesdays - lightly dust prey with plain calcium carbonate like Pro Rep's Calci Dust
• Fridays ~ lightly dust prey with plain calcium carbonate like Pro Rep's Calci Dust

6. Is Repashy's Meal Replacement Powder formulated for crested geckos? Just mix it and place it on his nose. Fred will have 2 choices: lick it off or wipe it off on the ground or somewhere else.

When he's done, wipe his nose on top and underneath with a wet paper towel.

I've fed some off-foods geckos this way. I've never had a problem doing so.

7. What insects and worms had you usually fed and dusted?

Amazing Thankyou!
I will try a bath this evening when he’s woken up!

6. It is but the lady at the reptile shop said it would be the same and she fed it to her Leo’s, however, I’m now realising people will say anything to get you to spend money -.- will it be bad for him?

7. We feed him medium/small brown crickets, we did leave a pot of mealworms in there for him but he couldn’t care less about meal worms if one is wiggling in front of him he will just move away from it! We occasionally fed him a waxworm Which he liked but he doesn’t seem very Interested in then recently nor crickets, he ate some crickets and then regurgitated them, he goes to lunge at one (we’ve been tong feeding him) but then he sort of gives up straight away.

I will try the baths and we’ve bought a new heat mat as the other one seems to be very irregul In different spots so hopefully this one will be more consistent. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated! Hope the lil guy gets better soon I’m very worried.

 

[acpart]

Make sure the vet is testing for crypto as well as the more usual parasites. If they aren't, the gecko can have a vent swabbed (you can do it at home) for that test.

Aliza

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Amazing Thankyou!
I will try a bath this evening when he’s woken up!

6. It is but the lady at the reptile shop said it would be the same and she fed it to her Leo’s, however, I’m now realising people will say anything to get you to spend money -.- will it be bad for him?

7. We feed him medium/small brown crickets, we did leave a pot of mealworms in there for him but he couldn’t care less about meal worms if one is wiggling in front of him he will just move away from it! We occasionally fed him a waxworm Which he liked but he doesn’t seem very Interested in then recently nor crickets, he ate some crickets and then regurgitated them, he goes to lunge at one (we’ve been t larvong feeding him) but then he sort of gives up straight away.

I will try the baths and we’ve bought a new heat mat as the other one seems to be very irregul In different spots so hopefully this one will be more consistent. Any other suggestions would be much appreciated! Hope the lil guy gets better soon I’m very worried.

Make sure the vet is testing for crypto as well as the more usual parasites. If they aren't, the gecko can have a vent swabbed (you can do it at home) for that test.

Aliza

:banana:

As Aliza just mentioned, what is Fred's poop sample being tested for?

What substrate do you use for Fred?

"Repashy meal replacement stuff I think it’s mango flavour" is OK. Will Fred eat it?

Have you ever tried Phoenix worms (black soldier fly larvae) or hornworms? Skip waxworms. Waxworms have very little nutritional value.

Regurgitation is not a good sign.

 

[Fred_thegecko]

UPDATE! (Incase anyone likes to keep up with these things haha)
So the vet called back, it came back negative for Crypto! Which is great as that had me very worried.
She said they found a small amount of worm eggs in his poop so they have prescribed medication to take for three days, she said as it was only a small amount either that’s not the only reason for his weight loss and illness (although it definitely wouldn’t help) or just that the worms weren’t breeding much at the specific time, but hopefully as he’s only 4 months it was just the worms and after the meds he will put on weight! She said everything we are doing husbandry wise seems perfect which is a weight off my chest!

If anyone has any tips on how to help him come back from this things to do/ not to do, just to help him out as much as we can (also I’ve ordered some of the repashy grub pie for him for the extra nutrients because I don’t really want to feed him the crested gecko version we were mis sold -.-)

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

UPDATE! (Incase anyone likes to keep up with these things haha)
So the vet called back, it came back negative for Crypto! Which is great as that had me very worried.
She said they found a small amount of worm eggs in his poop so they have prescribed medication to take for three days, she said as it was only a small amount either that’s not the only reason for his weight loss and illness (although it definitely wouldn’t help) or just that the worms weren’t breeding much at the specific time, but hopefully as he’s only 4 months it was just the worms and after the meds he will put on weight! She said everything we are doing husbandry wise seems perfect which is a weight off my chest!

If anyone has any tips on how to help him come back from this things to do/ not to do, just to help him out as much as we can (also I’ve ordered some of the repashy grub pie for him for the extra nutrients because I don’t really want to feed him the crested gecko version we were mis sold -.-)

The last thread you started on diet shows nothing there. ??? Did you delete what you'd written after you posted it?

No crypto = good news. Sometimes a gecko may test negative and still be positive. Crypto is episodical.

Did you finish off the worm medicine?

Glad that you ordered Grub Pie! Make sure your leo is staying hydrated.

 

[Fred_thegecko]

The last thread you started on diet shows nothing there. ??? Did you delete what you'd written after you posted it?

No crypto = good news. Sometimes a gecko may test negative and still be positive. Crypto is episodical.

Did you finish off the worm medicine?

Glad that you ordered Grub Pie! Make sure your leo is staying hydrated.

I thought it hadn’t posted properly a I couldn’t find it, my internet is being very temperamental... I’m still trying to navigate my way around the site! I will try to delete or edit the post in diet! Thank you!

We’ve added small dubias to his diet and he’s started eating meal worms but now has decided he doesn’t fancy crickets -.- but he had his first shed in 3 weeks with us yesterday so that’s a very good sign!
Thank you for your help!

 

[Fred_thegecko]

The last thread you started on diet shows nothing there. ??? Did you delete what you'd written after you posted it?

No crypto = good news. Sometimes a gecko may test negative and still be positive. Crypto is episodical.

Did you finish off the worm medicine?

Glad that you ordered Grub Pie! Make sure your leo is staying hydrated.

Did it not post? My internet is being very temperamental and making it hard to work this site! I will try edit the post now, thank you for bringing it to my attention!
We did finish the medicine and he’s been eating much better, I think his tail has put on some weight going to weigh him this weekend but he’s more alert and had his first shed in a while yesterday and he got it all off perfect so that’s all positive!

 

[Fred_thegecko]

How much should my gecko be eating (edit)

I’m not sure how to edit my post (it appears none of the information posted in the original) but here is what it should’ve said!

So my gecko is just recovering from being ill and while he was ill if he ate more than 2/3 crickets in a go he would regurgitate them so the reptile vet suggested we feed him 2 or 3 in the morning at 7:30am (ish) and then another 2/3 in the evening around 7pm.
He is now on the road to recovery and eating a mixture of mealworms, crickets (although he has gone off them right now) we have ordered some dubia roaches to add to the mix as well as grub pie to try get him a bit bigger. However as we are feeling such a variety Im unsure of how much he should be eating! Should we stop feeding him in the morning now? He’s eating about 6 meal worms in the morning then maybe another 5 in the evening. I have just seen a chart that says that meal worms aren’t the most nutritious roaches may be better so we will introduce those!
He is 4 months old so any help is appreciated to try get him to put the grams on!

(We have a bowl of meal worms always dusted and available to him but he doesn’t seem to care about them in a bowl)

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I’m not sure how to edit my post (it appears none of the information posted in the original) but here is what it should’ve said!

So my gecko is just recovering from being ill and while he was ill if he ate more than 2/3 crickets in a go he would regurgitate them so the reptile vet suggested we feed him 2 or 3 in the morning at 7:30am (ish) and then another 2/3 in the evening around 7pm.
He is now on the road to recovery and eating a mixture of mealworms, crickets (although he has gone off them right now) we have ordered some dubia roaches to add to the mix as well as grub pie to try get him a bit bigger. However as we are feeling such a variety Im unsure of how much he should be eating! Should we stop feeding him in the morning now? He’s eating about 6 meal worms in the morning then maybe another 5 in the evening. I have just seen a chart that says that meal worms aren’t the most nutritious roaches may be better so we will introduce those!
He is 4 months old so any help is appreciated to try get him to put the grams on!

(We have a bowl of meal worms always dusted and available to him but he doesn’t seem to care about them in a bowl)

NOW I see your message here pertaining to Fred's diet.

To edit a post, look at the foot of the post after you post it. See the button that says: Edit Post? Click that and follow the prompts. Does that make sense?

GU has been having serious server difficulties up to the point where in the AM on 4/15 I could not access the forum at all -- just endless scrolling/"refreshing". 2 tech experts including Marty (GU owner) stepped in yesterday afternoon. Still I'm not sure we are "there", cuz when I tried to post just now using "Reply to Quote" I still got pretty much endless scrolling.

Leos don't like change. If Fred likes 6 in the AM and another 5 mealworms at night, keep it up for a while longer.

1. How long has Fred been having AM and PM meals?
2. Many 4 mo leos eat just about every day.
3. Does he have problems seeing or reaching the crickets or mealworms in a bowl?
4. What exact supplements do you use? Please list brand, exact name, and frequency.
5. What do you feed his mealworms, dubia, and crickets: powdered insect food, collard greens, carrots, apples? That's the only way they're going to be nutritious for Fred.

 

[Fred_thegecko]

NOW I see your message here pertaining to Fred's diet.

To edit a post, look at the foot of the post after you post it. See the button that says: Edit Post? Click that and follow the prompts. Does that make sense?

GU has been having serious server difficulties up to the point where in the AM on 4/15 I could not access the forum at all -- just endless scrolling/"refreshing". 2 tech experts including Marty (GU owner) stepped in yesterday afternoon. Still I'm not sure we are "there", cuz when I tried to post just now using "Reply to Quote" I still got pretty much endless scrolling.

Leos don't like change. If Fred likes 6 in the AM and another 5 mealworms at night, keep it up for a while longer.

1. How long has Fred been having AM and PM meals?
2. Many 4 mo leos eat just about every day.
3. Does he have problems seeing or reaching the crickets or mealworms in a bowl?
4. What exact supplements do you use? Please list brand, exact name, and frequency.
5. What do you feed his mealworms, dubia, and crickets: powdered insect food, collard greens, carrots, apples? That's the only way they're going to be nutritious for Fred.

Ah I see!
1. He’s been eating in the AM and PM now for just under 2 weeks
3. When he was ill he was very lethargic and so had trouble noticing any insects even with tongs right infront of him but he’s definitely more aware and vigilant at hunting now, the worms were in a meal worm dish and he would just walk straight over them (however at the time he never was interested in meal worms anyways, he’s only recently shown interest in them, and has not gone off crickets) I’ve now moved them to a small glass pot (the ones the GÜ desserts come in) so that he can see through it but he still doesn’t really go over to it, it’s a bit taller than the old dish but I’ve put a rock next to it so he can still get in.
4. I use EarthPro-Ca pure calcium and Nutrobal. The vets told me to dust the food with calcium 4 or 5 days a week and with nutrobal 2 times a week, until he reaches about 6 months then to maybe lessen it a bit to 3 times a week calcium and then once nutrobal.
5. I gutload his insects with ProRep Bug grub, and also I put in a sponge with water for them to drink, carrots, leafy greens (not spinach). What else can be used to gut load? I was told by a reptileshop that spinach is bad as it can rot in the crickets stomach and then rot in the geckos?

 

[Hilde]

Fred_thegecko, I have merged your threads, again, since it's basically a continuation of related problems with the same gecko.

Please, don't start a new thread about this gecko's current problems. As I mentioned previously, same gecko, current problems related, just keep posting in this thread.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Ah I see!
1. He’s been eating in the AM and PM now for just under 2 weeks
3. When he was ill he was very lethargic and so had trouble noticing any insects even with tongs right infront of him but he’s definitely more aware and vigilant at hunting now, the worms were in a meal worm dish and he would just walk straight over them (however at the time he never was interested in meal worms anyways, he’s only recently shown interest in them, and has not gone off crickets) I’ve now moved them to a small glass pot (the ones the GÜ desserts come in) so that he can see through it but he still doesn’t really go over to it, it’s a bit taller than the old dish but I’ve put a rock next to it so he can still get in.
4. I use EarthPro-Ca pure calcium and Nutrobal. The vets told me to dust the food with calcium 4 or 5 days a week and with nutrobal 2 times a week, until he reaches about 6 months then to maybe lessen it a bit to 3 times a week calcium and then once nutrobal.
5. I gutload his insects with ProRep Bug grub, and also I put in a sponge with water for them to drink, carrots, leafy greens (not spinach). What else can be used to gut load? I was told by a reptileshop that spinach is bad as it can rot in the crickets stomach and then rot in the geckos?

1. Continue your leo's AM/PM schedule for 1 more week. Then, gradually, subtract 1 feeder from the AM feeding and add it to the PM feeding until your 4 mo leo is only eating 1x per day.

4. In my experience the supplement frequencies your vet recommends are excessive: 3x per week plain calcium + 2x per week multivitamins. Unfortunately that sounds exactly like Leopard Gecko lady on YouTube. All supplements are different.

Nutrobal is one of the best multivitamins around! Nutrabol contains a calcium: phosphorus ratio of 46:1. Nutrobal contains more calcium than any other product on the market! Nutrobal is a good thing. The vitamin D3 your leo gets on Monday sticks around in his body throughout the week to metabolize pure calcium from Wed & Fri. That's how fat soluble vitamins work. There's no need to take Nutrobal 2x per week. 2x per week could be harmful.

For 0-12 month old leos

• Mondays - lightly dust prey with Nutrobal
• Wednesdays - lightly dust prey with EarthPro-Ca pure calcium
• Fridays - lightly dust prey with EarthPro-Ca pure calcium

5. ProRep Bug Grub is a good dry diet for insects and worms. Carrots and some leafy greens are good as well. Choose gutload veggies and fruits from this list and you'll be safe.

Gutload Ingredients for Bugs & Worms......thanks to Olimpia -- August 2013

"A commercial gut loading food like Bug Burger or Superload (both by Repashy), Cricket Crack, Dinofuel, etc. is going to make your life easier AND provide a nutritious diet to your crickets at the same time. Avoid Fluker's gutloads, as they are super feeble in their formulas.

"If you opt for making your own gutload at home, here is a list of great ingredients to use:
Best: mustard greens, turnip greens, dandelion flowers & leaves, collard greens, escarole lettuce, papaya, watercress, and alfalfa.
Good: sweet potato, carrots, oranges, mango, butternut squash, kale, apples, beet greens, blackberries, bok choy, and green beans.
Dry food: bee pollen, organic non-salted sunflower seeds, spirulina, dried seaweed, flax seed, and organic non-salted almonds.
Avoid as much as possible: potatoes, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, corn, grains, beans, oats, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, dog food, cat food, fish food, canned or dead insects, vertebrates."

For link 77 click: Gecko Multivitamins

 

[Fred_thegecko]

So to add further to the thread unfortunately-.-
Fred has been getting better! He’s not lethargic anymore and is very active in his eating infact he eats rather a lot! But I’ve started noticing some issues... his poops seem to be very very large for such a small guy and I noticed yesterday that there was an undigested dubia in the poop, and today I saw a small smear of red possibly blood in the poop. He did eat a very large silk worm yesterday which may have been too big and so maybe that’s not digesting too well?
He is eating fine, pooping regularly (although large) and I just caught him climbing up the leaves in his tank so is still active.
He had his stool tested about a month ago and all they found in it was worms and so he was treated for that and did put on weight. He weighed about 11.5grams when we started the meds and now weighs 19.7g
His heat mat ranges from 30-33C and I am installing a DHP in the next few days to help with digestion.
I’ve attached a picture of his progress pics and all the stool with the blood in it (sorry it’s a bit disgusting)

I’m going to monitor his poop tomorrow and if it has blood in it again I will book in with the vets.
Any help?

 

[acpart]

It's great that he's visibly gaining weight. Hopefully everything is OK on the poop end as well.

Aliza

 

[SpottedDragon]

Blood in the stool isn't a great thing in any animal, however one that has been dewormed can pass a little blood in the stool as the worms die. Depending on if they were pin worms or hook worms the worms themselves can irritate the intestinal lining and when they die and peel off it can cause some trauma. It is not usually something to worry about if it only happens once. Also if that stool was far larger than the ones he'd been having while recovering it could have irritated the lining of the vent and caused a little bleeding.
If it continues it could be from something else.
Glad he looks like he is doing better.