# Help my leo is dying i think :( :(



## jsweete (Jun 27, 2010)

Ok my leopard gecko has not eaten for about a week now. he does this now and again however this is the longest he's ever gone. He seems to just sleep all the time and and have his eyes shut most of the time. (alot more so than usual) I stay up late alot and i live a nocturnal life so i usually see him active at night, however he just moves a few inches and then goes back to sleep.

I have had him 2years in the same vivarium, and nothing has changed at all recently. 

He has just done a poo and it is just a white bit and a runny yellowy snot coloured stool.

i have been force feeding him water, and i was going to get some baby food tomorrow to try get some goodness into him.

prior to this he has had issues shedding skin on his past 2 sheds. he has also left a strange white rolled up substance that has been almost like a slug in shape about the shape and size of a half smoked cigerette.

he lives in a custom made viv, which is sand crested in yacht varnish and a small amount of dryed play sand (from b&q) on top of his heat mat with a tile on top to try prevent him ingesting the sand. There is also many hides including a hot and cool hide and a night blue heat light for help in the winter.

Temps are usually about 92 in the hot side and about 85 on the cool side.

his tail has dramaticly got very thin and belly has got a blue tint and is very bulged out.

I gave him a hot bath yesterday, and this seemed to make him feel alot better. But this energy soon went.

please see pics below to demonstrate his viv setup and how thin his tail is and how big his belly is.

Any ideas on what i can do? and how serious this is?




























Kind Regards
James


----------



## GeckoD (May 30, 2010)

Ok a few issues but try and post those pics again please...


----------



## Wrench (Feb 9, 2010)

I'm not a vet and can't advise on this. Why have you not taken him to one? you should ASAP!!


----------



## Spuddy (Aug 24, 2009)

i posted a thread on this last week sometime, as my friend had the exact same problem with his Leo.

his looked just like yours too, the bloated belly, thin tail, sleeping all the time etc. Suddenly came on.

He took it to the vets, the vet prescribed some anti biotics and told him to syringe baby food.

Today whilst i was at work my mate text me, the Leo has started eating by itself again, and is no longer lethargic and sleeping constantly.

So get it to vets ASAP, as there is something that can be done.

Im not saying its the exact same illness, but it sure sounds like it, in which case it can be saved.

Danny.


----------



## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Lovely set up, bet he is happy in there!

The other are right, go to the vets with the lil fella!

Good luck,
Dave


----------



## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

Welcome to the forum.
He is not very thin but his belly does look bloated. It is not unusual for adult Leos to go off their food - sometimes for more than a week. But in view of the lethargy and bloating you really do need to take him to a reptile qualified vet. Take a poop sample with you if you can so that it can be tested for parasites. What you describe sounds as if this could be a distinct possiblity.
Are you sure it is a male? Do you supplement his food and what with? The cool side of the viv really should be cooler - mid 70s so that he can thermoregulate properly - especially important in this hot weather. Does he have a moist hide to help with shedding? You will need to get that shed off his toes or he will lose them. Try gently rubbing with a moist cotton bud after a tepid bath.
Sorry for all the questions but need answers to try to get a better picture of what might be wrong.


----------



## leebrett69 (Nov 3, 2008)

Sounds like parasites get to vet and also he got his eyes shut alot means he dehydrated lower ur cool side down 70 - 75 imagine how stressful it would be to be hot all the time basking temps between 88 - 90. Never force feed unless u r told to by the vets u will just make things alot worse and stress him out even more you dont need to force feed him water!! Buy some avipro or some electroboost (electrolytes) and mix it into the water, this will give him alot more energy and helps them get eating again aswell.

Put some calcium inside ur viv aswell, never act on ur own accord get it right and get him to the vet. It wont help doing what you think is best for him.


----------



## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

I'll just confirm what the people above are saying, when they say vet amke sure it is one the specialises in reptiles. As many will not have a clue. If you let people know where you are we can recomend one. 

It is important to get some calcium into her as well so maybe add a little dish in the viv as i didnt see one. Also a moist hide will help with the shed. 

Jay


----------



## stokes7dexter (Mar 9, 2010)

*hey..im so sorry...it must hurt..it would 4 me*

hey there,
What you should be doing asap is taking him to a vet....bring the last stool sample in a ziplock bag stored in the fridge..your cool side is also too high..it should be more like in the mid 70's...also did you ask a vet about the setup and what it's made of?..and the popping belly and color could have to do with food & sand impaction..feel around to see if there's a knot type of feeling in there...like a ound ball that moves with the skin...his tail is skiny to his belly so I would immidetiatly take him to the vet, they may have to hold him, take tests or will know right away. Don't wit for someone on here to answer you go to the VEt ASAP PLEASE!...he'll get antibodiots and if they think he's in pain, pain meds..for now you might want to buy him Repi-Aid Emergency care kit..it's powder you mix with water and use a syringe to help feed him a little...And you don't neccesarily have to try to fed a lot of water in his mouth....Spray him with new air-temp. water on top of him and on his belly and bottom, cuz they absorb water quick that way...thats prolly why he felt better after the bath(they don't need to neccesarily drink all the water to get hydrated...spray him like 6X a day or give him a moist hideout that's really moist and constantly keep it really moist so water seeps though the skin..BUT HURRY NOW AND CALL THAT VET!!!
Good luck...let me know how it turns out!:sad: I hate when I see a sick leo..my heart LITERALLY teas apart like my parents just died or something..i love them that much!
TTYL
~ Aubrey


----------



## stokes7dexter (Mar 9, 2010)

*Also*

IT could also just be blockage in the intestine from something, if sutin is loose inside the cage or anything else not properly digested like superworms or mealworms. and r u sure it's a male?. If it's a female, she could have infertile eggs, but if her tail is thin and she's not eating, she could be egg bound. Either condition is fatal if not treated and the sooner you get it to the vet, the better chance it will have to survive, so GO NOW OR IF YOU NEED HELP to find a vet in your area, try www.arav.org....it will help find the right one for you..go now, cuz tomorrow may not be so lucky if it's a fatal issue!
Dont wanna worry u but these are just facts..go to the vet ER if you have to!.
~Aubrey
Hope he turns out to get better!! :0)


----------



## nuttybabez (Jul 21, 2007)

I am 90% sure that your leo has worms. You will need to take him to a vet and get him fecal tested then the vet will give you some wormer. It looks like you have caught him just in time. Good Luck.


----------



## DaisyBoo1987 (May 17, 2011)

All leos have different feeding cycles my Luna for example stops eating for a couple of months each year (she is 5 now)and lives off her tail stores. However this dosent seem to be the case with yours. For starters the temp is far too hot. It needs to be about 85 in your hot end (I have personally checked this with an expert who sold me Luna) as this high temp can cause a leo alot of stress. the poor guy is being cooked! The cool end needs to be about 70-75 (again I have had this checked). The bloating could be constipation but with the sleeping all the time and stomach colour? Sounds like a parasitic problem which means you need to get to a vet (prefably a reptile expert 1 as normal vets arnt always much help). He will prob need a vitamin injection too. If you have loose sand substarte it could be impaction where the gcko swallows the sand and causes a blockage in the gut. This can be FATAL! Do not house leos on loose substarte as impaction is a common issue. Instead use paper towel/kitchen roll. As for the slug like substance? I dread to think!!! so you must see how ill he is and get to A VET!! For your leo's sake! He will prob need a feceal examination (poo) as this is how many leo probs are diagnosed. As for the shedding issues the tank (as i have already addressed) is too hot hence why he cant shed. You need a moist hide which is a plastic container with a hole cut in filled with wet/moist spagnum moss (this can be bought from reptile stors and online) the leo will retreat to this to help soak off the dry skin. Any skin remnants can be carefully rubbed with a wet cotton bud and also massaged with repti-shed which is a lovely aloe vera based spray. Ypu do desperatly need this moist hide, and the lower temp. Please get your leo checked out. hope Ive helped best of luck! xx


----------



## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

this threads over a year old 


DaisyBoo1987 said:


> For starters the temp is far too hot. *It needs to be about 85 in your hot end *(I have personally checked this with an expert who sold me Luna) as this high temp can cause a leo alot of stress. the poor guy is being cooked!


sorry going to disagree with this... ideally the hot end floor temps should imo be between 88*f-92*f (31*C-33*C) ~ some breeders/keepers even prefer slightly higher temps of around 93*f/94*f : victory:
having temps too cool can adversly affect the appetite and digestion


----------



## roddymclaren (Mar 11, 2011)

Lower temp and calcium, but take him/her to vet , if she is she egg bound another reason important reason fOr the vet visit. I have a 6 year old she had problems shedding, she was kept on bare glass with previous own . I got some cannabis substrate 2" deep no worries now. Good luck


----------

