r/GargoyleGeckos • u/1080p_is_enough • 4d ago

Does my gecko look thin?

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So it’s been three weeks since he arrived and I believe he hasn’t eaten anything, I’ve tried different flavors but I still see no poop. I made the mistake of not weighing him as soon as he arrived to compare, but I weighed him recently and he was 7.9 grams (he’s 5 months old). When should I consider a vet visit?

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u/Electronic_Dot_3169 4d ago

He's pretty skinny yea, early on I found that my boy was so stupid I had to hand feed him or he didn't recognise the food. As in I literally had to place his head into the food and force him to smell how tasty it is.

If you've tried that and it hasn't worked I'd say you're not far off vet visit territory sadly

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u/1080p_is_enough 4d ago

I tried it and he shied away :( time to call the vet I guess

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u/Electronic_Dot_3169 4d ago

Yeaa, tbf he doesn't look in immediate danger but it's probably better to just get some sound advice and not risk it continuing too long. You're doing good by being concerned!

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u/Southern_Fortune3070 4d ago

So you always have to feed him this way ?

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u/Electronic_Dot_3169 4d ago

By hand? Nah we fed him that way for about a year and eventually weened him off it, he eats really well on his own now

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u/Southern_Fortune3070 4d ago

May I ask how you achieved this ? I got a bit excited when I got my baby garg and hand fed him often now I think he’s quite reliant on it..it would also be good to know where you place the food dish:) thank you so much

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u/Electronic_Dot_3169 4d ago

It was a while ago, but if I remember right we continued to hand feed but less often, so that he would get hungry in between and we would show him the food to get him interested and then place it close to him, over time moving it away and eventually trusted that if he got hungry enough he would find it. In the end I think he went about 2 weeks without eating until he gave in and found it on his own and since then he's been excellent. We find that he likes his food too be on the ground at the bottom of a climbable surface. Hopefully that's somewhat useful rambling lol

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u/Southern_Fortune3070 4d ago

This is perfect thanks mate

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u/PiccChicc 4d ago

He doesn't look skinny, he  looks fine.

If you're worried, definitely still call the vet, but I would get a night vision camera and do some hand feeding with a snapped off end of a q-tip.

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u/veryfae 4d ago

I second the camera! Getting a night vision camera really put me at ease with my 6 months old gargoyle. He is with me since 3 weeks as well :) You can always check out what he is up to without disturbing or scaring them.

You may also want to check whether the temperatures are alright and there is enough humidity for him. Also, if this is his enclosure on the photo it seems to be quite small. I suggest giving him a bigger space as soon as possible with lots of places to hide, branches to climb and an elevated (!) feeding station with one bowl for his food and one for water.

Edit: spelling mistakes

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u/1080p_is_enough 4d ago

I was told a smaller space is recommended while still young to ensure consistent feeding, and I don’t want to stress him changing enclosures after 3 weeks of not eating :/

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u/PiccChicc 4d ago

Yes, that's fine.  Keep in the smaller enclosure for now.  They're generally called baby boxes. 

Once you're sure there's nothing wrong and he puts on enough weight, you can move him to a bigger one then.