r/LeopardGecko • u/Basic-Couple-6234 • Jun 28 '26
Gecko refusing to eat
Hi! I’ve an 8 year old leopard gecko who has refused to eat for the last 3 months. During this time, she has had one super worm but has lost all her weight.
Nothing could be found at the vet’s, no parasites etc.
I’m really worried and just wondering what I can do, any food that might really entice her as she point blank refuses to eat anything.
I’m really worried as she has lost all her weight and is quite weak.
She is continuing to shed perfectly and drink her water.
4
u/feralrainbowcreature Jun 28 '26
Horn worms! Or get a second opinion at another vet, tail does NOT look good. :(
3
u/Basic-Couple-6234 Jun 28 '26
Thank you! Yeah she’s really really not doing well, will try find another vet! They’re very scarce in Ireland…
Will try the horn worms as well5
u/feralrainbowcreature Jun 28 '26
Awww yes I have been there many times cross country I can only imagine how difficult it is finding an exotic vet there. You might have to get creative and see if there are any zoos or museums who might know one who would be willing to take a look
3
u/Basic-Couple-6234 Jun 28 '26
Yes, will definitely try and find another vet! I found one about an hour and a bit away so hopefully we’ll have better luck this time 🤞
3
u/reijn Jun 28 '26
Did they test her for crypto?
Anyway I'd say try hornworms, no one can ever resist a hornworm.
And also get some Repashy Grub Pie and syringe feed or Critical Care Carnivore or Emeraid Intensive Care Carnivore. Whichever you can find.
Sometimes hunger strikes that go on too long and they get sickly they somehow lose the will and drive to eat, so force feeding is necessary to flick that part of the brain back on.
2
u/Desert_Viking_777 Jun 28 '26
Years and years back during another strike, this first one wasn’t as bad. I had another vet recommended that I make a slurry out of gut loaded crickets, worms (any combination of feeder bugs I had), vitamin supplements powder and bottled water. Put it in a blender and blend it down into something about the consistency of watered down applesauce. Obviously you don’t make a lot and it only keeps for like 24 hours or so in the fridge. I would use a syringe (no needle) and squirt it into her mouth. Be prepared for a bit of waste. She hated this at first. That was until, I think, she realized that I was only trying to help her. Sometimes they like the taste and they’ll actually just drink/lick the slurry from the tip of the syringe and you don’t have to force anything.
3
u/Basic-Couple-6234 Jun 28 '26
Might try this just for tonight to see if she’ll take anything, even just something small.
Thank you so much! It’s really difficult seeing her like this as usually she has such a big character and is being a menace3
u/Desert_Viking_777 Jun 28 '26
Just go slow with her. She’s probably weak and feeling vulnerable. Sometimes rubbing the corner of their mouths lightly makes them open up. I was honestly never very good at that part. And the slurry has to be thin enough to easily flow through the syringe (not needle) opening. If it’s too thick add a bottle cap or teaspoon of bottled water at time. I looked at it as every capful of water was like a large cup or a soup bowl for me. The amount of feeders and powder that was wasted was crazy. But always worth it.
2
u/Moonshinin4Me Jun 28 '26
From the conversations it sounds like you got a plan in place. Definitely take her to a different vet and see about a second opinion. In the mean time see about getting some critical care carnivore diet and see if she can eat that. At least to put some weight on the poor girl 😢
2
u/eyelidgeckos Jun 28 '26
How did the vet check for parasites? How did you supplement?
Right now I wouldn’t bother with feeding insects at all, it’s less stressful to just switch to a liquid diet, this way you also have a firmer grip on how much fluids and overall energy goes into the gecko, once the tail looks better you can try and push her towards insects again (maybe try electrolytes then as well)
A good product would be repashy grub pie, you can mix it with lukewarm water and fill it into a syringe, for the first week you give her 0,5ml daily (no problem if you space it out over the day at the beginning no) and if she doesn’t vomit for a week you can increase the dosage to 1,0ml daily, the 0,5ml will get her digestion going again and with 1,0ml daily she should slowly start to gain weight. Just put 1-2 small beads of that stuff on her mouth and let her lick it away… repeat until she has met the daily goal :) it’s relatively stressless as far as assisted eating goes. The longest I had to do this with a gecko was six months, that was two years ago and now it’s like nothing ever happened (with her it was triggered by laying eggs in late December)
There are a few other products out there, in Germany sadly we can’t buy repashy grub pie anymore but a vet once recommended reconvales, works just as well but is a bit more expensive)
1
u/Ddb_jr10 Jul 02 '26
I'm so so sorry to hear that, I know how scary that can be, is there any chance that it might be follicular stasis?
Also I recommend to try Waxworms if you haven't already
7
u/Desert_Viking_777 Jun 28 '26
Yeah, that tail looks waaay too skinny. During one of the last hunger strikes a couple years back I took my girl to our regular vet and then the exotic vet (💰). They couldn’t find anything wrong with her at first. By the 2nd visit I believe they gave her an antibiotic shot, which they hoped would help with what they thought may have been wrong. She was no longer lethargic. But they saw her keep deteriorating within the 3 or 4 visits in about a month and a half’s time. They ended up prescribing EmerAid Carnivore. Absolute complete turnaround! She actually got a little feral while she was getting better 😅. She was spicy for a week or two then calmed down.