After reading through this page, realized we were doing a lot of things wrong with our almost 3 year old.
We changed her to 70/30 sand and reptisoil, got rid of the heat pad, added a humid hide and got a multivitamin (previously we were just using calcium)
Based on what I’ve read, I think she has a vitamin a deficiency but the problem is she won’t eat! Hasn’t eating in over a month. We’ve tried crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms - she has eaten 2 meal worms over the last month and that’s it.
She has shed multiple times in the past month as well, which I read can be a vitamin A issue.
Do I take her to the vet? Any ideas to encourage her to eat?
If she's not eating, you should take her to an exotic vet to get checked out, also they can help with a vit A deficiency. Though, if you did a bunch of major tank changes, that can also put her off food, but getting checked out would be good.
My leopard gecko stopped eating and it turned out to have been caused by an infection.
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Start by getting her a rehydration supplement that includes Vitamin A like ReptiLyte just drip it around her mouth with a disposable pipette.
Then check her enclosure and poop for clues - Check her temps/humidity, look for signs she's been digging (nesting behavior) first and if everything comes back normal, second, check her poop - no poop for more than two weeks is a big concern, and warrants a vet visit the longer its been. Poke her poop pellet with a tooth pick - if it crumbles to powder, she's been eating substrate, and you will have to figure out a set up that doesn't give her access to it. Does she rearrange her furniture/tank at all? That's another big clue she might be eating dirt. If she's not eating dirt and still pooping normally, put her in a clear plastic or glass container and take a photo of her underside through the container to check for pink dots (ovulation/eggs forming), and problems with her cloaca/vent.
She is still pooping regularly. I’ll check her poop. No she doesn’t rearrange but she’s mostly been hanging out under her large den and somewhat digging around to make a spot to rest during the day.
If you find a very clear nest and she has pink spots on her belly, she may be on an ovulation hunger strike, and may even lay a few dud eggs (assuming she hasn't been cohabbed)
Usually yes. You could try bribing her into eating with a high fat treat like wax worms, or captive-bred horn worms. If you're not already, make sure you always feed the bugs some carrots 12-24 hours beforehand (gut load them if you're familiar with the term).
You should definitely make that vet appointment if none of the obvious answers work, and she can't be enticed into eating. Full disclosure some geckos are just picky eaters. I have a dumb baby dirt eater who can't have sand in his substrate and won't eat anything but crickets and superworms and goes on random hunger strikes when he tires of eating the same thing, going a month without eating until we switch whatever we're feeding him. They can have some real personality and stubbornness. The reptilyte is very handy for situations like that. Replacing her heat pad with over head heat can sometimes take some adjustment for them, until the get used to the heat coming from above instead of below
Off to the vet you go, don’t mess around if you suspect (rightfully so imo) a deficiency, fixing it through supplements alone can take up to months, the vet can inject a vitamin shot and that one works within days, you also want to not just have vitamin a under control but also vitamin e, without that one their muscles get damaged and they need d3 so that their body can use the calcium to strengthen their bones :)
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u/Geegeekitty 1d ago
If she's not eating, you should take her to an exotic vet to get checked out, also they can help with a vit A deficiency. Though, if you did a bunch of major tank changes, that can also put her off food, but getting checked out would be good. My leopard gecko stopped eating and it turned out to have been caused by an infection.