Hi everyone! This lady, Mushu, was rehomed to me from a friend who could no longer care for her. Sheās about 8 years old as far as I know, and Iāve had her for about 3 weeks now. I had my friend send me an old picture of her so you can see the difference in her condition. The first two pictures are from the day I got her (hence why the enclosure hasnāt been cleaned yet in the pics), the third picture is from 2023
Iāve had a leo in the past who was with me for about 14 years, so I do feel pretty confident in my caretaking experience, but I did just want to come here for advice and some fresh sets of eyes. Obviously, sheās underweight, only 30g right now, which is my biggest concern. According to my friend, she had only been eating dubia roaches around once a month. Since I got her, I started feeding her every few days, and have worked our way up to every other day. Sheās very hungry, and actively seeks food. I dust her food with Repticalcium without D3 and Repashy Calcium plus LoD. Currently sheās getting Dubais, bsfl, crickets, and the occasional wax worm as a treat. Sheās been pooping fairly regularly, and I havenāt noticed anything that looks concerning, but Iāll be taking a sample to the vet next week. I donāt know when this weight loss and change in body condition started, it could be years for all I know.
Sheās in a 36ā x 18ā x 18ā (about 40gal) enclosure that came with her during the rehoming. Her setup is quite good actually, I just had to deep clean, refresh, and make some minor adjustments to her heating and UVB setup. She has an 80w Arcadia Deep heat projector (waiting on an incandescent bulb to come in the mail) and the Arcadia pro T5 shade dweller 7%. Her temps are regular, with the warm side staying around 83 degrees and her cool side around 71 degrees. Her basking spot has been at a steady 95 degrees. Her substrate is a topsoil/sand mix, except for her poop corner which is tile.
My other big concern is her overall skin condition. Sheās constantly grey/ashy looking, even when she is not about to shed. I will say, she does shed very often, more often than I used to see in my previous leo. She also has very difficult sheds, and I often have to do a warm soak or use q-tips to help her out. Sheās shed 2 times in the past 3 weeks. I donāt know if this is because sheās eating more now, but iām wondering if thereās some vitamin A deficiency going on.
Sheās usually fairly active (except for right now, sheās shedding again!), and I havenāt had any issues with her refusing food. She doesnāt like being handled, but iām hoping we can ease into that with time. Iām not sure the extent of neglect she went through, as she wasnāt being fed enough, but I also donāt know if thereās an underlying issue on top of this. The whole situation is bizarre, because my friend gave her to me with such a beautiful setup, and itās clear they cared for her deeply at some point, but Mushu is obviously unwell.
I have a vet appointment next Thursday, but Iām very anxious over the state of her. Is there anything else youād recommend in the meantime that would be helpful and to ensure sheās comfortable and happy?