Fatty wont eat

[RepGurl]

I doubt anyone remembers it but a while back I was given an AFT that was SUPER skinny. Well she is still super skinny and just wont eat anything I give her. I have tried crickets in three different sizes and meal worms, both numerous times. The person that dumped her on me said she loved wax worms, but I have yet to get her to eat them, and I know those cannot be a complete diet for her. Despite her tiny size she is pretty active and seems otherwise healthy. Any suggestions?

 

[Lecko my Gecko]

take a pic. what are your temps?

 

[RepGurl]

Temps are 81 on cool side and 89 on warm side. She has a hide on each side, and a humid hide on the warm side. She does not seem to spend more time on one side then the other, or in one hide more then the other two. Oh and she has not shed since I have had her.

 

[Lecko my Gecko]

is the person a friend? can you get any info from them? their temps, was she bred? ect... I would raise the temps on the warm side. you said she s active?

 

[Ian S.]

Syringe feeding and have a vet do a fecal, xrays and any other necassary tests.

 

[retreat]

I also have a skinny gecko, that is free of parasites, free of crypto and is a terrible eater. I am hand feeding (forcing to open mouth) him over half a year now. Once he gets the cricket in his mouth, he eats it. but wont hunt on his own.

out of curiosity, Ian, for future reference, what would you put in the syringe?

 

[RepGurl]

We have dont a fecal and it was clean. What would the x-ray be for? She drinks with now problems and yes she is normally active. Meaning she walks around, gets excited when I comes into the room, sniffs around the tank, etc. I dont want to force feed her, that is no way to live. But I also want to do anything I can that wont be permanently stressful to help her.

 

[acpart]

I have a pair of fat tails that were brumating and didn't want to eat when they woke up about 6 weeks ago. The male is finally willing to eat on his own. The female has medica problems for which there is no solution (she's been to the reptile vet. I am making her comfortable for now and she is not in pain) and is still not eating. I did "assist feed" the male by holding him gently and rubbing a cricket on his mouth until he ate it. This is no longer necessary for him. The female will still not eat on her own. I am doing the same for her and feeding her 3-4 crickets twice a week (this is as much as she'll tolerate). Maybe if you start this assisted feeding, which is different from "force feeding" because you're not sticking a syringe in its mouth, she will catch on.

Aliza

 

[LeopardGeckoMom52688]

i have a female that loses about 10 grams during the winter every year for the last 3 years. Just stops eating then she will eat a worm or two and thats its for a week or so.

 

[Ian S.]

You can make a slurry with anything that would be beneficial nutrience wise. Marcias slurry recipe has seems to have dissapeared. Canned blended cat food thinned with water mixed with a calcium suppliment or multi vitamin suppliment such as vionate or herptivite. Keep in mind this is not a cure and Syringe feeding has risks of it's own. Forcing the geckos mouth open for crickets is very stressful to an already distressed gecko. The slurry you can dab on their noses and they usually will lap it right up. Always Consult with vets first.... (hope this helps a little bit.)

 

[Ian S.]

here's a few links. Try using the search bar at the top of the page. Search the word slurry. Here's a link.
http://www.geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=34077&highlight=slurry

 

[Ian S.]

Drab dbl.

 

[Kellyr]

My oldest aft is going on 6 years old and has not eaten in the past 3 weeks, she lost weight and doesnt look good. I am taking a sample to the vet tomorrow. I hope she will be okay hope yours will be too... :main_yes: