HELP NEED ADVICE

[Madired]

I have a male leopard gecko that is about 4 years old. He has been acting strange and I am not sure what is going on. I am stuck between impaction or sperm plug possibly. He doesn’t seem to be impacted because his stomach looks normal. It is soft and he has made bowl movement since the last time he ate. However, he isn’t eating as much. He has been eating about 2 worms a day. I normally feed him about 7 mealworms every 3 days and he gets wax worms as treats as well. He has lost weight even though he has been eating still so I am worried. Also, since this has started after he eats he does this weird thing that I can only describe as like when a female tries to lay an egg. He tightens his back legs, pushes, and scratches around like he’s trying to dig a little. I got him young and I have always kept in a 10 gallon tank with 2 hides and a hammock for him. He has a moist/cool hide with moss in it and a warm/dry hide that has an under the tank heating pad. He has a day light during the day and his substrate is paper towels. I dust his worms and feed them mostly lettuce. He has never been with a female or any gecko at all since I have brought him from home form the store. He his very friendly but a little shy. He also has been licking his vent area and I noticed some blood one day it it was also a little puffy so I let him soak a little. The first time I saw him licking his vent there was clear liquid coming from it and I figured he must of matured and became the age where he was interested in women. Lol. I have not seen any more blood and he does not look swollen around it anymore but he has been sleeping a little more and still is not eating as much as usual. I just want the best for my baby and I am worried. My town does not have an exotic or tropical vet of any sort. So, to take him to the vet would be a long trip and I am worried it would be hard on him. I have many pictures of him. New and old. I also have a video of him doing the thing I described about him acting strange, pushing and tightening his legs. He was doing it over his bowl for some reason and has done it 1 other time since then, both times after eating. The first pic of him on the hammock if from last month. The 2nd is when he was bleeding and cleaning him self. You can also tell he has lost weight. Also, yes I know there is stuck shed on his toes in the one of him licking. I have videos of him doing the weird thing I explain but it will not let me upload them. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Josh]

I'm not sure I understand - was the vent problem solved? All stuck shed has been removed? It's safe to use neosporin topically on flesh wounds but I'd be really careful if he's prolapsed. Also side not I will increase the storage limit for videos so if you want to try again it should work.

 

[Josh]

Oh - and welcome to the forum!

 

[OhioGecko]

Welcome to the GF! Nice looking boy you have there. His vent area does look raw. Of age male Leopard geckos will drag their preanal pore area to mark their territory for breeding. The waxy substance on the preanal pores will rub off and mark the areas. The look funny while doing this because they usually drag their back legs or use there minimally.

 

[Madired]

I'm not sure I understand - was the vent problem solved? All stuck shed has been removed? It's safe to use neosporin topically on flesh wounds but I'd be really careful if he's prolapsed. Also side not I will increase the storage limit for videos so if you want to try again it should work.

Thank you! Yes, skin is off. I’ve been using zoo med spray to help with it. He’s been having bad sheds the last two times. Also, yes his vent seems to be fixed. It is not swollen any more or bleeding. He does not seem to be prolapsed. The thing I am worried about is how he keeps doing the thing I talked about where he looks almost like he is trying to lay an egg dragging his back end, tightening his legs, and pushing. I wanted to make sure it could be normal behavior and not something he’s trying to get out or something hurting. I will try to upload the video now.

 

[Madired]

Welcome to the GF! Nice looking boy you have there. His vent area does look raw. Of age male Leopard geckos will drag their preanal pore area to mark their territory for breeding. The waxy substance on the preanal pores will rub off and mark the areas. The look funny while doing this because they usually drag their back legs or use there minimally.

This is interesting! I had no idea they would drag it. I had a rescued female before this lad. I’m still not used to everything that comes with a male. Lol

 

[Madired]

I have a male leopard gecko that is about 4 years old. He has been acting strange and I am not sure what is going on. I am stuck between impaction or sperm plug possibly. He doesn’t seem to be impacted because his stomach looks normal. It is soft and he has made bowl movement since the last time he ate. However, he isn’t eating as much. He has been eating about 2 worms a day. I normally feed him about 7 mealworms every 3 days and he gets wax worms as treats as well. He has lost weight even though he has been eating still so I am worried. Also, since this has started after he eats he does this weird thing that I can only describe as like when a female tries to lay an egg. He tightens his back legs, pushes, and scratches around like he’s trying to dig a little. I got him young and I have always kept in a 10 gallon tank with 2 hides and a hammock for him. He has a moist/cool hide with moss in it and a warm/dry hide that has an under the tank heating pad. He has a day light during the day and his substrate is paper towels. I dust his worms and feed them mostly lettuce. He has never been with a female or any gecko at all since I have brought him from home form the store. He his very friendly but a little shy. He also has been licking his vent area and I noticed some blood one day it it was also a little puffy so I let him soak a little. The first time I saw him licking his vent there was clear liquid coming from it and I figured he must of matured and became the age where he was interested in women. Lol. I have not seen any more blood and he does not look swollen around it anymore but he has been sleeping a little more and still is not eating as much as usual. I just want the best for my baby and I am worried. My town does not have an exotic or tropical vet of any sort. So, to take him to the vet would be a long trip and I am worried it would be hard on him. I have many pictures of him. New and old. I also have a video of him doing the thing I described about him acting strange, pushing and tightening his legs. He was doing it over his bowl for some reason and has done it 1 other time since then, both times after eating. The first pic of him on the hammock if from last month. The 2nd is when he was bleeding and cleaning him self. You can also tell he has lost weight. Also, yes I know there is stuck shed on his toes in the one of him licking. I have videos of him doing the weird thing I explain but it will not let me upload them. Any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks! View attachment 74926 View attachment 74925

 

[Madired]

Oh - and welcome to the forum!

I posted the video! Also, do you think I should worry about his eating patter changing like that? I figured it could be the season and how he’s starting maturing fully.

 

[Madired]

This is interesting! I had no idea they would drag it. I had a rescued female before this lad. I’m still not used to everything that comes with a male. Lol

Welcome to the GF! Nice looking boy you have there. His vent area does look raw. Of age male Leopard geckos will drag their preanal pore area to mark their territory for breeding. The waxy substance on the preanal pores will rub off and mark the areas. The look funny while doing this because they usually drag their back legs or use there minimally.

i posted a video showing what he does if you’re interested.

 

[OhioGecko]

I’m having trouble viewing the video. I’m currently on my phone. I’ll try again later on my laptop.

 

[acpart]

The video didn't work on my laptop. It's likely that he's doing the "male" thing, but I'd have to see to video to be sure. I have a lot of geckos. Sometimes they eat a lot and sometimes not. In a way it's lucky for me that I have so many because it means I don't obsess over how much each is eating. I do notice if someone is losing weight and try to hand feed to help them, but so far everyone is OK here.

Aliza

 

[Madired]

The video didn't work on my laptop. It's likely that he's doing the "male" thing, but I'd have to see to video to be sure. I have a lot of geckos. Sometimes they eat a lot and sometimes not. In a way it's lucky for me that I have so many because it means I don't obsess over how much each is eating. I do notice if someone is losing weight and try to hand feed to help them, but so far everyone is OK here.

Aliza

Yes, I have been feeding him myself to make sure he ends up eating. He’s my second. My first was a female that was rescued. So, I haven’t had very many. This whole male thing is new to me lol.

 

[Josh]

In the long term it might be helpful to buy a digital food scale so you can keep track of his body weight whenever you notice he isn't eating quite as much

 

[edgwsyg]

Some thoughts: I have 2 leopard geckos and they both have different personalities, so it's possible your male has a strong sex drive and is rubbing himself against the tank. If this is the case, maybe switching to a sandy substrate might help? Dry paper towels can be abrasive. Also, I try to feed my feeders more nutritious food, such as dark colored vegetables (kale, cruciferous vegetables, oranges, carrots, beets, dog food or dried shrimp (fishfood) every now and then). What you feed your feeders goes into your geckos. I don't think lettuce to your mealies is a good long term choice bc lettuce is not that nutritious. I dust every time I feed the geckos.

Both of my geckos have slowed down in terms of appetites for the last few weeks. They're still eating, but not as much. This seems to happen every year and right around springtime for some reason (I live in NJ). The female definitely has eggs, the male definitely does not have eggs. Eventually the female will lay her eggs, the male will regain his big appetite and it'll be gorge city again for the rest of the year.

Last thing is very few weeks I buy large crickets for my geckos. They like hunting and catching them and I think the hunting part is good stimulation for them. Maybe a pack of hornworms too once a year.