loss of appetite

LISA127 · 04-21-04, 07:06 PM

Hi everyone-
I have been keeping leos now for about 7 years, but have never had this problem. So I figured I would get some opinions. I have 3 females that were being housed together, 2 normals and an albino. Over a month went by where I did not witness the albino eat at all. Not to say she wasn't, I know, but she was never shy about eating in front of me before. So about a week ago I separated her and put her into her own enclosure so I could monitor her appetite. Just like I thought, she is not eating at all. She is showing absolutely no interest in food. What I don't understand is that she is still chubby and her tail is not thin. But I know for a fact she has not eaten a thing I have put in her cage. Back in the days when she did eat, she would eat anything. Crix, mealworms, butterworms, waxworms, superworms, you name it. Now....nothing. Anyone ever experience loss of appetite with no apparent weight loss? Thanks for your opinions.
Lisa

hobotramp · 04-21-04, 08:37 PM

Usually it's during brumation, but this is a little late in the year for that. Has anything else in her environment changed? Have you had a fecal done 'just in case'?

LISA127 · 04-22-04, 08:43 AM

Well this is what was going on. She used to be housed with just the one normal. The one she was always housed with is the most "dominant" of my leo's, but the two of them always got along fine and both ate very well. At some point a few months back, my teenage nephew could no longer keep his female leo, at which point I took her. Even though I have know this leo since she was a hatchling (she's about 5 years old now) and she has always been healthy, I kept her by herself for a while after getting her before I introduced her to my two leo's. Anyway, when I did put her in with my two, things went well and everyone got along fine. The original normal is still the "dominant" lizard, however. I am not sure exactly when my albino stopped eating or if it had anything to do with the new leo. But since she does have a meeker personality than the other two, I thought putting her in her own enclosure might help. So that's what I did. I set up her new enclosure exactly like the one they all 3 shared. Even down to the same exact type of container that was used for humid hides and regular hides. I thought if the other two were intimidating her, she would begin to eat after being by herself. But no such luck as of yet. Just for the info., the albino is about 11 months old, my nephews normal is about 5 years old, and my normal is about a year and a half old. All have been healthy their entire lives.

Samba · 04-22-04, 01:45 PM

I have had similar experiences. I bought an albino girl almost 4 years ago as a 5 month old. She always ate well, and had a very prissy attitude, so pairing her up with another leo (a patternless male named Darwin...) didn't seem a big deal. She continued to eat well, but never gained any weight. I separated them for several months and she gained, but not nearly as much as I hoped. She has just always been a petite gecko.

In October of 2003, she, (her name is Girl), stopped eating. Keep in mind, throughout the years that I had her, she never went through brumation, never stopped eating. After a month or so, (there wasn't a lot of weight loss... very subtle and very slow), I started giving her Chicken Baby food at least once a week. She continued her fast until February 19th of this year. By that time she had become so skinny that I really believed she wouldn't survive. There wasn't anything wrong with her, according to my vet, except for the fact that she was obviously underweight.

I have yet to explain why she stopped eating, or why she started again. (It's weird, I would offer her insects but she would never take them so I gave up and continued to assist feed her baby food). One day I was feeding my other little monsters and I saw her come out of her hide and look at me. Like she had ESP I went to her and offered a mealworm... to my shock and delight she took it and happily crunched away until it was gone. I offered another but she refused and went back to her hide. Since that day she eats, but not often and not very much. She doesn't seem to have gained any weight, and as far as I'm concerned, she's not out of the woods. I have no clue what brought this on, but I've been monitoring her very closely. I friend of mine said that albinos are more prone to these situations, but that's just a speculation. I would keep an eye out for weight loss, especially sudden and drastic weight loss, keep her fed if her weight changes, (you can ask a vet how to assist-feed her properly), and make sure she gets her calcium and vitamins. If she seems otherwise healthy, let her be and watch for signs that she is becoming unhealthy. Reptiles take a long time to become sick and they take even longer to heal, so it's good you've noticed this change in her. Good Luck!

condabroad · 04-22-04, 02:14 PM

Do they do this around the time they lay eggs, just wondering cuz mine is not a big eater lately but she laid eggs today so hopefully she will get the appetite back.

hobotramp · 04-22-04, 04:55 PM

Some of my females don't eat as much when they're gravid, while others are pigs. If the non-eating continues you could try slurry with her, just put a drop on her nose so she can lick it off and you can get nutrition into her that way. Far better than force feeding which would obviously lead to a great deal more stress for her.

LISA127 · 04-22-04, 06:30 PM

hobotramp, so your suggestion is to put some chicken baby food on the tip of her nose until she starts to eat on her own?

Samba · 04-23-04, 08:33 AM

Is there a chance your female is gravid? In my case I know there is no absolute way my Girl can be gravid...

...And yes, force feeding can be extremely stressful for a sick animal, so it should only be done in extreme cases. Assist-feeding, however, is less stressful, but you need to know how to do it, (via visual instruction from a veterinarian). It seems like your girl is just going through a fast. Keep an eye on her... if she continues to refuse food over the next few weeks, take her to a vet. (Actually it wouldn't be a bad idea right now).

Oh, and try this, it works sometimes; do not offer food for a week. Don't even allow food items to be inside her enclosure. Sometimes, after not having food available to them for awhile, they snap after being exposed again. Good Luck, and keep us updated!

LISA127 · 04-23-04, 08:37 AM

No, there is no chance that she is gravid. I have no male leo's. I'll try not offering food for a week and see what happens. This is frustrating. I can't understand why she hasn't gotten thin. Thanks.

Samba · 04-23-04, 12:57 PM

It can take leos several weeks, even months to begin losing weight and absorbing their tails. It's very subtle, unless they have a parasitic problem, then you would not believe how quickly their weight drops. A month or so isn't THAT great of a deal for a leo, but if this continues for much longer it will most definately be a sign of something much worse. She could not be eating because she isn't feeling well, she's stressed, etc. it could be A LOT of things. It would be a good idea to get her to a vet and start eliminating possibilities.

Another thing I wanted to bring up... How long have you had this leo? How has her history been? What changes occured right around the time she stopped eating? (A change in 'roomates', cage furnitutre, etc. can effect them and cause stress-related fasting). Look into these issues and consult a vet if she continues to fast. Update us soon!

hobotramp · 04-23-04, 03:57 PM

Slurry is a blend of gutloaded mealies and sstrawberry ensure (aparently they like it) run through a blender. I've been told not to watch while running the blender. You can freeze it in ice cube trays and just thaw a cube at a time as needed. This way they are getting the proper nutrition, but you just leave dabs on the tip of their nose to lick off. Now doesn't that sound delicious!!!

LISA127 · 04-23-04, 07:30 PM

Samba,
I have had this leo since she was about 6 or 7 weeks old, and she has always eaten great. And has always eaten any type of insect offered her. As for changes in her environment, etc....see my post above. And thanks for the help.
Lisa

LISA127 · 05-11-04, 08:56 PM

Guess what! She started eating today!!! I have no idea why. I have been trying to get her to eat this whole time with no success. Today, I decided to soak her for a little bit in case she was getting dehydrated or anything. About an hour after that, I put a couple crix in her cage. She ate one! So then tonight I put in a few more to see what she would do. She has been trying to catch them, but so far they have been too fast for her....lol. I am just ecstatic that she is showing interest in food again. Thanks everyone.

Samba · 05-12-04, 12:54 PM

That's great news! Don't put too many crickets in her cage, and remove the ones she doesn't eat. Try placing mealworms in a shallow dish at night time, she'll find them. Keep her warm, and watch closely.

Oh, and you can place the crickets in a bowl (with a lid) in the freezer for about 20 seconds to slow the crix down. They will probably be still at first, but they wake up fast! Just put on a shallow container and present to you gecko. More than likely she'll be attracted to the crickets twitching as they come to. Hope this helps!

geckomom · 05-14-04, 06:32 AM

I'm so glad she started eating on her own again, and I'm also glad you started this thread....I have a baby albino, housed with another baby, that aren't big enough to go into my main enclosure yet. When I got them, they were exactly the same size, but the albino really slowed down on her eating, I hardly ever saw her eat on her own, and the other one is growing at a much faster rate, and shedding regularly, while the albino is still small and a bit lean, and seems not to shed at all!

I started with the chicken baby food mixed with a bit of vitamin/calcium/electrolytes...she lapped it up like crazy from an eyedropper, and seemed to fill out a bit. Then I read about the slurry (thank you, hobotramp!

), and got up the nerve to puree mealworms....yuck:medpuke: (you're right, don't watch the blender/food processor!). Had to put the resulting...."pudding"....thru a strainer, as the chitin didn't really puree well, but my little albino loves the mealworm/strawberry Ensure "pudding" better than the chicken babyfood, and she laps the slurry up until she really gets full-looking!

To everyone who participated, thanks for this discussion - it may have saved my baby gecko!