Eating Problem, Leopard Gecko, please help

[stelios_c]

Hi, one of my geckos is not eating at all, its nearly been a week now.
was fine before but all she does is stay in the moist box and looks sleepy all the time, and will not eat the crickets..... her stomach looks a bit swollen at the bottom sides.....

the other 2 are eating just fine and look much more lively.

any ideas??

thanks

[jools]

Hi, It is early days yet and she could be settling in still but can you see any eggs - they should look like almonds - one either side of her belly towards her tail? Could she be about to shed - they will usually go either dull or whitish before they do and many will stop eating then. Also we could be more help if we knew what substrate you are using, what the temperature is on the floor of the warm side, has she pooped at all and if she is a similar size to the other two.

[stelios_c]

Originally Posted by jools

Hi, It is early days yet and she could be settling in still but can you see any eggs - they should look like almonds - one either side of her belly towards her tail? Could she be about to shed - they will usually go either dull or whitish before they do and many will stop eating then. Also we could be more help if we knew what substrate you are using, what the temperature is on the floor of the warm side, has she pooped at all and if she is a similar size to the other two.

No i have had them 5 weeks now.. its bin a week with this behaviour. when i bought them the shop owner said they were all female but hard to tell 100 %. i havnt seen any eggs , what colour would they be and anywher specific would they be layed? yes it is either side near tail. all my geckos have been shedding, and still ate during it but i have heard they can refuse food when doing so. i use lino tile with a heat of around 91. all similar size.......the smallest gecko seems most dominant tho...

thanks for your help please get back to me

[jools]

Hi Stelios, There were two things I was concerned about. One was impaction but I don't think that is the case here as they on Lino and at a good temperature. It may be possible that she is gravid depending on how old she is. The dirty deed could have been done before you got her. If she is you should be able to see two pinky white almond shaped and sized eggs in her abdomen. Lift her up and look at the underside near her tail (don't turn her on her back - they can't breathe) or put her in a clear plastic container if she is wriggly and look from underneath. If she is gravid then she should lay very soon. See SleepyD's sticky on the Breeder section of the forum for more info.
The other possibilities are that she may have parasites - a faecal check at the vets would be advisable. Or she could be being bullied by one or more of the others - not always apparent to us humans.
My advice would be to separate her into an enclosure by herself for a while. If she is going to lay then she needs the peace and quiet. If she has parasites then it will help to stop their spread to the others. If she is being dominated then obviously she can't be if she's on her own.

[olliesarea]

Sounds to me like she could have some eggs inside her. How old were the geckos when you got them from the shop? My Male Leo sometime goes on hunger strikes- nothing to do with shedding. He will simply stop eating for a few days (up to a week), and then resume normally for a month or so. He will still usually eat the day after he has shed.

[stelios_c]

Thanks for all the replies and information....

i hope its not parasite..
if it is eggs like u said and i need to seperate her then what about heating etc...? im going to read into it if it is eggs lol and start panicing!

im not sure how old they are but im guessing only a few months cos they like 5-6 " maximum......

going to check for eggs as soon as i get home

thanks

[jools]

To separate her all you need is a plastic rub (really useful box) or any other plastic box with a lid. Make some ventilation holes. Put a heatmat underneath with a mat stat. Paper towel for substrate, hides made out of toilet roll inners, margarine tubs etc., food / water / calcium bowls out of jam or coffee jar lids. Doesn't have to be too expensive and tbh if you are going to keep a group of Leos together then you really do need an emergency set-up just in case.
Separating her will allow you to better monitor what she is eating / pooing as well as for all the previous reasons I suggested. Also you might try swapping to locust instead of crix. Locust can be left in with the Leo overnight. One of my girls will only ever eat when no-one is watching and she takes her time hunting - only ever feeding in the middle of the night. Leave a bowl of mealies in the viv also.
It is very useful - especially with groups - to weigh each Leo once a week to check their progress.

[jools]

Hows she getting on Stelios?