My gecko isn't eating. Leon and around 2 years. He's making clicking noises and he hasn't eaten in weeks

Expert's Assistant chatimg
Customer: My gecko isn't eating
JA: I'll do all I can to help. What is your gecko's name and age?
Customer: Leon and around 2 years
JA: Is there anything else important you think the Veterinarian should know about Leon?
Customer: He's making clicking noises and he hasn't eaten in weeks
Answered by Anna in 35 mins 3 years ago
imglogo
Anna
30+ years of experience
logo

17,524 satisfied customers

Specialities include: Reptile Veterinary, Herp Veterinary, Exotic Animal Medicine, Amphibian Veterinary

Customer
His temperature in his enclosure is usually 90 degrees, he isn't even eating his shedded skin, he is drinking water, he is aware of his surroundings and is moderately active.
Customer
I don't know whether or not he has a respirtory infection but he does not have any discharge
Customer
He is a leopard gecko
Hello and welcome. My name is ***** ***** I’m a biologist with over 20 years of experience keeping reptiles. I’m sorry to hear about this problem.That clicking sound, combined with appetite loss, is a classic sign of a respiratory infection. The clicking can be caused by fluid in the lungs as the air goes in and out. There is no home treatment for such infections. Eventually, they progress to pneumonia and become life-threatening. Your gecko needs to be examined by a reptile vet if you hope to save him. The vet can make a certain diagnosis, and if necessary, prescribe a safe antibiotic, such as Baytril. This site has a directory of reptile vets:http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlistIf you have more concerns, just let me know. I’m glad to help in any way I can.
Customer
Thank you so much for responding since I would of assumed the clicking was him being nervous.
Also what do you reccommend I feed my leopard gecko after he is treated?
I don't know whether if crickets or meal worms are better for him.
You’re welcome. Both meal worms and crickets are great foods. If he likes both, I would feed both foods.Since you probably can’t get to a vet tonight, I’m also going to give you a first aid measure. After not eating for so long, your gecko is probably dehydrated. Buy some Pedialyte (yes, the kind for human infants). Prepare a shallow bath consisting of half Pedialyte and half water. Make it deep enough to cover the vent (where droppings pass out). Reptiles can absorb fluids and nutrients through their skin and vents. Soak him for 20 to 30 minutes. Be sure to supervise closely.If you want to try an alternate method of feeding, you can do that do. You’ll need some plain meat baby food (lamb, chicken, turkey, etc.). Drop a small dollop right on the end of his snout. Many times, reflexes will cause them to lick it off. If he does, you can feed him a few little dollops.These steps won’t cure anything, but they may keep up his strength until you can see the vet.
Hi,
I'm just following up on our conversation about your pet. How is everything going?
Anna
Customer
I went to a vet and they didn't suspect any respirtory problems, however I unfortunately found out I wasn't properly taking care of him as I have been misinformed by internet and pet store sources
Customer
He is going to be back on track now that I know how to properly take care of him

I'm glad to hear he's not sick. To help you even more with care, I'm going to send along a care sheet. courtesy of Joan, another one of our experts. She has many years of experience rescuing lizards.

Thank you for the update.

Leopard Gecko Care Sheet

The Leopard Gecko is originally from Pakistan, India, and a few other countries in Asia. They actually live on hard rocky outcrops and they are nocturnal (active at night). They prefer temperatures between 82 and 88 degrees (28* to 31*C) all day and night. They grow to between 8 to 11 inches. Leopard Geckos are available in a wide range of colors and patterns which are the result of selective captive breeding. These include albino, ghost, striped, jungle, Leucistic and high yellow. These colors have been made possible through selective captive breeding. Leopard Geckos make wonderful pets for almost any age person. Leopard Geckos also make good long term pets. They can live over twenty years. Never grab by tail it will break off.

Leopard Gecko Housing: A male Leopard Gecko should never be housed in the same cage as another male leopard gecko because they will fight and possibly kill one another. A male can be housed with several females without any problems. I do not advise housing leopard geckos in the same cage with any other reptiles. A single Leopard Gecko can be kept in a ten gallon tank. For a male and a few females a twenty gallon tank or larger should be used. The cage should have a screen lid on top of it to prevent any escapes. Leopard geckos need places to hide and sleep during the day so you must provide a couple of hiding spots. They need a warm hiding spot and a cold humid hiding spot. Just put one hide box on the side with the heat light and put the humid hide box on the side that does not have the heat light. I actually prefer an under the tank heater for heat source rather than a light since the geckos are Nocturnal. For the humid hide box, Paper Towels work well and easily replaced inside a hide box. You can make your own humid hide box from a small plastic shoe box or from a margarine container. Cut a hole in one end of the container and place moist paper towel inside it. The humid box should be cleaned out every week and re moistened. A humid hide box is needed so that the gecko can go in it when it needs to shed. The humidity helps the old skin come off.

Substrate: There is an abundance of products on the market that claim to be safe substrates. All Loose Substrates (Please note the link above) however are not safe to use. A substrate is what you put on the bottom of the cage for the lizard to walk around on. If a Leopard Gecko ingests any of the substrate accidentally, the substrate must pass through the digestive system. Trust me they will ingest substrate, sometimes on purpose. If it does not easily pass through the digestive system compaction will occur. Compaction is an extreme blockage of the digestive tract and is often fatal. Some substrates that I consider unsafe because they can cause compaction are: sand, bark, Calci sand, crushed walnut shells, lizard litter, gravel, aquarium gravel, and coconut fiber. The safest substrate is using paper towels or plain newspaper, non-stick shelf liner , cage carpet or ceramic tile. For any leopard geckos that are younger than six months I advise using paper towels or plain newspaper until they are at least six months old. Calcium sand is not fully digested no matter what it claims. The stuff just does not break down completely. . Leopard

Gecko Heating and Temperature: The cage should be between 82 to 88 degrees (28*C to 31*C)all day and night. There are two basic ways to heat the cage. One is to use a under tank heater like heat tape. The other is to use a black, or blue night incandescent heat light. I prefer to use a heat light. For a 10 gallon tank a 60 watt bulb should work depending on room temperature. Place the heat light on one end of the cage. By putting the heat light on one end of the cage it keeps that side warmest and allows the gecko to move to the warmer side with the light or to the colder side without the light as needed to regulate body temperature.

NEVER EVER USE A HOT ROCK, HEAT ROCK, OR ANY SIMILAR PRODUCT. Hot rocks heat unevenly and are notorious for causing terrible thermal burns. Do not buy a hot rock and if you know anyone who uses one, tell them to throw it away.

Leopard Gecko Feeding: Leopard Geckos will do very well on a diet of mealworms and crickets. I like to provide some variety in feeder insects to create a more balanced diet. Feeder insects I use are silkworms, mealworms, roaches and crickets with the legs on one side of the body pulled off. Crickets will bite your geckos while they sleep, these bites are prone to infection, so if you pull off one side of their legs then they cannot move around the cage and get to the gecko and also this prevents the crickets from climbing out of the cage. Gut load feeder insects for at least a day before putting them in with the gecko. Feed geckos insects that are not larger than the width of the head of the gecko.
Adults can be fed superworms, though I advise only feeding a couple superworms at a time. Leopard Gecko Vitamin/Mineral Supplement: For young geckos dust the feeder insects every other feeding or place a small feeder dish with supplement in it and some mealworms in the cage. For adults and babies place a shallow dish or a plastic lid in the cage with a teaspoon of calcium powder on it. The gecko will lick the calcium powder as needed. You still need to dust feeder insects every other feeding though with a vitamin supplement for young geckos. Adults use vitamin supplement once a week. Leopard Gecko Water: Use a shallow water bowl, fill with water as needed. Remove bowl from cage and clean out weekly.

Do Not Feed Pinkies

Read less
unlike
0 Likes
logoBack
logologo
Anna
logo
logo
17,524 satisfied customers
logo
30+ years of experience
img
imglogo
Anna
30+ years of experience
logo

17,524 satisfied customers

Ellen

Ellen

Licensed veterinarians

31,131 satisfied customers

Pearl avatar
Pearl Wilson, Veterinarian's Assistant
116 Veterinarians are online right now.
Related Veterinary Questions
My leopard gecko is brumating. He started not eating a week
12.1.2022
img
Dr. Caryn – Vet
Reptile Veterinarian
866 Satisfied Customers
My leopard gecko isn't eating and his eyes look infected.
7.9.2022
img
Dr. Caryn – Vet
Reptile Veterinarian
866 Satisfied Customers
I recently went on vacation for a few days and when I came
6.29.2022
img
Dr. Caryn – Vet
Reptile Veterinarian
866 Satisfied Customers
My leopard gecko hasn't ate in 5 days, refuses to eat, and
4.13.2022
img
Dr. Caryn – Vet
Reptile Veterinarian
866 Satisfied Customers
My leopard gecko has been steadily eating less and now isn't
4.12.2022
img
Dr. Caryn – Vet
Reptile Veterinarian
866 Satisfied Customers
How it works
logoAsk for help, 24/7
Ask for help, 24/7
Members enjoy round-the-clock access to 12,000+ verified Experts, including doctors, lawyers, tech support, mechanics, vets, home repair pros, more.
logoExpert will respond in minutes
Expert will respond in minutes
After you reach out, we match you with an Expert who specializes in your situation. Talk, text, chat, whichever you prefer.
logoSave time & money
Save time & money
No scheduling hassles, missing time from work, or expensive consults.
A JustAnswer membership can save you significant time and money each month.
Sarahesq and 87 other Veterinarian specialists are ready to help you.
Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.
Why you’ll love JustAnswer
JustAnswer is the best way to get expertise on-demand from doctors, lawyers, vets, mechanics and more. Since 2003, we’ve helped more than 9 million people in 196 countries and have an A+ rating with BBB and a 9.6/10 rating with TrustPilot.
Highly rated, verified Experts
We pride ourselves in our 8-step verification process including license and credential checks. Vetted by us and rated by customers, like you.
Ask-a-doc Web sites: If you've got a quick question, you can try to get an answer from sites that say they have various specialists on hand to give quick answers... Justanswer.com.
JustAnswer.com...has seen a spike since October in legal questions from readers about layoffs, unemployment and severance.
Traffic on JustAnswer rose 14 percent...and had nearly 400,000 page views in 30 days...inquiries related to stress, high blood pressure, drinking and heart pain jumped 33 percent.
I will tell you that...the things you have to go through to be an Expert are quite rigorous.
Web sites like justanswer.com/legal ...leave nothing to chance.
Tory Johnson, GMA Workplace Contributor, discusses work-from-home jobs, such as JustAnswer in which verified Experts answer people’s questions.
4.8

JustAnswerHomeAboutCareersPressPartner ProgramBlogCountries

© 2003-2023 JustAnswer LLC. All rights reserved.

Privacy PolicyTerms of servicesContact usSitemap
DMCA.com Protection Status