Can shedding with a leopard gecko cause weight loss??

Question

My leopard gecko is 1 1/2 she was fairly underweight and unhealthy when i adopted her. Since she has been in my care she has gained quite a bit of weight and has been shedding an average of every week, for about 8 weeks now. The last couple sheds i have noticed her tail has gone down in size... She is still eating like a horse and I have been supplementing her diet with a few wax worms... Just wondering if anyone else has noticed weight loss with shedding... She also has a bit if a sore on her nose, it is dry and scabbed... so i don't think it is sinus related... what do you think? We don't have a specialized herp vet in my town, so taking her to the vet here may be useless...

i do currently have her on supplements, one is specifically for leo's and the other is rep cal, i just have the repcal in her bowl and when i drop the worms in they get it all over them, the crickets however i dust in the leo supplement, her shedding takes like 1 day, and it is almost always 7 days apart she doesn't eat her shedding it just lays in the bottom of her aquarium, so i just take it out by the necxt day if she hasn't eaten, she has grown quite a bit and realize that that is most probably the reason for so much shedding, it has just been with the two last sheds that she has started to lose the fattness in her tail... The closest herp vet is about 3 hours away, so if i have to take her i will but, obviously it is quite the trip and with this cold i am worried how she would handle such a trip. oh and lastly her poop seems normal, no difference since she came, i don't wanna give her too many wax worms... but i want her to get her weight back at the same time..

Answer 1

I raise and breed leopard geckos. Yes it is normal to lose a little weight while shedding. Try feeding her a few meal worms. Or go to a pet store and buy something called Zoo Med's leopard Gecko Food. i buy mine at Petco for $3.00. Take that and dust a little bit of calcium supplement on top mist it with water and it should help. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. [e-mail]

Answer 2

Visit http://www.drgecko.com/signs.htm and look at the symptoms/signs of a sick gecko. Among the shedding problems listed there...
"Has the shed schedule become erratic?
If the reptile should be shedding in one piece, is it?
Are sheds taking much longer than usual to complete?"

You might want to try worming her. A simple phone call to the vet, or a visit to http://www.drgecko.com/therapeutics.htm should give you the information you need to appropriately medicate your pet.

Is it possible that what you think are multiple sheds is actually only one long shed?

Any reptile will tend to abstain from eating while they are shedding, but this is because they normally eat the skin that they are shedding.

Just looking at the tail is not the best way to judge weight loss. It can be a good tool, but it isn't the end-all. I suggest that you also weigh her on an appropriately sized scale.

Usually, the very first symptom of any reptile that gets sick is a loss of appetite. Even with parasites. Since your gecko seems to be eating like a champ, I wouldn't be too worried if his tail looks skinny. Don't ignore it, but don't be too worried either. Especially if you weigh her and find that she is still gaining weight. Eventually, she will reach her full size and will start packing away the excess energy in her tail again.

Also, you should try dusting her crickets with a vitamin powder, which is available in most pet stores.

Do her stools look any different than before? That is a good sign of internal paracites, but only a fecal smear by a vet would be able to tell you if that is the problem.

Answer 3

You might want to separate them for a while.Make sure there is plenty of clean drinking water at all times cuz small lizards can dehydrate in a flash. Some geckos become territorial and that could effect eating behaviors. Older geckos become dominate over much younger and weaker ones at times and, in some situations, hog up on the worms and crickets. If your gecko continues to not show any signs of growth, it may need to go to the vet for some blood work to determine what's causing "The Incredible Shrinking Gecko" to shrink. I hope your gecko does better soon!

Answer 4

I would look up some common gecko illnesses online and see if your gecko might have one. I would also start to add some supplements to her diet, which are available at pet stores, these will help her to keep up her weight and also to fight off illness. Also, find a pet store nearby that sells leopard geckos. These stores will be able to give you helpful information. I found out how to tell if my snake was sick, not from my vet, but from the pet store. They will be able to sell you supplies you need, give you information, recommend vets nearby, or sell books that could give you more detailed information. But don't go to "superstores" such as PetCo or PetSmart cause they often don't know as detailed information. Just look in the phone book and call around.

Answer 5

Reptiles usually don't shed that often unless there is something wrong. In my experience frequent shedding is usually caused by a skin injury, but can also be caused by some type of systemic imbalance. If she eats even when she is shedding; shedding is probably not the cause of the weight loss.

It would be good to look inside her mouth to see if there is any soreness.

It is possible that she has picked up parasites from her food. This can be determined by a fecal examination. The exam should be both direct smear and flotation. Your local vet would probably be able to determine if there are parasites, but not what parasite (if any) is present.

Changes in smell, color or composition of poop can indicate parasites or other internal problems.

Answer 6

since your gecko is eating a lot it just may be getting bigger

im not sure about the sore thing but you should try getting your gecko to a vet in a town close by to make sure everything is fine cause you dont want to lose your pet

Answer 7

Yes You gecko is losing weight

Answer 8

keep a food journal

Answer 9

soups can be both filling and comforting try making a garden or bean soup with low salt broth and store in portion sized cups for later

Answer 10

3 healthy meals 2 healthy snacks