I Think My Leopard Gecko is Unhealthy..?

Question

I have a leopard gecko named Shadow. Whenever I take him out of his cage to play with him he's always really hyper & he crawls all over the place.. But he's very thin & I have a feeling that something is wrong with him.. Here's some pics[Obviously, I turned the flash off]:

From the side:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=6blvv2x

From the top:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=4yqa3yv

Him in His Entire Tank:
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=4mumnnk

I know this diet is VERY wrong[now I do anyways..] but I got it from my brother who got it from the pet store when he got his gecko..

I feed Shadow about 1-2 dozen medium/large[usually 1 otherwise he throws up..] calcium dusted[I actually have no idea what it is but it says cricket dust on the bottle] crickets about once every 2 weeks..

& sometimes I'll give him wax worms hoping to get him a little thickerr.

EDIT:

To KIMBEE: I know I heard sand is a very bad idea, but this is like weird sand that has like calcium or something in it. I don't remember what it said on the bag but I got it from Petsmart && it said it was good for geckos.


THANKS THOUGHH YOU REALLY HELPED


It is a heat rock, I didn't know they were dangerous.. But what else can I use besides a heat pad? I heard that they were kind of expensive && I don't really have much money.. Plus my parents would yell at me for spending 20 bucks on a "Stupid lizard" ughh..

Answer 1

Your gecko does look thin. Try feeding mealworms everday, they are cheap enough and will last in the fridge. Make sure to put a dish of calcium powder in his tank so he will lick that and not the sand. Your gecko could easily eat 5-10 small to medium crickets everyday. Also don't forget to gutload your mealworms and crickets. Get an empty tuperware container(margarine container works best) cut a hole in it and wet a paper towel with warm water and put it in. This will be the moist hide to help him shed and make sure to keep it on the warm side of your tank. Hope he gets better soon.

Answer 2

A rule of thumb is one small cricket per inch of lizard per day as a minimum. This is a guideline and is not a true "rule". You can also give him small mealworms at room temp and waxworms. His gut-loaded food can be shaken in calcium dust 3 times a week. He can also benefit from a small amount of parsley 3 times a week. As essential as the right food is the correct temp. In order to digest properly, he needs his belly to be the right temp. I am sure you have a heat lamp with a UVB bulb. If it hasn't been changed in 9 months, it may be time for a new bulb, as the UVB wears off. Either way, keep the heat sufficient.
You can bed him on cage carpet which is easy to wash, until he's old enough for calcium sand. Use moss to raise the acidity and trap humidity in a cave. The heat lamp and the external tank pad heater are on the warm side with a hideout and the water dish (big enough to lay in) is on the cool side with another shaded, mossy hideout.
They are nocturnal hunters and are fun to watch under a red lamp. Try feeding him before bed. Here's to Shadow's health.

Answer 3

Ok, first of all get rid of the sand--it is a major cause of intestinal impaction in Leos. They ingest it when eating. Use non-adhesive shelf liner or ceramic tile or reptile carpet instead. Do you have an under tank heating pad at one end? It is vital to digestion. Hopefully that is not a heat rock in his cage--very dangerous. Also, Leos need 3 hiding places--one on the cool end, one on the warm end, and a moist hide on the warm end. The crickets must not be any bigger than the space between his eyes. Dust them several times a week with a calcium powder made for reptiles, and once a week with a multi-vitamin powder. Has he been checked by a reptile vet for parasites? This could be a big problem with him. He is very thin. I would recommend you go to this website for complete care info:

http://www.drgecko.com/index.html

Answer 4

Yes, I agree. Your Shadow is very thin. What else do you have as the heat source? I think you need the undertank heat pad and a lamp. Hot rock is bad for leopard gecko.
I use regular clip lamp and I put the black light on, so that it won't disturb me while I go to bed.
How many times per week you geed him. Meal worms and crickets are good. I think you may want to gutload the worms and crickets before feeding to the gecko. It is very simple. You just let the meal worms eat something healthy (oat meal, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits) for at least 24 hours in the normal temperature room before feeding time. The nutrition will pass on to your gecko. Cricket dust is good.
I suggest you take him to see the vet as well since he is so thin.

This care sheet may be helpful.
http://www.geckosetc.com/htm/Leopard_Gecko_Care_Sheet.pdf

Answer 5

i've had one of those
and thats how they're supposed to look