Female? Leopard Gecko acting strange. Maybe sick. Help fast

[jtwilson3]

Ok my leo has always been kinda active and all especially with food but today I went to throw crcikets in her cage and she wouldn't come out. I lifted her hide and she was as low to the UTH as possible just sitting there and when i went to stick my hand in she started shaking her tail around pretty rapidly and dug her claws into the carpet and wouldn't come out. Her cage is about 90 on the hot side and 73 on the cool. She is in a 20 gallon long with 3 hides and on repti carpet. It has been a little cold in the house making the hot side about 84 but there is also an UTH there to raise that. I feed her small crickets. About 10-15 a day. But lately i have hand fed her large mealworms as a treat. Could these be too big? She is anywhere from 4-9 months old and is about 6 inches long. She is also looking a little pale lately and for the first time would not eat her crickets today. . Any help would be great. Thanks.

[Campbellsx5]

She is also looking a little pale lately and for the first time would not eat her crickets today. . Any help would be great. Thanks.

Could she be getting ready to shed? Sometimes they don't eat and get cranky before they shed.

[jtwilson3]

Well Idk she usually always eats and plays even before her shed. She slept all day in her moist hide today so she might be though.

[NecturusLindsay]

If she doesn't perk up soon, and if it's not that she's going into a shed...I would make the next step taking a fecal sample (if not the gecko as well) to a vet. Loss of appetite and lethargy can often point out a parasite overload.

There is also a possibility of impaction, switching her onto large meal worms could do it especially if she already had other junk in her gut (has she always been on carpet?). Has she passed stool recently? Does her abdomen feel hard or tight?

[Slayer]

There is also a possibility of impaction, switching her onto large meal worms could do it especially if she already had other junk in her gut (has she always been on carpet?). Has she passed stool recently? Does her abdomen feel hard or tight?

..................... Could you elaborate a bit more on this Lindsay? Im not sure how anything Jt described points to an impaction.

[NecturusLindsay]

It's probably just having one of those days, but..
I had a panther gecko roughly the same size get impacted with meal worm exoskeleton material. Initial symptoms were paleness, lethargy and sudden loss of appetite. For lack of a better word, "junk" could include fibers from the carpet or other substrate material if the carpet had been a recent installment with another particle based substrate preceding it. Of course, this is a scenario with low probabilty, but always something to consider.

[Slayer]

Ok my leo has always been kinda active and all especially with food but today I went to throw crcikets in her cage and she wouldn't come out. I lifted her hide and she was as low to the UTH as possible just sitting there and when i went to stick my hand in she started shaking her tail around pretty rapidly and dug her claws into the carpet and wouldn't come out. Her cage is about 90 on the hot side and 73 on the cool. She is in a 20 gallon long with 3 hides and on repti carpet. It has been a little cold in the house making the hot side about 84 but there is also an UTH there to raise that. I feed her small crickets. About 10-15 a day. But lately i have hand fed her large mealworms as a treat. Could these be too big? She is anywhere from 4-9 months old and is about 6 inches long. She is also looking a little pale lately and for the first time would not eat her crickets today. . Any help would be great. Thanks.

....................... Your worrying about nothing. Have you considered she might not be hungry?

[jtwilson3]

Well she is on carpet and before that tile and at the pet store was carpet so I am pretty sure there is not impaction hopefully. And idk about her stomache. She kinda freaks when I touch her sides or stomache so I can't get close. Also how much does a vet visit usually cost?

[NecturusLindsay]

It really sounds like she's going into a shed, but I know you said she's never acted this way before other sheds.
I would give it a couple days before taking her to the vet, to see if she snaps out of it or starts shedding. Is she acting any different today? If its anything at all, parasites are the first route I would consider. It's always a good idea to have a fecal exam done on a new reptile; if nothing else it may help you catch something early that could become a problem down the road. Cost is going to vary depending on the vet; fecal exams (not necessary to bring gecko, only a fresh poo) are fairly inexpensive (examine fecal sample under microscope; don't need to send it off to a lab). I ran a fecal on my beardie at the clinic I work at the other day and it would have been around $15. He wasn't symptomatic or anything...it just sounded like a good idea. Sure enough, he's got tapeworms. You can always give your vet a call and ask about prices. Don't get panicky, just watch her closely!

[jtwilson3]

She just shed yesterday but she is still being skiddish. She wouldn't even come out of the cage. And she is still not eating as much. She did poop twice though. Solid and pretty big in the last two days.