what to do when leopard gecko wont eat
One of the scariest things for any pet owner is when they get sick. One of the offset signs that your pet is ill is a change in behavior, including refusing to eat. However, the leopard gecko is notorious for its hunger strikes, and there are several causes besides sickness that tin can stop your pet from eating. If your pet refuses to eat, go along reading while we look at several reasons and what you tin can practice to get your leopard gecko eating again.
Reasons Your Leopard Gecko is Not Eating
Let'due south look at some of the near common reasons your leopard gecko might not be eating.
1. It's Ill
As nosotros've already mentioned, if our pet is ill, one of the first symptoms is often a decrease in appetite. Several illnesses issue in a loss of appetite, including metabolic os disease, kidney failure, and liver failure.
How you can get your leopard gecko eating again
If your pet is getting older, there is a better chance that illness is to blame. If the lack of eating is accompanied by other symptoms, similar a lack of mobility, it's important to take your leopard gecko to the vet immediately to have it looked over.
ii. It's Cold
I of the most common reasons leopard geckos stop eating is because the environs is too cold. If the terrarium temperature is too low, the leopard gecko will slow down its bodily functions and not consume nutrient.
How you lot can become your leopard gecko eating again
To get your leopard gecko eating once more, you lot volition need to keep the terrarium temperature between 94 and 97 degrees using a halogen seedling or other heating method. If you have 1 of these bulbs installed, brand certain that information technology is operating correctly, and remember to alter the seedling every vi months because the bulb loses its ability to create UV calorie-free long earlier it burns out. The easiest manner to check the temperature is with a thermometer terrarium thermometer and make adjustments appropriately.
iii. Rehoming
If you just brought your leopard gecko home, it might be that your pet is non yet used to its new dwelling house. It can often take several days for your pet to become comfortable in a strange environment.
How you can get your leopard gecko eating once again
Leopard geckos that are rehoming will usually begin to eat on their own once again with no intervention. Some volition eat in a few days, while others tin have weeks. The leopard gecko can live a long time without nutrient, but if it lasts longer than about iii weeks, nosotros recommend taking your pet to the vet.
4. Impacted Feces
Impacted feces can occur if your leopard gecko eats too many hard-shell bugs. The chitlin they contain obstructs the colon resulting in your pet refusing to eat.
How you can get your leopard gecko eating again
A diet of mealworms and crickets is best for minimal run a risk of fecal compaction. Ensuring your pet is properly hydrated is also important, so make sure there is a clean water supply in the habitat. You can as well try to loosen the impaction past giving your pet frequent warm baths. Gently rubbing the abdomen while bathing can as well assistance break up the stool. If the problem lasts more than three weeks, you volition need to take your pet to the vet.
5. Injury
Scratches, cuts, and other wounds can cause discomfort in your pet, and your leopard gecko may not eat while it'southward in hurting.
How you tin get your leopard gecko eating again
Some wounds can take a long time to heal, so you will need to exist patient. One time your pet is feeling meliorate, it should begin to eat again every bit normal. Make certain to coat the insects with a vitamin-rich calcium powder to help supervene upon what was lost.
half dozen. Vision Problems
It could be that your pet is unable to see its food due to poor eyesight. Poor eyesight is more mutual in older or injured leopard geckos, but whatsoever tin be affected.
How you can go your leopard gecko eating once again
If you doubtable your leopard gecko is having difficulty seeing, we recommend taking it to the vet to see if it's repairable. Vision dumb geckos will not be able to grab crickets, then they volition need a diet of mealworms placed close past their rima oris. A common cause of temporary incomprehension in geckos is an incomplete shed. If at that place is non plenty humidity in the tank, the peel over the optics can become stuck. Ensure that your terrarium has a properly fix moist hide so information technology can properly shed.
7. Overfeeding
The reason your leopard gecko is not eating could be as simple as you accept already fed information technology enough and it is not hungry. Asking your pet to eat more might result in indigestion, upset tum, and airsickness.
How you can get your leopard gecko eating again
Your pet should offset to eat again in a few days or weeks when it becomes hungry, and y'all shouldn't need to practise anything else. To forestall information technology from happening again, pay shut attending to portion size. Introducing smaller insects might help become them eating again.
8. Stress
Stress tin cause your leopard gecko to stop eating. The nearly common source of stress for leopard geckos is a tank companion. If you have recently purchased a companion for your pet, a refusal to eat could mean your pet rejects the new friend. Loud noises and bright lights can also increment stress levels.
How you can get your leopard gecko eating again
If you think your gecko is angry over another tank mate, y'all can be patient and give it a few weeks for your pet to accept it. If it takes more than three weeks, you lot will demand to divide them and so your pet tin return to eating. If something else is causing the anxiety, yous can try moving the terrarium to another location in your abode to see if it begins eating.
9. Convenance Season
Geckos may also stop eating during the breeding flavour. Males will become distracted and could completely forget to eat for several weeks. Females volition often cull not to eat.
How you can go your leopard gecko eating again
It's common for leopard geckos to stop eating during the convenance season. The best thing you can do is be patient and wait for the flavor to exist over. You lot can try offering small-scale amounts of food to run across if they will swallow it, but don't exist too hopeful.
One of the best sources of nutrition for a leopard gecko is dubia roaches. These geckos love the idea of hunting the roaches downwardly and consuming them later. Make certain you provide them with an adequate supply of dubia roaches to sustain their adept health.
More tips
- Ane of the best ways to become your leopard gecko to eat is to offer waxworms. Waxworms are i of its favorite foods, and it will rarely pass upward a chance to eat them.
- Make sure no insects are larger than the space between the eyes of the Leopard gecko.
- Ensure all insects are gut-loaded, so they are not dehydrated when your pet eats them.
- Offer wounded casualty by cutting the food in half then the leopard gecko can smell the actual fluids.
- Y'all can also endeavour to feed your pet with a syringe. The syringe is called a gecko slurry and is a liquid food that your pet will instinctively lick off the syringe of its nose. Information technology's oftentimes an effective way to become a leopard gecko to eat again.
How long tin my leopard gecko get without eating?
While there is no specific number of days that a leopard gecko can go without eating, most can get at least a month earlier it becomes serious, and in almost all cases, it will begin to eat again when information technology'southward ready.
Summary
Considering leopard geckos tin live and so long without food, you don't demand to be overly concerned if they terminate eating for a few days. If you are concerned after a week, you tin can try to offer waxworms every bit they are ane of your pet's favorite foods. If you don't go a response from the waxworms, you might starting time to look for signs of fecal impaction, injury, and illness. Warm baths can relieve impaction, help wounds heal faster, and may even reduce stress levels. If the pet refuses to eat after iii weeks, we recommend contacting the vet to get your pet checked.
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Featured Image: ryomaQ, Shutterstock
Source: https://petkeen.com/leopard-gecko-not-eating/
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