Blizzard refuses to eat, tail is too skinny

My gecko has always been small but lately she's wasting away.. (Oh also I don't know for sure if she's a girl I just assumed so since she is so small, never seen her lay an egg tho.) She hasn't been eating for 3 weeks. I usually feed her crickets coated with calcium, but she had a hard time catching them (she's probably 8 or 9 yrs now) so about a month or so ago I switched to superworms. She ate them fine for a while, but now she won't eat them at all. I tried feeding them with tweezers and that worked a couple times but now it seems like she can't get her mouth open enough to chomp down the worms. This is the first time I've ever experienced this with my Blizzy! She also hasn't gone to the bathroom in 2-3 weeks. She hasn't been lethargic or anything, just not eating.

I just had my dad shove a couple worms in her mouth while I held it open, then sprayed water in there it kinda seems like maybe her tongue is swollen? Could she be dehydrated? She swallowed it okay and I stroked her throat and opened her mouth and sure enough it went down. Then we mashed up a cricket and forced that into her mouth, and she swallowed it in the same fashion. On the idea that maybe she's dehydrated, I spritzed water around her mouth and onto her tongue (she kept licking up the water) but maybe it was too much cuz she puked up half the cricket and some water..

I'm starting to get worried because her tail is insanely skinny, I've never seen it this small in the time I've had her.

The usual tank set up:
30 gal, walnut shell substrate (I know it sucks, but it's been fine for the 7 years I've had her)
heating pad and red light on warm side (at about 85) with a hideaway
water bowl and shady area on the cool side (70-75)
I live in Jersey so the humidity is high enough, I spray the cage with filtered water twice a week

I read that higher temps are better for sick lizards, so I just moved her into a 10 gal tank with paper towel on the bottom a hideaway on the warm side and shady tree and water on cool side.
I'm letting her warm up now, then I'm going to give her a soak in warm water with a little Shed-Ease.
Any advice is much appreciated, thanks!

You should take her to a vet. This sounds like crypto, and if it is then there isn't anything you can do for the little thing.

mhhhh are her eyes cloudy???? i dont had any sick gecko so i dont have much expierence! i got two dropped off they not eating but that is because they never had a shed box and they cant see ! i went to the vet even if my friend told me what it is and what to do ! just to make sure!!!

i agree with kodie you should see the vet! and i think i saw it on that forum there is something you can make for you gecko to eat !

Kodieh wrote:You should take her to a vet. This sounds like crypto, and if it is then there isn't anything you can do for the little thing.

I just looked that disease up.. And yes the symptoms are similar, but this is the ONLY time she has ever thrown up her food and I'm pretty sure it's because I gave her too much water. I am going to look into it some more and disinfect all of her cage objects, and keep a close eye on what her feces looks like whenever she produces some.
I found this website about crypto, am going to follow what it says and clean the tank a LOT <http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/pests-diseases/24500-help-cryptosporidiosis.html>

Thanks! This could be what it is!

Kira wrote:mhhhh are her eyes cloudy???? i dont had any sick gecko so i dont have much expierence! i got two dropped off they not eating but that is because they never had a shed box and they cant see ! i went to the vet even if my friend told me what it is and what to do ! just to make sure!!!

i agree with kodie you should see the vet! and i think i saw it on that forum there is something you can make for you gecko to eat !

No her eyes are as clear as ever, though she had been squinting them a couple weeks ago (I think it was substrate in her eye). I don't think she is blind, I used to think that but she makes attempts at catching her food.. I think its more like her jaw can't open enough? When I feed her now I pry her mouth open a pop a small superworm in there, but she doesn't chomp to swallow it like they normally do she just.. idk its really weird! Gonna look for what I can feed her, thanks!

If she's having problems opening her mouth she could have mbd or mouth rot esp. If her tongue looked swollen. Could also be an infection in the jaw joints. If you could take a minute to fill out the care questionaire it would help. There's a link at the bottom of the page, just copy paste it into the thread. Also thre is a recipe for a slurry in the stickies of the health section I believe, if not there then its in feeding. You can try that in the meanwhile until you can get her to a vet. Obviously if she's not eating she won't be pooping, nothing going in, nothings gonna come out. If you soak her I wouldn't use the shed ease esp. If she's not having problems shedding. Can't be good for her to drink that stuff and if she is dehydrated she will be drinking the bath water.

The only problem is that crypto can only be "eliminated" with an equal to or higher than 5% solution of Ammonia, which is not a clear way, or with sterile UV light.

Here is the health form, though majority of the relevant info is in the first post.
About your leo:
- Sex- maybe female? she's small, never laid eggs.
- Age & Weight- 8-9 yrs, I don't have a scale that small.
- Morph (if you know)- idk
- How long have you owned your leo- about 7 yrs
- Where was he/she obtained (Pet store, breeder, wild caught, etc.)- mom's friend moved and couldn't take it with her, so I took it.
- Is your leo wild caught or captive bred- captive.

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo- once a week, unless she needs help with something then more often
- Is your leo acting any different today? yes. I described in first post.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.- no.
B) Fecals
- Describe-Do they look any different than normal- she hadn't pooped for weeks, she just did 2 days ago and its much smaller and slightly watery
- When was the last time he/she went- 2 days.
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem/issue you are experiencing and how long it has been going on

She won't eat on her own. Seems like she cannot open her mouth properly. She doesn't chomp down on her food. Tongue might be swollen, but I don't know what an average gecko tongue size is anyway.

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size- 30 gal
- Type (ex. glass tank, screen enclosure, tub kept)- glass
- Type of substrate (sand, vinyl tiles, ceramic/stone tiles, etc.)- usually walnut shell, but papertowel right now.
- Hides (how many, location and type (hothide, humid hide, regular hide etc.)- 2. one hot, one shady.
B) Heating
- What is your main heat source (heat bulbs, under tank heat mat etc)- red heat light, and under tank mat
- What are your cage temps (hot side and cool side)80-85 and 70
- Method of regulating your heat source (thermostat, rheostat, light dimmer etc.) none
- What are you using to measure your temps (probe thermometer, infrared lazer tempo gun, stick on temp gauge, etc)- digital therm
- Do you have any lights (describe type (red,blue, basking etc) and cycle duration)-red. 12-15 hrs of light a day.
C) Cage mates NONE
- How many (males, females)
- Describe health, or previous problems of cage mates

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What are you feeding- usually feed crickets, switched to superworms a month ago. right now feeding waxworms because she's so skinny.
- How often are you feeding your gecko and how much per feeding? usually, 6-7 big crickets a week and maybe a couple worms. right now feeding her one waxworm a day.
- How are you feeding (hand fed, tongs/tweezers, left in dish, ect)- usually she catches the crickets, but as I explained in the first post... just read the first post.
B) Supplements
- What calcium suppliment are you using (please include brand)
- What multi vitimin are you using (please include brand)
Repashy superfoods leopard gecko calcium plus
-How are you implimenting your suppliment program (how often do you dust with each suppliment, do you leave calcium in the tank 24/7 etc.)- usually dust crickets. am now leaving dish with powder in the tank, which she ignores because she hasn't experienced that in her life, and have mixed little bit of water and powder and given it to her in a dropper the last few days.
- What are you gutloading your feeder insects with- flukers powder feed.

(am now leaving dish with powder in the tank,) what are you leaving in the tank? I hope only plain calcium? Your temps are too low. It should be about 92 over the UTH. It sounds very serious tho so I really think you need to take her to the vet quickly. Sound like a bad infection is spreading.