Leopard gecko havng trouble eating

Question
QUESTION: My male leopard gecko has been having trouble eating lately. I started noticing it a couple months ago. He can't catch his food. Even if the food is a superworm that barely moves, he'll strike and miss. This happens with crickets, mealworms, waxworms, you name it. He doesn't look like he's hungry or starving but I don't know what's wrong with him.

ANSWER: Hello Bea,

What type of setup are you using for him?  What are the temperatures in the tank?  Do you use an undertank heater along with a low wattage basking bulb?
Do you supplement calcium several times per week?  It sounds like he has metabolic bone disease.  Can you post a picture of him for me?

Tracie

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My male Gecko   QUESTION: I have a 20 gallon tank and he is housed with a younger female who just had eggs.  He is about 3 or 4 years old. I use a heater under the cage in one corner and I have a light bulb over head that I turn on durng daylight hours. I keep a bowl filled with calcium at all times and see my geckos licking at it. What does metabolic bone disease do and what are the effects?

ANSWER: Hello Bea,

How old is he & how old is the female?  
If they are too young, I don't recommend them breeding as it can cause health problems with the female laying too young.  
Metabolic bone disease debilitates them to the point where they can't move or eat much on their own & they end up having balance problems & usually lose weight.
Perhaps he is not getting enough food, is she eating it all?  How is he doing today?  
I would try to dust his food more often right now, to ensure that he is getting adequate calcium in case he is low in calcium reserves.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

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QUESTION: My male is about three or four while my female is about a year and a half. She eats ravenously every time we feed her while he sometimes seems interested and may get a couple of worms down before missing and giving up. My female just shed and my male seems to be doing fine right now. He's walking around in his cage and just kind of acting normal. I just fed them today but I didn't see him eat anything. We tried holding the superworm in front of him but he just walked away.  

Answer
Hello Bea,

Well, I would keep trying with your male.  If he just will not eat & starts to lose weight you are going to have to intervene by feeding him chicken or turkey babyfood with calcium added, several times per week to help him out.  
Is his balance doing ok?  Either way, he seems to really be needing more calcium as he is not eating enough to keep his reserves up for strength & overall health.


Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie