Fat-tailed gecko not eating

Question
QUESTION: Hi Tracie,

I saw a previous answer you gave to this sort of question, so I'll give you the setup I have my fat-tail in.  He's a pretty old gecko, I've had him for about 9 years I believe.  He's in a 15 gallon tank with repti-bark as bedding.  He has a heat lamp and underside heating pad as well, and his temperatures go from high 80s in the day to around 70 at night.  On the non-heated side of his cage is his water dish, on the heated side is his log that he hides under.  This is pretty much the same setup he's always had.

I've nearly always fed him crickets, dusted in calcium.

I've been a little worried about him ever since I moved cross-country with him; he seems like he hasn't eaten as much with me here as he once did.  He's also been getting worse at actually catching the crickets - both at seeing them near him and actually grabbing them.  At some points last fall I would hold the cricket and let him grab it from my fingers.  Nonetheless, he would still get a few crickets with each feeding.

For the last couple of weeks, though, he has shown almost no interest in crickets, even the ones I hold in front of him.  He's looking extremely lean, and his tail is getting steadily skinnier.  I spritz his cage with water to keep it moist though, and I have seen him drink from his water dish.  While his body and tail look extremely skinny, his eyes still appear bright and not sunken in.  

I saw your answer to another person and bought some chicken and turkey baby foods.  He didn't actively lick it off the spoon, but I did put a little around his mouth and he eventually cleaned it off.  I just now left the spoon with some food on it, hoping he'll smell it and go for it.

Do you have any idea what's up with him?  I'm guessing he's just getting old, but at the same time I'm very worried since he doesn't appear to be eating anything.  

Thank you!
Gavin

ANSWER: Hello Gavin,
How long has it been since you moved across country with him?  That can really affect them, especially if there was a huge temperature change.  It can sometimes take months for them, & most reptiles, to adjust to change of that magnitude.
The setup is perfectly fine, no problem with that at all.
Well, if he is losing that much weight you will probably have to assist feed him by getting a swab & getting his mouth open & literally syringing food into his mouth.  Do you know how much weight he has lost?  
He could also be going into a winter shut down, or slowdown as alot of reptiles do this time of year.  At 9, he should live quite awhile longer in captivity.
Can you post a picture of him?  
How do his stools look?  
Good that he is drinking water though, maybe he is staying hydrated.

Let me know how he is doing.
Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Fat Tailed Gecko   QUESTION: I moved from Los Angeles to Boston late last August.  He certainly seemed stressed from it, but adapted to his new cage well (and I used all his old cage furnishings).  He definitely didn't seem to eat much then, but he was at least eating some and wasn't losing weight.

I've kept the temperature pretty much consistent even though it's snowing outside here now.  Could he still be going into a winter slowdown anyway?

I'm not sure exactly how much weight he has lost, but it is obvious that his body and tail are much skinnier than they used to be.  In the picture I've attached, you can see that his tail is quite thin.  His body used to be about as fat as his head is now.  He's next to a credit card as a reference.

I'm also a little nervous about the force feeding; I feel like I would end up hurting him during it.  What could be the reason he's decided not to eat?

His stools look normal, although he doesn't leave them as much as he once did.

Another question about the water - while he is drinking it, the dish isn't really big enough for him to wade in.  Should I get a new one for that?

ANSWER: Hello Gavin,

Good that he has adjusted to the move all the way across the US!  
His tail base is a bit thin, but over all nice looking gecko though.  
No you don't hurt him when assist feeding.  Once you get used to doing it, he will get used to it.  Using a swab & quickly getting the food into him is pretty easy, really.  It will help him through this rough patch that he seems to be going through.
Ok, good that his stools look normal, but of course if he is not eating very much he wont go very much!  
Was he used to immersing his entire body into his water dish?  If it seems to small, then you can get him a little bit larger one that is fine.
Yes, he could be going into a little bit of a winter shutdown.  I feel that for a week or so, try to get some food into him to get some nourishment into his system, & have him gain some weight.  Then, you can let him slow down a little once you get a little weight on him.  Make sure to add calcium to the food, as well.

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for all the information Tracie.  He actually just shed, so hopefully he's ready to get some more nutrients in him.  I was looking into a new, wider water bowl so he could wet his skin when shedding and get it off easier - he usually has some pieces left on.

Could you explain how exactly/what to feed him this way?  When you say swab, do you mean like a standard cotton swab?  I'm not exactly how to hold him or get his mouth open without hurting him, and don't know what I should be feeding him anyway.

Thanks again, so much!
-Gavin

Answer
Hello Gavin,

GREAT that he just shed now.  How is he doing this evening?
The swab, just tickle the side of his face & he will eventually open his mouth then shoot the babyfood in before he realizes what is going on!  LOL
Yes, just a standard cotton swab.  :-))
Just use plain chicken or turkey babyfood, & start with 1-2cc's daily.  
I hope he is doing better!

Tracie