2 month old Leopard Gecko

Question
QUESTION: Hi Diane,
My son's leopard gecko (Yoshi) is 2 months old. He has been doing great but now he looks like he is dying. We have followed instructions from the pet store to the letter. But last night we noticed him laying very still & "flat", his legs almost look paralyzed. Every once in a while he'll lift his head, open his mouth wide and twitch. Almost like he did before he would pounce on a cricket or meal worm but he does not lift himself up with his legs. But then he slowly lays back down and lays flat again. The first half of him looks very flat but after his upper arms he looks fatter. Almost like he has a bump at his lower legs. Are we over feeding him maybe? The pet store told us to give him 3 or 4 meal worms a day and 5 or 6 crickets a week, while he is a juvy (until 6 mos)which we have been doing. He had been eating them eagerly, like he was hungry. Sometimes when he ate it almost looked like he had a hard time swallowing but then he would be fine. Until the night before last he left one cricket behind. He also does not flinch when you reach down to touch him. The one cricket that he did not eat could jump all around him and he would not even react. I am worried that he is dying and/or suffering. Have we done anything wrong or did we get a sick gecko to begin with? What do we do now for him? Thank you for your help.
Tammy

ANSWER: Hi Tammy,
You don't mention how long you have had the leo. They do stress with moves(new homes, etc) That stress can cause an overload of internal parasites.  All reptiles do have parasites, which they actually need..but when they get overloaded, it can cause problems. I suggest a vet visit for a fecal check..and a general check up.  In the care sheet below is a link to finding a vet that can treat reptiles.
A few things..
Pet stores don't always know the correct care a reptile needs..they make care sheets so that they can sell more products...IE: sand as a substrate....any loose substrate for a leo can be deadly. As they chase their food, they eat the substrate and it can cause blockages. One of the most deadly is the so called digestible or calci sand.
Is the food properly sized?  Never larger than the space between their eyes nor longer than their head.  Too large of food items can also cause a blockage.
As to what the store said about how much to feed...
the best rule is to feed what he can eat in about 15 minutes time.
For meal worms, the best and safest to feed are the fresh shed ones..they are the nice white/light colored ones.  They have less of the hard outer body, which can also cause blockages. They are feed daily...as adults they are generally fed every other day.I doubt very much you have done something wrong...it may be the care sheet you received that is wrong.  Double check what you are doing with the care sheet below. Correct anything that you see that is wrong with what the pet store said.
If you just recently got the leo, you may have one that is a bit sick.  The choice there is a vet visit or take the leo back to where you got it.
Your comment about "almost looks paralyzed" concerns me as that it can be one of the signs of a blockage.
Is he drinking?  
Does his eyes look sunk in? If yes, then he may be dehydrated.  You can offer some water from an eye dropper onto his mouth.
Has he been going to the bathroom?(most leos will pick one spot to use as  bathroom....many times this area will be hidden.
If he is going potty, is it firm? loose?  contains both a white part and a dark part?  Normal is both dark and white and firm.  If its loose, can be a sign of internal parasites.Providing a moist hide(described in care sheet) is very important for them.  

BASIC CARE FOR A LEOPARD GECKO
Leopards are pretty easy to care for but they do need
special care.  Here are some of the basic needs of your gecko.
HOUSING: The need to have at least a 20 gallon long tank for one Leo. This needs to have a secure fitting screen top...they can be quite the escape artists!!! They need to have a humid hide box.You can make this with something as simple as a small plastic dish with a hole cut in one side and a small mesh bag filled with some Sphagnum moss coconut bark or Peat moss that you mist.  
I made mine out of the small plastic folgers coffee containers...I cut an opening in the lid..and put the moss in..they LOVE it. I use the terrarium moss in mine.
I use that on the warm side of the tank. Be sure to provide a cool hidebox on the other end. I also provide a mid temperature hide...which is in the middle of the tank.I use the critter caves which you can purchase.  NOT the ones that have heat in them!!!!
Provide secure climbing areas for your gecko.  Fake plants, rocks and branches are all fine to use. be sure there are no wires or sharp ends to any fake plants you use.
*****SUBSTRATE:(that's the stuff on the floor of your tank) Newspaper, lizard carpet or paper towels work great and are easy to clean and are much safer than any loose substrate.  Sand or other loose substrate is not recommended as that they can be deadly to the leo when it is ingested(eaten, even by accident while eating their insects)...A very graphic site of an impacted leo surg can be seen at http://homepage.mac.com/exoticdvm/reptile/PhotoAlbum181.html   it is very graphic!!! ******What I have found that works great for safety and heat distribution is using about 1/4 inch of childrens play sand(since the tiles fit tight together, there is no sand danger) on the bottom of the tank and on top that you place ceramic or slate floor tile.  What is nice is that the 12 x 12 squares fit perfect in a 20 gallon tank with no spaces between the tiles.  The sand and the tile distribute the heat wonderfully.  Using the under tank heater as described is what distributes the heat.  Also, overhead heat will help in heating the tiles...I've been using this set up for several years and the leos love it.  Using a tile that isn't smooth is recommended.  **********
TEMPERATURES:  They need a warm area of 88-92 degrees and a
cooler area  in the upper 70s,  low 80s.   At night their temperature can drop to the low to mid 70's.  
Never use a hot rock for a leopard gecko...or any reptile.
They can severely burn any reptile.  You can use a heating
pad under the tank,under tank heater, or you can use a regular household lightbulb in a dome fixture with a ceramic socket in it to keep the warm area at the 88-92 degree area.At night, no white light. If room temperatures stay above 70 degrees, no extra night heat is needed. The undertank heater or heating pad should cover about 1/3 of the tank....be sure to raise the tank up about 1/4-1/2 inch off the stand when using an undertank heat source to prevent heat build up which can cause the glass to break and hot spots in the glass. Be sure to have a good layer of newspaper, carpeting or, even a thin flat rock(such as tile) on top the area that the undertank heat source is placed...if you use a thin rock or tile, it helps to distribute the heat very well.
You can  use the special nighttime lights that are designed for reptiles. I like using a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat for  nighttime heat.  
DO NOT use black lights or party lights as they can cause eye damage!!!!
The wattage you use will vary based on room temperature and size of tank.  
LIGHTING:  Leopard geckos do not need UVB lighting but it does not hurt them to give them uvb.  They should have some type of light during the day, be it a uvb tube, regular florescent light, reptile day light or regular household lightbulb. NO white lights at night!!!
FEEDING: Geckos should not be fed  crickets or other insects that are bigger than the space between their eyes.  Generally, hatchlings can be fed more than once a day,juvys can be fed twice a day, adults are fed once daily or every other day, in the early evening. Crickets and other food items such as silk worms, super, and an occasional treat of a wax worm, need to be dusted with a calcium supplement two times a week and also they should have a small dish of calcium in their tank.  I use the lid of a milk jug for the little dish of calcium in their tank.  For dusting the insects, Use a calcium with no added phosphorus.  Insects must be gut loaded(fed) for at least 48 hours prior to feeding your gecko. Remove any uneaten crix or superworms after 15-20 minutes.....  Place a piece of cut potato in the tank so that if you have missed any uneaten insects, they will eat the potato instead of nibbling on your gecko!!!
*************You have to be sure to feed your crickets and insects the right foods before feeding them to your gecko.  If your crickets/insects are not healthy and well fed, your gecko will not get the nutrition he needs. You can gut load your crickets and insects greens, veggies, cereals or specially designed commercial foods for crickets or the insects you are feeding. ************
Be sure to have a small dish of clean water for your gecko at all times!!
You can offer them some baby food or fruits on occasion ...
Mine will even eat a small piece of watermelon now and then.WATER:  always provide a dish of drinking water.  If you choose to mist your gecko to drink, its best to not get the tank too wet as that they do not do well with higher humidity.  Sometimes its better to take your leo out of their tank to mist them to get them to drink!!!
HANDLING:  Some geckos enjoy being held...others prefer not to be handled at all.  Be sure to be very gentle when holding your leo and NEVER grab them by the tail!  Their tails are extremely fragile and will break.  
I do suggest finding a vet that can treat reptiles BEFORE you actually need one!!!  To find a vet that is able to care for reptiles:
http://www.anapsid.org/vets
http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm
For more information on leopard geckos:
http://www.thegeckospot.com/leocareindex2.html
http://www.drgecko.com
If you have any questions or don't understand something, please let me know.





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

QUESTION: Diane,
My son (14 years old) came home from school today to find Yoshi had passed. We are devestated!! He thinks he did something wrong that may have killed him and really feels bad. In answer to your question though, we got him from the store July 21st and they said he was probably a few weeks old,he was a baby. We were using the reptile carpet so he wasn't getting any calci sand. After reading your response I think he may have been blocked but the only thing that we can think of is that some of his worms were not white are may have had a harder outside than the white ones or maybe too big, I don't know. We only gave him little crickets..one of the girls at the store did tell us about making sure they were the size between his eyes. My son did have another question for you though, he said 3 to 4 weeks ago he notiticed that above Yoshi's eyes it looked like there were two blue spots and now the spots look green. Do you know what that could be from? We Thank you very much for your quick response. I wish we could have done something for him. Do they usually die this quickly from a blockage?

ANSWER: Awwwww, I am sooo sorry to hear Yoshi passed.  Please tell your son that he did NOTHING wrong. The problem with many pet store reptiles is that they come from farms that pack them into boxes as soon as they are hatched and ship them off. They are never cared for properly from the time they are hatched and while in the stores.  I really doubt it was a blockage that caused the problem. A blockage is usually something that comes on over a few days and they don't eat at all.
Chances are the poor leo was ill when he was purchased. Many reptiles that come from the conditions I described above have illnesses or diseases that take their toll. They are hardy little lizards, but when they didn't have the proper start in life, it causes problems.
I am not a fan of baby lizards.  They can be very hard to keep, especially when from a pet store or even private breeders that sell them too young, breed too much and don't give them proper care. Leos live for 20 yrs...getting an older one...even 4-6 months old makes it much easier to keep them healthy.
As to the spots, chances are they were nothing more than normal colors.
The only real way to know just what happened is to have a necropsy done by a vet.
If you and your son are interested in adopting an older leo, please let me know and I will help you out in any way I can with finding one. Let me know where you are located(state/city). Heck...if there was ANY chance you were close to me I have rescues here that would make wonderful pets. You can check out www.scalesandtails.org (I belong to that rescue) to see if there are any that are availabe that may be close to where you are located.
Again, my heart goes out to your son..he did nothing wrong.

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

QUESTION: Thank you, your kind words and expertise has made Shawn feel a lot better. We also tried to tell him that he may have been sick with out us knowing but hearing it from someone who is not Mom & Dad :) and also knows what they are talking about makes a difference. I am not sure where you are located but we are in Georgia, slightly southwest of Atlanta. We are going to give it a little bit of time but would like to look into maybe getting another leo. Getting one that maybe a little older sounds like a good idea. We will also look into the websites you told us about. We just moved here from Massachusetts so we are just getting familiar with the surrounding areas. I will have to do some research to find out which vet would bet the closest for us. I would love to adopt one as opposed to purchasing one from a store. I did not realize that there were rescue places for leos. Had we known we would have gone that route the first time around. We have never had a pet that wasn't a rescue. Do you know if there are any around us here?
Thank you again and have a great weekend.
Tammy

Answer
Glad to see he is understanding that there most likely was a problem well before you purchased him. I am also very happy to heaar that rescue/adoption is something you would be interested in.  I have 6 critters here and they are all rescues..all very healthy and calm..well..as calm as some lizards and snakes can be that is!!!
There are reptile rescues that have more lizards in than they will ever be able to find homes for.
http://www.anapsid.org/societies/  has a good list of rescues.
http://www.georgiareptilerescue.com/index.html  is in Georgia
http://boilerroombelievers.org/index.html also in GA and this is the direct link to what lizards are available:
http://boilerroombelievers.org/animal_resources/lizards.html
Also, although not local, Mid Michigan reptile rescue does ship. Leos ship very well and Mid MI is very knowledgeable with shipping.  There you can read about what is involved with their costs, etc.
http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/MI383.html will take you to their listing of available critters.