anorexic guecko

Question
We bought a leopard gecko a few months back, she was under weight when we purchased her they said she just had a batch of eggs but with proper care she would be back to normal in a month, we have tried everything from critical care, to baby food. And sometimes it seems like she is doing better then, but she isn't gaining weight. She is active. Just so skinny. What can we do? I heard about this panacur, should we try that?

Answer
Hi Amanda, First thing I would suggest is to verify the temperature in the warm end of your tank with a reliable thermometer placed right on the substrate. Reptile metabolism rate is completely dependent on the external heat source that you provide. If it is sub-optimal she may not be digesting and processing her food completely, aim for a hot spot of 85- 90F. You can also offer more calorie dense food items like waxworms and large mealworms.
Panacur is an anti-parasitic drug and although it is quite safe I would not recommend administering it without a confirmed diagnosis. In light of her failure to gain weight the next logical step would be to have a faecal exam performed at your vets. If you have an established relationship with a vet you should be able to take in just the droppings to be examined which would not be costly. Even a vet that does not specialize in reptiles would be able to identify the common intestinal parasites in a leopard gecko, they are similar enough to those in other animals. Good luck with her recovery.