Leopard Gecko... Parasites ?

Question

My Gecko   QUESTION: HI Tracie,

I recently rescued a leopard gecko that was living in unsuitable conditions. The previous owners didnt have a heat pad and only used the heat lamp for about 4 hours a day. They said he was about a year old, but is still tiny. He looks to be the size of about a two or three month old, so I think he may have stunted his growth. He looked to have calcium deficiency because his bones look a little rubbery and he walks on his front writs. He was skinny with a very skinny tail. I started calcium dusting his food, got him a heat pad, and have a heat lamp going at all times. When I first got him he would only eat crickets, he recently started eating occasional mealworms and wax worms. The wax worms seemed to help him put on a little girth in his tail. He hunts fine and is doing better then when I first got him, but now he is starting to have mushy and a little watery poop. His poops were solid when I first got him and now they have turned very mushy looking. Do leopard geckos poops differ in consistency or do you think he has parasites ?
Also, can leopard geckos growth be permanently stunted or will he still grow to be at a normal size ?
Is there anything I can do to try and help him gain weight because he doesn't always want to eat the wax worms I give him?
-I attached a photo if it will help

Thanks,
Kory

ANSWER: Hello Kory,

Sorry for the delay!
How long have you had him?
He is a cute little one, but needs some weight on his tail.  I agree, he looks very young, even if he is a year!  
He should be able to grow still, with optimal conditions I would presume for a little while longer.  Some of his growth may have been stunted a little bit though, only time will tell.
Are you giving calcium 5 times a week right now?  A good way to get extra calcium into him other than dusting his feeders is to leave a dish of calcium in his tank so he can get some when he wants it.  
What is your tank setup like?  Are you using an undertank heater along with a basking light on one end of the tank?  Do you use a UVB light as well?  If not, I would recommend getting a Reptisun 5 tube bulb.  It has been shown that they do benefit from use of UVB exposure.  
He could have worms or parasites, yes.  You could try to get a fecal on him, just to see if he does have worms or parasites.  
The waxworms are more watery & have more fat so they could contribute to the consistency of the stool, also.  Do you see him drinking water?
I would use mealworms, small crickets, phoenix worms & waxworms.  Of course, you can rotate them from time to time you don't need to have all of those on hand.  

Let me know how he is doing.
Tracie

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QUESTION: Tracie,

I can already tell he is putting on some weight from the wax worms. His tail is getting thicker and I think his mushy stool was from the wax worms because the past two nights they have been solid. I am hoping he doesnt have parasites. I have only seen him drink water once but I know he moves around more when I am not around. He seems to sleep a lot while in his cage day and night that I see him, but when I pick him up and put him on my bed he is very active. Is this normal ?

I am dusting the crickets every time I feed right now to try and give him extra calcium, but I will add calcium as well. Should I just use the same powder I use for dusting the crickets ?

Yes right now I have a under tank heater as well as basking light. I do not have a UVB light but I can look into getting one.

I will continue to feed him crickets along with the worms, he seems to be getting better! so lets hope nothing changes.

-Kory

ANSWER: Hello Kory,

You can send more pictures if you would like to!

Tracie

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Gecko 2   QUESTION: Hi Tracie,

He is doing much better with solid poops now too. He has put some weight in his tail also. I just hope he will still grow to a normal leopard gecko. Do you think this will still be possible ?

I attached a photo so you can see him again.

-Kory

Answer
Hello Kory,

Wow, he is so pretty & I can tell that he has gained some weight in his tail, too.  
I think that he should be able to finish growing with proper calcium & tank setup.  
Keep up the great work with him!

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie