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 #2080679


Nikkib
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 Please help

Last week my leo Petunia stopped pooping and eating, I took her to the vet and was told she didnt have an impaction but she did have parasites so we treated her for those. they also had to give her an enima. Well she still isnt pooping and the only thing she will eat is some baby food. shes already been to the vet 4 times, tomorrow morning will be the 5th. Does anyone have any ideas what else could be going on or what i should do? any help would greatly appreciated.

Nikki
10/05/09  08:19pm

 #2080776


KrazyKelli
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   Message To: Nikkib   In reference to Message Id: 2080679


 Please help

Could you give us a description of your tank, how old the leo is, how thin, etc? We need to know tank setup, temps, humidity, how you’re measuring the temps and humidity, what you put in the tank, what your substrate is, what you’re feeding your leo, etc. Otherwise we can’t help.
10/05/09  11:19pm

 #2081030


Nikkib
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   Message To: KrazyKelli   In reference to Message Id: 2080776


 Please help

I have her in a 20 gallon tank. Im not sure how old she is though since she is a rescue id probably guess about 4 years old though. the temp in her tank stays about 97 on the warm side and about 85 on the cool side. um i keep her on papertowels and she eats mealworms and sometimes crickets but she doesnt really like them. In her tank she has 2 hides and a wet hide plus her calcium dish and water bowl.



10/06/09  04:45pm

 #2081242


KrazyKelli
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   Message To: Nikkib   In reference to Message Id: 2081030


 Please help

What type of thermometer are you using to measure temps?

And have you gone through the whole 3 drops of olive oil and warmsoak thing?

Lastly, what type of parasite does your leo have?



If temps (hypothetically when they’re not being read correctly) are too low, a leo can have trouble digesting the food they eat. This can sometimes lead to constipation. If you’re using a digital thermometer with a probe, or a temp gun, and the floor of the tank reads 97, then this probably isn’t the problem.

A large thing to bring up is hibernation. Leos over 2 years of age can go into a sort of lame torpor, where they sleep much more, eat much less, and generally everything slows down about them. This happens when the weather shifts dramatically towards being cold and winter is about to hit. Some people’s leos have been known to go off food for about a month, or they eat next to nothing for up to two months. This sort of behavior is usually stimulated by turning off the lights earlier than normal, but it can sometimes happen to leos even without the change in schedule. If your leo’s tank is near a window, I recommend putting it somewhere further into the room. This may also explain the lack of poop, since they have nothing to poop out due to fasting.

This behavior is especially noticeable when the leo, after going on their fast, loose little to no weight. So if your leo isn’t skin and bones, it’s something to consider.



And only assume this if you’ve already done the whole impaction treatment with the olive oil and stuff.



Other than that: you should get a small glass/ceramic dish or see-through plastic cup and fill it with mealies. 10 or more. Put this on the warm side to stimulate more activity in the food. Leave it in there for a few nights and count the mealies every morning to see if any are missing.

Check your moist hide or hidden locations. Sometimes a leo will stealth poop in strange places and you may have missed one.

You can also, and this is ONLY if you know that your leo is not truly impacted with something terrible like sand or bark, give the leo one drop... only one drop... of mineral oil. This is a harsh laxative that’ll push anything - if there is anything - out of the leo in less than 12 hours. You may get a very small poop, you may get a simple dark puddle. Once again, this is mutually harmless under normal conditions. But if there’s a major blockage in the lizard, mineral oil can make problems worse. That’s why olive oil (stool softener) is recommended under impaction procedures.



10/06/09  11:14pm


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