Hi -

I'm new here, but also have two leopard geckos (I used to have more but a year ago moved from a house to an apartment, hence downgrading of the critters : ( ). So while I'm no vet, here's my two cents.

You're male does't sound happy. If his tails really skinny, this sounds like something that's been going on for a while. Obvious things to check would be for parasites (go to the vet!) or recent environmental changes (temperature, etc.).

The one other thing I could think of is if the male is being bullied by the female. It sounds lame, but I had a really sweet leopard gecko a few years ago that started losing weight drastically. Went from fat and healthy to skinny in no time at all. It turned out she was being bullied by another female in the cage (a few nights of watching made this obvious). As soon as I gave her a separate cage she perked up and gained weight again.

So I'd recommend first separating the two geckos. Not only will this alleviate any strain with the other gecko, it will also allow you to observe if the male is eating and not gaining weight or simply not eating. That might help a good reptile vet figure out what's wrong.

Hope the little guy feels better soon :(

- cascabel

I also wonder about foods and/or substrates......

what size crickets or other feeder insects are you feeding them? Is it possible that they are too large and have caused an impaction...it is usually recommended for lizards that they be fed prey the size of the space between their eyes as a general recommendation.

I don't recommend giant mealworms as a feeder insect because they have been given growth hormones in order to attain their giant size.

what substrate is your gecko housed on? I am a bearded dragon breeder and sometimes substrate is an issure for them so I thought maybe you might have an issue there...here's a link about substrate and impactions regarding beardies, maybe something will be helpful for your gecko too...although i know they don't have the same care or dietary requirements... www.kricketskritters.com/conte.../#FAQs

Good luck,
Kricket

Kricket's Kritters
Organically fed sustainably raised Bearded Dragons and Crickets
Reptile supplies, custom enclosures and incubators also available
www.kricketskritters.com
503-236-7327
Portland, OR

My gecko did the same thing for me, and she is our only gecko, so bullying isn't the only thing that can cause this. my lizard started acting stangely after a while, and we noticed that she wasn't really noticing food well, and we found out that the heater in her tank had broken. (whatever the reason your gecko has stopped eating doesn't change how you can get them back eating.) we fixed the heater, but by this time by lizard was very weak and didn't have the energy to catch insects. We had almost given up hope ( I spent three days with insomnia, trying to get her to eat, mind you, i have a few disorders...), but then we found a formula for our lizard. all you have to do is get a container, buy a few lizard supplements,an egg, a handful of mealworms or crickets, a bit of baby food, and blend it all together. use a knife to make it smooth, then put it in an ice tray and feeze it into cubes. to feed her, let it thaw into a container, and use a syringe to draw it out and put it on your gecko's nose to lick it off. This should allow your gecko gain energy. if this doesn't work, check with your vet whether they have swallowed something. re-check all of the normal things that you need for a leopard gecko, like what is needed in their cage, such as a shady place for them to go into (i have half of a small hollow log), a heater, perhaps sand, a clean water dish, and enough space. hope this helps!