Leopard Gecko Health: Constipation

Background Information

It is important to keep in mind that constipation is not actually a disease itself in leopard geckos but it is a symptom of a problem. Most leopard geckos will defecate daily or every other day.

The rate of digestion in leopard gecko depends on several factors. These include:

The time since the last meal was ingested.
The environmental temperatures.
The body temperature of the gecko (dependent upon environmental temperatures)
The type of food offered.

Please read our Disclaimer before reading any further into these common problems. As with any medical problem, we strongly recommend that you contact your veterinarian for assistance.

Possible Causes

As with many other problems encountered with leopard geckos, there could be a wide range of possible contributing factors that you and your vet will work through and start to eliminate. Most of the time, constipation is related to improper husbandry practices and not actually any disease.

Environmental temperatures are too low.
Ingestion of a foreign object or impaction.
Limited access to drinking water.
Little or no exercise.
Stools that have been cooked in the colon when the geckos have been using a ventral heat source (ie hugging a hot rock for heat).
Imminent egg laying
Internal parasites
Anorexia
Bloating
Kidney problems
Metabolic Bone Disease
Fractured spine
Obesity

Treatment Options

Ultimately the most appropriate therapeutic plan will depend on the cause of the problem. It is critical that you determine the underlying cause and treat appropriately or the gecko will be faced with the same problem again. The first step is to analyze the gecko's housing, substrate, temperatures and diet.

Some of the more common treatment options include:

Decrease the frequency of feeding.
Offer smaller, easier to digest prey items.
Ensure proper environmental temperatures.
Warm water soaks. Soak the gecko in warm, shallow water for 15 minutes per day for 3 or 4 days. Even once is often enough to stimulate defecation.
Medical solutions administered by your veterinarian. These could include the use of Doctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS), or oral simethicone solution for example.
Enemas.
Surgery to remove and foreign objects, substrate or dried fecal matter (often referred to as fecoliths).

When dealing with medical problems, proper personal hygiene, quarantine and disinfection techniques are absolutely necessary.

Still Confused Or Concerned?

If you would like more information or further assistance, or just want to chat some more about leopard geckos, please feel free to post on the Reptile Rescue, Canada Leopard Gecko Forum!