1. Parasites

There are several types of parasites that can affect leopard geckos, including spirochetes, coccidian, pinworms and protozoa. These parasites can cause a variety of symptoms, including weight loss, soft poop, regurgitation/vomiting, loss of appetite and lethargy.

It’s important to take your pet to a reputable vet should you notice any of these symptoms. The vet will be able to prescribe medication that will eliminate the parasites and help your gecko return to good health.

2. Bacterial Infection

Bacterial infections are one of the leading causes of diarrhea in leopard geckos. The most common bacterial infection that affects leopard geckos is Cryptosporidium varane, which is known to cause stick tail.

Stick tail is a condition that causes extreme weight loss in geckos, and is always accompanied by poor appetite, hiding and spending time in the cool hides.

Diarrhea is the main symptom of a bacterial infection, and can often be severe and life-threatening. If you suspect that your leopard gecko has a bacterial infection, it is important to seek veterinary treatment immediately.

3. Stress

There are a number of possible stressors that can trigger diarrhea in leopard geckos. These include handling, poor hygiene, and change of environment. When any of these stressors occur, it can disrupt the delicate balance of the gut flora, allowing parasites to take over and cause anorexia, weight loss, and diarrhea.

If you suspect your leopard gecko is suffering from stress-related diarrhea, it is important to seek veterinary treatment as soon as possible to give them the best chance of recovery.

4. Shedding

Shedding is a process that all leopard geckos go through from time to time. During this process, the gecko will shed its outer layer of skin. This can sometimes cause the gecko to have runny or loose stool.

The stool may also be grey or white in color due to the leopard gecko eating its shed skin. Fortunately, this problem usually goes away on its own within one to four days after the gecko has fully shed its skin.

5. Diet

The type of food you feed your leopard gecko is often the root cause of runny poop. Loose stool associated with food is temporary and should be sorted out by itself. Below are some of the diet changes that might trigger a runny stool.

6. A Change of Supplements

Buying a different brand of multivitamins and calcium supplements that your gecko is not used to could cause your Leo to have loose stool. Therefore mixing different supplement brands is not advised, and you should not do it.

7. Feeding Spoilt Gut-Load to Feeders

Feeding your leopard gecko spoilt gut-load to feeder insects can cause stomach discomfort resulting in diarrhea. Therefore, ensure you feed your feeders nutritional foods and fresh gut load. These should resolve after one to two feedings.

8. Offering a Different Kind of Insect to Your Gecko

If you have recently switched the type of insect that you are offering to your leopard gecko, this could also be causing the loose stool.

For example, if your gecko is used to eating wax worms but you switch them to hornworms, this change in diet can affect their digestive system and thus cause diarrhea. To prevent this, gradually change their diet instead of taking radical changes.

Signs of Diarrhea in Leopard Geckos

You can look out for a few signs when in on your leopard gecko. If your Leo displays any signs below, they could suffer from diarrhea. Once you ascertain this is the case, please take the necessary preventive measures, as it can be fatal. The signs include:

• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Dehydration
• Watery feces
• Frequent feces
• Foul smelling poop

How Can You Treat Diarrhea in Leopard Geckos?

Taking your leopard gecko to an exotic vet is the best bet, as they will be able to guide you on how to treat diarrhea accordingly. Also, ensure you keep your Leo hydrated during this period, as dehydration can be fatal.

Also, you might soak your Leo in lukewarm water as you follow instructions given by the vet.

How to Prevent Diarrhea in Leopard Geckos?

You can take various preventive measures to reduce the risk of diarrhea on your Leo. They include:

• Feeding your leopard gecko a proper and healthy diet
• Monitor terrarium conditions, including humidity and temperature
• Keep Your Leo hydrated to reduce dehydration risk
• Ensure to keep your gecko in a stress-free environment both inside and outside the tank
• Keep the enclosure clean and free of the parasite.

Key Takeaways

A healthy leopard gecko poop should compose of a solid dark brown to black with a separate off-white or white top section with a mild smell barely detectable to humans.

Leopard geckos can get diarrhea from time to time, the cause being parasites, bacterial infections, stress, poor hygiene and diet.

Therefore, ensure to keep your gecko hydrated during this time and also take the preventive measures listed above to reduce the risk of diarrhea in future.