Pooping is one of the main acts of an organism that helps to remove waste from the body. Leopard geckos need to poop regularly to stay healthy, and changes in the poop might indicate a problem. In this post, we will discuss everything about leopard gecko’s poop – what normal leopard gecko poop looks like, how often leopard geckos need to poop and if it should smell. We will also talk about changes in the consistency and color of leopard gecko’s poop – such as grey, green, liquid, mucus, yellow, white poop and more.
How often should a leopard gecko defecate?
How often your leopard gecko needs to defecate will depend on its age and how much it eats. More it eats, more it should defecate. Babies of up to 5 months old will often poop 1-3 times a day, because they eat every day and their stool is likely to be more loose in the beginning.
Juveniles of over 5 months old will often poop around once a day. Adult will defecate as often as every day, but more usually – once in every 2-3 days.
If your leopard geckos hasn’t defecated for 7-8 days, there can be something wrong (unless you have just brought your leopard gecko home and it hasn’t acclimatized and eaten much). Newly brought leopard geckos tend to have trouble eating and pooping, and might be stressed for the first week or few.
If your leopard gecko is not pooping for a long time, read this post to find the reasons and answers to your question.
You must take your new leopard gecko’s stool to the vet for examination. This is a part of quarantining, and is very important, especially if you have other pet lizards. Testing can help prevent transfer of parasites.
Put your leopard gecko’s poop in a Ziploc bag or a plastic container, and refrigerate it before taking to the vet. Don’t physically touch the poop or use any towels to move it. Never freeze a poop sample, as it will affect the results. Take the sample to the vet within 24 hours.
What does normal leopard gecko poop look like?
Normal leopard gecko poop should have three parts to it. There should be a dark ‘sausage looking roll’ waste part, another ‘drop or sausage looking roll’ uric acid waste, and presence/absence of little liquid pee. Waste part should be solid, well formed and dark in color. Urates should be white/yellowish in color, and this is how reptiles preserve water, by excreting urates in a solid form. You might also see some white/yellowish pee.
Does leopard gecko poop smell?
Leopard gecko poop does smell, and it smells more when it’s fresh. Once it dries a little, smell should be reduced. As leopard geckos tend to choose one spot for pooping, it’s a good idea to place well absorbing towels that you need to throw away right after you see and smell the poop.
Your leopard gecko’s poop might smell more after it has eaten certain insects – try to switch a diet for a while and see what’s causing the smelly poop. Poop might also be bigger when eating larger insects, such as roaches. What is more, parasites could make the poop smell bad – collect the poop and take it to the vet for a test.
Undigested insects in leopard gecko’s poop?
Have you noticed undigested insects in the leopard gecko’s poop? This can mean few things: low tank temperatures that interfere with digestion, internal parasites, or possibly impaction. First of all, make sure that what you saw is actually poop and not regurgitated matter. Place your leopard gecko on towels to monitor its poop.
If it was undigested poop, make sure to have optimal basking temperatures of 87-90°F (30.5-32.2 Celsius) in the tank. Internal parasites can also interfere with leopard gecko’s digestion, leading to weight loss and poor appetite.
Can you see any substrate in the poop (if you have loose substrate in the tank)? Remove loose substrate from the tank and replace it with a reptile carpet like this,tiles or paper towels. If the matter doesn’t resolve, take your leopard gecko’s stool for a parasite test.
Leopard gecko white poop
Sometimes you might notice your leopard gecko passing white poop. White poop (don’t confuse with urates that is on the side of the poop) can be a result of eaten shedding skin.
Leopard gecko’s stool is often white or grey after they eat their shed skin. If you keep your leopard gecko on sand or other bright substrate, it could be ingested substrate. Remove loose substrate from the tank.
Make sure that watch your leopard gecko after it eaten its skin – it shouldn’t regurgitate it! Regurgitation can be a sign of not only low temperatures but also internal parasites and digestive issues (if your leopard geckos hasn’t overeaten, of course). See the vet if regurgitation persists.
Worms in leopard gecko’s poop?
If you have noticed worms in leopard gecko’s poop, it could mean few things. The first version is that your leopard gecko has a parasitic infection, and that’s what you saw in the poop (not all parasites are visible in the poop, though).
Another possibility is that these can be fly maggots in the poop, if you have left the poop for some time in the tank. Monitor your leopard gecko’s stool and if you see it again, take the poop to the vet for an examination.
Why is my leopard gecko’s stool soft?
Sometimes you might notice that your leopard gecko’s stool is soft. There can be few reasons for that. The first reason is the change of the diet, and this soft stool is only a temporary issue.
It should pass by itself. Soft stool can also be a sign of a weakened immunity, when gut flora is affected. Another more problematic reason of leopard gecko’s soft stool are parasitic infections – including Crypto, Entamoeba, Pinworms. If your leopard gecko has soft stools, as well as is losing weight, then a parasitic infection is very likely.
If you have recently transitioned from one food to another, it could be the reason for runny stools in a leopard gecko. For example, if you switched from crickets to hornworms (high in moisture) or waxworms (high in fat), leopard gecko’s stool might be runny for some time. But if it doesn’t pass, take the poop to the vet.
If you have switched from one supplement to another, it could also change the poop’s shape and color.
If your leopard gecko’s stool is runny and it is losing weight, collect the poop. Take your leopard gecko’s stool, put it in a plastic box or a Ziploc back, refrigerate it and take it to the vet for the test.
If a parasitic infection is confirmed, your vet will start leopard gecko’s treatment. In this case, you will need to move your leopard gecko to a temporary housing with paper towels as a substrate. Perfect hygiene will be also crucial when treating parasitic infections.
Leopard gecko poop green?
If your leopard gecko’s poop is green, there might be few reasons for that. First of all, it could be an ingested substrate. It can be paper roll, dyed sand or maybe moss from the hideout.
If you have recently changed leopard gecko’s diet, then its gut flora might not be used to it – this will result in problematic digestion, causing runny stools.
Diarrhea will cause the poop to come out quicker, which means that bile (fluid that comes from gallbladder to aid digestion) won’t break down, giving the poop green color. Green and runny stools can also indicate internal parasites, but this is less likely.
If you have just brought your leopard gecko home, do you know which substrate it had in the tank? Or if you have your leopard gecko for a while, which substrate do you use? Do you use moss in the hideout?
Changes in the diet after acquiring a new gecko can also cause green poop. Try to use a toothpick or something to pick the poop and look inside – can you see anything inside of it? If it doesn’t pass within 1-2 weeks, take the poop for a fecal examination.
Sand in leopard gecko stool
You shouldn’t use any sand in leopard gecko’s vivarium, as this poses a high risk of impaction. This is especially true for baby and juvenile leopard geckos who are curious about their environment and like tying and licking things around them.
If you use any sand or pebbles in the tank and notice it in your leopard gecko’s stool, change the substrate immediately. Impaction can potentially kill your leopard gecko and there’s no guarantee that loose substrate will pass through the digestive system every time.
How to clean leopard gecko poop?
Leopard geckos tend to poop in one spot as soon as they become used to their setup, but they can change the spot after cleaning. This can mean that you will need to search for and clean the poop once or few times a day, or only few times a week, depending on leopard gecko’s age if your leopard gecko is on substrate such as paper towels.
How to clean leopard gecko poop will also depend on a substrate – if you have towels, then clean as you see poop, but with tiles or a bioactive setup cleaning will be only occasional.
Bioactive setup will help break down the poop and tiles will need wiping. You can mix the substrates in two parts of the tank, and try to make your leopard gecko poop in one spot.
If you want to train your leopard gecko to poop in the spot that you like, take its poop to that spot. Next time, your leopard gecko is likely to poop there. You can also use a scoop like this to clean the poop when you spot it.
Read about choosing the best substrate for your leopard gecko’s habitat in this post.