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Leopard Gecko Sick

Posted By:

janquito

Hello, I joined this site mostly hoping to get some help. My son had gotten this gecko this past Sept. and it's gone down hill ever since. First she got sick-upper respiratory. Took her to the vet, got some med. The med was liquid so my son had to put the tube down her throat which he hated doing and finally stopped doing after he thinks something went wrong. We mentioned to the vet how her eyes looked not right. I searched and saw to clean with saline solution. Long story short, she is now blind, I hand feed her mealworms which I have to, at times, force feed. She was getting fat in her tail but now does not seem to be getting any fat on her; in fact, she seems to be losing weight more and more. I was going to feed her one night and when getting her out, dropped her. She got a big bump on her nose between the eyes area. She must have had internal bleeding. I just felt so awful and still do. Since then, I've told my son to bring her down to the living room so I can keep an eye on her and also do more with her. I give her water on a daily basis which I sometimes mix with her mult-mineral supplement. I've read on here to not have her in sand. I was thinking that is one reason she may have gotten sick either that or my son did not clean her home well enough before putting her in. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will not give up without a fight. She really is a sweetheart. Thanks.


Points:	0
Topics:	General Health , Eyes , Respiratory
Tags:	Eublepharis, Eyes, Feeding, Gecko, Health, Illness, Macularius, Respiratory
Species:	Lizards > Geckos > Eublepharis macularius
Administrative:	Show/Hide

Member Comment

5/30/2010 6:22:24 PM

Artistry Exotics

Hi,
Can you post some more information about her set up?

-What size tank is she in?
-What are you using as a heat source? (Light bulb - what color, what wattage, are you cycling day and night bulbs? Under tank heater? etc)
-What are the temperatures on the warm side of her tank and the cool side? What are you using to measure these temperatures?
-Has she been checked for parasites?
-How often are you feeding her, and how many mealworms does she eat each meal?

I prefer belly heat for my leopard geckos (achieved by an under tank heater or flexwatt heat tape hooked up to a thermostat). I keep mine at 95 degrees on the warm end (floor temps are measured with a heat gun or digital thermometer with probe). Improper heat can cause big problems for these guys - lethargy, anorexia, reguritation, problems digesting food, failure to thrive, respiratory infections, etc.

Also, I'm wondering how you know she is blind in both eyes? Is it possible she has stuck shed or an eye infection?

Sadly, many vets who treat reptiles really aren't qualified as reptile vets. It might be worth a second opinion from a real reptile vet - check out this site to find one near you:
http://www.arav.org/

I would also talk to the vet about other treatment options rather than sending you and your son home with something to be given orally, as it doesn't sound like you or your son are comfortable with or experienced enough to safely administer medicine this way. She may still be suffering from a respiratory infection if she didn't get the full round of antibiotic treatment she was originally prescribed.

Also, you're right to keep her off sand (or any other loose, particle substrate). Repti-carpet, tile, non-adhesive shelf-liner, paper towel, or newspaper are much better alternatives. Sand can cause an impaction, but probably wouldn't be related to URI symptoms. Is she defecating regularly?

Member Comment

5/31/2010 5:03:24 AM

Queen_Ross

Although I know nothing about Gecko's I will say a couple things. @ Artistry Exotics, she has a lot of really good questions, because a lot of times a change in husbandry can change their whole life around. I also agree to look on the website and try your hardest to find a reptile vet near you, believe it or not I have found here in my area that the actually herp/reptile vets were cheaper also.

When you do get her to a vet, make sure you ask them to check for all parasites and make sure they do a fecal exam. I do know that some parasites cannot be found in a blood sample. so a fecal can be very important.

Also a little piece of advice would be to start tracking everything you possibly can. I have a book that I write bowel movements, urinations, sheds, feedings...etc. Anything that I do or my animal does I make sure to write it down with the date, because that could actually show a pattern of something you may not realize.

One of the great features of iherp, is the tracking feature so if you do not want to keep track in a book, you can do it online and it is backed up to ensure it is always there for you, and then when it is time for you to go to the vet you can easily print it out and give the info to your vet. I cannot stress to you enough how important tracking is and I am sure many of the members here can attest to that. I wish you the best of luck with the care of that precious little thing
Also if you could definetely comment and update with information that "Artistry Exotics" asked for above, that can surely help her and others give you some other ideas.

Again good luck.

Member Comment

1/24/2011 7:20:51 AM

abi21491

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