So many problems for such a little gecko

[gizmo143]

I have so many problems for such a little Leopard Gecko:roll:
Ok, to start it off my Gecko, Gizmo, has an eye infections a few months ago. it started as a mild irritation which i put some ointment from the vet in and that seemes to clear things up. about 2-3 weeks after that, I noticed it had went away and come back even worse. I took him on an emergency vet trip and ended up with the same ointment and got some oral antibiotics to mouth feed him ( not easy;-)) after having him not eat because of the medicine and stress from it, his tail lost about half it's size. we almost lost the little guy and i was a mess nearly every night seeing him like this.

he was ok but because of his last two sheds he had like a tiny little spot if skin on his eye and now one eye is completely clouded over and the other is half clouded. his eyelids both look swollen so that now he barley opens his eyes and when he does i doubt he can actually see out of it. it's gotten so bad that i have to hand feed him because he can barley get his food.

I think the reason for this could possibly be calcium sand. as weird as this sounds when this ordeal started he has calcium sand, he started to recover on repti-carpet, and then i switched to tiles with a spot of sand that the tiles didn't cover. the only other thing i changed was i started putting calcium powder without D3 but it was sort of clumpy so it didn't stick to the mealworms to much.

the vet said something i really agree with and it was: more than half the problems occuring are because there is no perfect way to recreate the animals natural habitat.because of this statement, it's my new mission in life to create the most perfect natural leo vivarium possible that will fit in a 20 gallon tank nto an easy task (or a cheap one) but i want to do what it takes to make him more comfortable. the set-up has to be easy enough to clean and has to transfer heat because i have a heat pad. the "great stuff" sounded good but i heard it has some chemical in it that is the chamical that makes it harden. also since it's an insulator I'm afraid it won't transfer heat properly. I has some stuff that you add water to and it turns into like a mud that hardens and i want to have live potted plants. HELP!!!!:!:

 

[Allee Toler]

Eye infections can be caused from many things. Low humidity, so the gecko sheds poorly, too high of humidity, sand in the eye, etc. Before you stress the gecko out by completely changing his environment, get it up to standards and see if he improves.

 

[gizmo143]

Eye infections can be caused from many things. Low humidity, so the gecko sheds poorly, too high of humidity, sand in the eye, etc. Before you stress the gecko out by completely changing his environment, get it up to standards and see if he improves.

I plan on changing to paper towels until he's 100% and then I think I'm switching to all tile and find a way to get some plants in there. Also, what is about the right huidity because i think I want to get him an automatic mister if he needs constant humidity. would changing to a 20 gallon tank be too much of a change? i want to give him a bit larger tank so he can have room for another hide and a humid hide

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

gizmo143 ~

Many, many leopard geckos thrive 15 or more years in settings less than their natural habitats.

How old is your gecko? What kind of a thermal gradient have you been able to achieve in gizmo's current set up? Leopard geckos like it dry with a moist hide on one side of the cage to assist with shedding.

How come you switched from calcium with D3 to plain calcium? The advice is to leave a small dish of pure calcium in the cage (mine never touches it though), but otherwise dust the prey with calcium WITH D3. Leopard geckos need D3 in order to metabolize their calcium.

 

[gizmo143]

Gizmo is about 2 1/2 and his temperature on the hot side of the tank is about 92 degrees, while the cooler side is around 85ish. the cap of pure calcium, is that with or without D3? also, I had just started dusting his mealworms but the stuff didn't stick. the calcium I have been using is the zoo med repti-cal. I want to get him a 20 gallon tank within the next few weeks but if his eye is infected then would that be too big of a change? Today I want to change him to either just tiles, without the layer of sand or just paper towels until I can get him to an easy permanent set-up.

his next set-up i think will be just tiles in a 20 gallon tank and will include a nice moist hide. for the hide I think I'll use that moss stuff...is that ok?

 

[Allee Toler]

Calcium w/o D3 in the tank, Calcium w/ D3 for dusting as well as a multivitamin to alternate feedings with.

I use Rep-Cal brand for all three and have never had an issue with the calcium or multivitamin not sticking. It's not sticking because A. The calcium grains are too big and B. Mealworms have a smooth outer shell.

If you're trying to improve his health, have you thought about not using mealworms? I use mealworms, but along with that I use b. Dubias, superworms, butterworms, and silkworms. A varied diet makes for a healthier happier leo.

Don't get a mister. Try bed a beast or moss in a humid hide. Moss works best for me since it's less mess, but I have two females who prefer bed a beast, so that's what they have.

 

[gizmo143]

Thats one thing the vet told me. The superworms at the pet store seemed wicked big and I'm not sure about the rest of those. I'll research and see if the pets stores carry them. Today I'll add a bottle cap of calcium.