belly filled with clear liquid - Reovirus? HELP!!!

M&S-328

M&S-328

New member
I recently posted a thread telling how my baby leopard gecko was losing weight and wouldn't eat anything, and that i was now syringe force feeding him/her.
Over the past few days, I noticed his/her belly was totally empty looking - except that it wasn't flat looking, it looked a little plump. Also, what really scared me, was that it looked like ALL of his internal organs were pushed up towards the top! When i shone a light through him i saw a bunch of dark squished masses up in the top half of its body with a COMPLETELY clear (except for a few thin veins) lower section!
I searched and searched online and finally came across a few posts about people who experienced the same thing. One said when they took it to the vet who drained the geckos belly with a needle and they were told it was "Reovirus" and that their gecko didn't stand much of a chance. Another said they were able to drain the liquid on their own by gently squeezing it out. But I dont know if the geckos ever recovered/how long they lived after! =[
SO! I took another big step and decided to lightly squeeze my baby geckos belly and see if anything happed.. it did. I was so distraught when even by the lightest squeeze clear water-like liquid started dripping out! it came out of its "poop/pee hole" in big drops. I dont think I drained the whole belly, but I got about 6-8 drops out..
Im very scared and not sure what to do! I know I should take it to the vet (so it isnt necessary for anyone to tell me to do that. lol. I plan on it.)
But I want to know if ANYONE has EVER seen this before, treated this, or knows if there is a survival rate! If you ever went though this (no matter the outcome) please let me know anything you can!!
Thank you in advance!
 
M&S-328

M&S-328

New member
hey panthergecko,
the update for now is pretty positive =] After sqeezing its belly he/she was pretty lethargic for about 12 hours. But then by later that night it started eating normally again! I have not had to do a force feeding since =]. However, I dont believe its cured. I did have to do another squeeze just this morning, and got more of the clear liquid out again. The squeezing does not seem to hurt my little gecko either! While he/she is still very small and skidish, it doesnt resist the gentle squeeze, and seems visibly relieved after it. And each time its drained, the organs seem to be shifting back into their normal positions (from being all pushed up towards the top). So Im really hoping this helps enough to keep him/her alive!
I was not yet able to bring him/her to the vet (due to the cost =/) so I still cannot 100% confirm whether its "Reovirus" or not , thats still the only issue I can find that has the same symptoms as my gecko.
But, to sum everything up - the gecko is doing better and eating, but currently needing a little squeeze every few days. Hopefully we'll get a vet diagosis soon!

To geishacat522,
I have no clue how the disease is passed along! As I said, I cant assure my gecko has it, but thats the diagnosis many other gecko owners have gotten when experiencing the same symtoms as my gecko is.
My gecko had been a slow grower, but generally heathy for the first 2 months I had it. Its had new decor put in its tank, but everything was thoroughly washed. And since I noticed it getting sick I removed any items that couldve "harbored" bacteria or parasites (such as a real-wood log, and a foam-made hide. Though both had been "pet store" bought and washed multiple times).

But if anyone reading this knows how "reovirus" is caught by leos, please let us know!
 
M&S-328

M&S-328

New member
Update:

In case anyone ever has this same issue with their leo, Im updating this so you can know what to expect..


Theres still no diagnosis for my baby.. The vets around here dont really deal with reptiles (especially geckos) so that wasnt any help.
My little leo is still alive at this time. And up until recently it had been eating fairly well - not a huge appetite, but ate about 3-5 mealworms a day or 2-4 crickets. But as of right now he has not eaten in about 5 days =[
I think he/she (STILL too small to tell...) is clogged up somewhere Inside, because I havent even been able to relieve him/her by squeezing - nothing comes out though I can see the liquid inside.. Its not on any medication either (wish the vets had prescribed SOMETHING!) so I know its not having a bad reaction or constipation caused by medicine. So, to help him/her out I gave it 2 warm soaks last night and am hoping it will help her organs to loosen up and relieve any inflammation he/she might have. I used the probed thermometer I have in my tank to check the "bath" water, and it seemed to be a nice and "comfortable" temperature for a soak at around 98.5-101.0 degrees Fahrenheit. My leo actually seemed to enjoy the baths after a moment or two of initial confusion.
Also, the tail had been slowly growing fatter little by little over the past few weeks, but after the 5 day stint of not eating, much of that fat has been burned off again =[

Im not giving up hope, but Im fairly certain my little gecko wont make it to adulthood. ='[. It still seems so have plenty of energy, and gets bright eyed and curious when I take it out each night - but it just doesnt seem able to kick this "disease" is has. I will continue to take care of him/her the best I can and give it all the comforts I can think of.
And I will update every so often so if anyone one else ever goes through this and finds this thread, they will be able to have a better knowledge of what to prepare for.
 
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