Tokay Gecko: Paralysis (video, pictures)!!!

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raymo

New member
Dear all,

I seemed to meet the same problem. My juvenile gecko gecko today seemed to be paralysis and I don't know why it happened.

She always has good appetite before the typhoon came.(We had a terrible typhoon and torrential rains yesterday night...)

I will take her to see a vet and will take blood test.
The following is the video I took few minutes ago:
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=451778074855087&notif_t=video_processed

<object width="400" height="300" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/451778074855087" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/451778074855087" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>

some photo:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.451775511522010.105889.100000686954483&type=1&l=1789d018b7

306371_451775538188674_879493955_n.jpg
 
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R

raymo

New member
Print this Veterinary Partner Article

Feeding several smaller prey items is more nutritious and healthier than feeding fewer larger prey items. Smaller prey are more efficiently digested and are more nutritious in that they contain proportionately less exoskeleton - that indigestible stuff that can clog up the gut. You may think you are getting a deal buying those large crickets, but you are actually getting less food value. There are also reports of transient paralysis and central nervous system damage when certain lizards, such as small bearded dragons, are fed worms or crickets that are too large.


is it possible?

transient paralysis caused by fed too many crickets?

Any suggestion? thank you.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
raymo said:
Print this Veterinary Partner Article

Feeding several smaller prey items is more nutritious and healthier than feeding fewer larger prey items. Smaller prey are more efficiently digested and are more nutritious in that they contain proportionately less exoskeleton - that indigestible stuff that can clog up the gut. You may think you are getting a deal buying those large crickets, but you are actually getting less food value. There are also reports of transient paralysis and central nervous system damage when certain lizards, such as small bearded dragons, are fed worms or crickets that are too large.

is it possible?

transient paralysis caused by fed too many crickets?

Any suggestion? thank you.
Click to expand...

Is this tokay captive bred or wild caught?

Maybe metabolic bone disease? What do you use for calcium and multivitamins? How often of each? Heavy or light dusting? Can you buy a liquid calcium supplement right away from your local pharmacy and place some right on his nose? In the USA it is called Calcium Glubionate.

How long has it been since he has eaten? If it has been awhile, you need to make sure he is drinking water. Too many crickets in a dehydrated gecko can cause further damage.

The article you link here is way too old. ;-) Feeding tropical fish flakes as part of your insect gutload is something that was recommended say 20-25 years ago. Way too much protein for our feeders.

Check feeder diets on GU in the food and nutrition subforum.
 
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Riverside Reptiles

Riverside Reptiles

Administrator (HMFIC)
Jay's questions are good ones. Is he actually paralyzed and unable to move or feel anything? Or can he just not stick to anything? Is he showing any appetite? Is he able to move any limbs? There's a multitude of things that it could be depending on the answer to these questions. Without more information, anything would just be wild guesses.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Riverside Reptiles said:
Jay's questions are good ones. Is he actually paralyzed and unable to move or feel anything? Or can he just not stick to anything? Is he showing any appetite? Is he able to move any limbs? There's a multitude of things that it could be depending on the answer to these questions. Without more information, anything would just be wild guesses.
Click to expand...

Ethan ~

Did you see Raymo's current video of her paralyzed tokay from post #1:
https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=451778074855087&notif_t=video_processed

and her photos:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.451775511522010.105889.100000686954483&type=1&l=1789d018b7
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Amended Advice!!!

Raymo ~

Further thoughts: Wild caught tokays should be checked all over for tics and for mites. Some tics could cause paralysis, which could last 24-72 hours. In that case it is important not to offer food or water unless instructed to by your vet. Any tics must be removed. Get to your vet ASAP.

If, perhaps, your tokay passed away :(, I am sorry. It is very important to troubleshoot this so that it does not happen again.

I am hoping Ethan will check back soon. Tokays are one of his favorite geckos :).
 
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billewicz

billewicz

New member
Is this a new Tokay to you? Or have you had him a while?

In the video he still has a good defensive response which means you can still feed him by hand.:fight:

Sadly, the slightly opened mouth and lame posture is typical of a very sick animal. :-x The vet should do a fecal exam which will be far more revealing as to the underlying probable cause to his illness. A heavy intestinal parasite load will cause a Tokay to behave this way.:cry:

He still has some weight and OK hydration so he might pull through if in fact it is a heavy GI tract parasite load and he starts getting treated, hydrated and hand fed if needed, as soon as possible. :idea:

At this point, unless the vet says otherwise, typically the liquid calcium is of little value here.* A liquid vitamin as well as hydration is far more important. The vet can help with these items as well. Both can be injectable by the vet and then oral for the follow-up at home as are the meds for the parasites.

* Some assumptions: I work with over 200 imported wild caught Tokay a year, and most suffer from the stress of the capture/holding/packing/shipping/inspecting/repacking and reshipping without food or water for days. This stress allows the normal parasite load that wild Tokay carry to explode because of their suppressed immune system.

If the animal is not given safe/comfortable husbandry it may not acclimate well and will fester.

If the parasite issue is not addressed right up front, the Tokay will stop eating, drinking and fester. (This looks exactly like the one in the video.)

Once the Tokay is through it's medical and vitamin supplement schedule and is eating good gut loaded food it should acclimate well. Once they have hydrated and been with us a few weeks we will introduce liquid calcium into the supplements for the females for a couple of weeks and again a few times over 6 months before they are introduced to their first domestic breeding partner assuming they look fit for egg development.

Fecal exams and vet visits take the guess work out of what direction to take and I highly recommend any wild caught Tokay do both as soon as you acquire one.

Or, purchase a captive bred Tokay when you can and save the trouble, heartbreak and cash.

Good Luck!

Michael's Tokay Hoard @ www.billewicz.com
 
R

raymo

New member
Dear Ethan and Jay,
Thank you for your response.

She still tried to bite me when my hand was close to her last night. Today morning her condition seemed to become better, she can bend her body to bite me spiritedly and tried to move about 30 cm by waving his 4 legs but she didn’t want to stick on the wall.
Last night she seemed not to control her toes and tongue with trembles involuntarily so I think it is more dangerous to feed her anything now, I force-fed 0.3ml (Calcium powder(Repcal)+water) to her only. (I am afraid that this situation will affect its function of excretion ,too.)

I just keep 3 Tokays, my boy is around 10-11 year-old, it is already adult when I bought it in 2003. The other two girls were bought this year (April) and they are all wild-caught and dewormed(Internal parasites) by my vet and condition is good until now. This March my boy finally started to eat after anorexia for 6 months (might be acute fatty liver, we took an ultrasound exam and saw some white spots (my vet said there’s some inflammatory)).

I didn’t see any mites and ticks on her body,either.
This girl always has good appeptite and recently I bought some Gryllodes sigillatus and put it all in the box to let these two girls eat freely. Tha’t the reason I posted the article announced “There are also reports of transient paralysis and central nervous system damage when certain lizards, such as small bearded dragons, are fed worms or crickets that are too large.”Is it possible?

The frequency of supplements (calcium):2-3 time per week
Brand: Repcal: Calcium (P free) and vitamin (Dendrocare)

Dear Elizabeth freer and Billewicz:

Thank you so much for your useful information.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Raymo ~

Good to hear from you! Do any of your supplements contain vitamin D3? Vitamin D3 helps metabolize the calcium.

What do you feed your feeders? I generally recommend foods that contain no more than 20% protein and no more than 5% fat.

Sounds as if you've had tokays since 2003.

Hope this one gets better soon. Keep GU posted.
 
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S

SORROW89

New member
Damn, that is so sad. Check inside the ears and everywhere because my sister had a dog that started acting like it couldn't walk. you could imagine my sister freaking out because it was a saturday. On monday she took him to the vet and it wasn't as bad but the vet thought he was bitten buy a skin parasite but searched him and couldn't find any on him. When she called they told her not to give any food. I don't remember how they cured him because it was 10 years ago but he did recover.
 
Riverside Reptiles

Riverside Reptiles

Administrator (HMFIC)
Having watched the video I really can only say that you need to get her to the vet as soon as possible. This is not an animal that is going to be fixed by simply guessing at problems. It needs expert evaluation and care.
 
Tokayy

Tokayy

New member
That is very sad... I can only think about my girl at home... Shes not sick, but after seeing that I want to go check on her.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
raymo said:
Dear all,

I put new records below and please check the video. She is fine now and fully recovered from MBD. I also found the condition of her feet became wrose during the initial recovering period.But her feet are all good now. Hope these record can help more geckoes. Cheers.



https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=481601585206069&notif_t=like

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.451775511522010.105889.100000686954483&type=1
Click to expand...

Nice recovery...happy to see this progress :D.

Did not look very promising when you first posted on GU.

(Second link did not work for me.)

Would it be possible for you to also share your treatment schedule?
 
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