Leopard Gecko: Baby babysitting questions

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SamanthaLovely

New member
I'm babysitting this little guy for a month or so. His owner was gifted an all inclusive trip to Barbados for graduation and she'll be gone for a month.

baby gecko1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Baby gecko2 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!


Anyway, I'm thinking this guy is not too healthy. He's very tiny. He looks to be hardly older than a hatchling.
I've never had any babies so I don't have an idea of what to compare him with. I'm not sure what stage of baby he is at. I've been pretty tempted to give him some Oxbow carnivore care but I haven't.

When she dropped him off the crickets she gave me were waaaay too big for him. I picked up some pinheads for him.

I'm wondering if it's possible that he might have been too intimidated by the huge crickets to eat them.

He has been eating the pinhead crickets just fine. Though he only eats one or two a day. He hasn't been here long (3 days) so he's probably still stressed about the move.
His poops look normal. He goes to the bathroom every day.
He does seem dry. I've been hydrating him since we got him.
Right now he's in a 15 gallon with paper towels and three hides.

Also he seems to have something in his eye. Maybe retained shed?
eye | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

I'm wondering:
- Does he look dehydrated?
- what is a healthy weight for his size?
- what is a healthy weight gain for a baby gecko?
- Could someone link me that care sheet that's floating around so I can print it off to give her when she comes back?
- Is it alright to give him warm baths?

She hasn't named him yet either (I can only assume she hasn't had him very long). Honestly I don't think she's too interested in him. Just sort of dropped him off and left :(

I don't want to see any animals get sick, especially not a baby gecko, even more so when it's not mine and under my care.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
He is young, I can only guess around 6 months old. He is very underweight and dehydrated. I cannot make out what is in his eye in the picture. The dehydration may be the reason he is eating such small amounts. Can you buy a bottle of pedialyte and just allow him to lick off as much as we will for 48 hours? I am not excited about soaking, but just 10 minutes for 2 days might help. Does he have a humidity hide?
 
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SamanthaLovely

New member
cricket4u said:
He is young, I can only guess around 6 months old. He is very underweight and dehydrated. I cannot make out what is in his eye in the picture. The dehydration may be the reason he is eating such small amounts. Can you buy a bottle of pedialyte and just allow him to lick off as much as we will for 48 hours? I am not excited about soaking, but just 10 minutes for 2 days might help. Does he have a humidity hide?
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I'll pick it up in town when I go back in today. She didn't have a humid hide for him so I made him one the day she dropped him off. He's in it a fair amount.

I figured it would be simple and fun to look after a little baby leo for a while. Just my luck that he's not in very good condition :(
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Can you also get some normal saline solution (like the contact lens INSERTION solution NOT the contact lens cleaner) to gently squirt into that eye?

I am happy that he has a month in your hands, Samantha, to get rehab.
 
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SamanthaLovely

New member
Elizabeth Freer said:
Can you also get some normal saline solution (like the contact lens INSERTION solution NOT the contact lens cleaner) to gently squirt into that eye?

I am happy that he has a month in your hands, Samantha, to get rehab.
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I'll pick some of that up aswell. I'll do my best with him. I wish I knew more about how he's been kept up til now. I'm going to print off the care sheet and maybe even laminate it :p
 
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SamanthaLovely

New member
So I ended up with Life brand saline solution and life brand pediatric electrolyte.
Am I to dilute the electrolyte or use as is?
It says it's good for 48hours so should I use it that long or just for the one day?
Also it says to supplement water in between the electrolyte "feedings" should I do that as well or stick to the Elec?
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
A month, did this person leave you money for expenses? I would be afraid to give him back. I won't be surprised if they tell you to keep him.

Well, keep in mind that this formula is created for babies which cannot walk to a water dish to drink their own water.:biggrin: However, if you do not witness him drinking at least once from his water dish, I would offer water as well. Yes, I would offer it for the full 48 hours. Hopefully this will improve his appetite right after. If he is spending lots of time in the humidity hide, do not bother with soaks.
 
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SamanthaLovely

New member
cricket4u said:
A month, did this person leave you money for expenses? I would be afraid to give him back. I won't be surprised if they tell you to keep him.

Well, keep in mind that this formula is created for babies which cannot walk to a water dish to drink their own water.:biggrin: However, if you do not witness him drinking at least once from his water dish, I would offer water as well. Yes, I would offer it for the full 48 hours. Hopefully this will improve his appetite right after. If he is spending lots of time in the humidity hide, do not bother with soaks.
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I wonder if she will notice if I just don't give him back ;-)

I've used the saline solution but the shed is still there. I'm pretty sure it's shed, it's the right colour and looks to be the right texture.
His other eye seems to have shed stuck on the outside on top of the eyeball possibly. It seems like it might be misshapen but I'm not sure.

He doesn't seem to want to open his eyes to hunt. I think whatever is stuck in it is bothering him.

Is there anything the vet can do for stuck shed that I can't do at home?

The only reason I ask is because when we had Sundrop in with coco fibre in her eye the vet said all they could do was an eyewash and hope the pressure of the water takes it out.
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
If the vet knows what they are doing, they can remove it. Squirt his eyes with the saline twice every few hours and keep the humidity up. If it was there too long and turned into what they call a cap, the vet will have to remove it.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Try holding wet gauze or washcloth just over the leo's eyes for say 5 minutes to see whether that works better. Best to soak gauze with the saline solution. Don't block the nostrils ;-).
 
cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
SamanthaLovely said:
I uploaded this (hopefully) super huge photo of his little face. You can see the eye intruder better in it.

Baby Gecko's eye by ~TheFashionTramp on deviantART

He was not impressed with the saline soaked gauze but he took it like a trooper and seemed much more lively afterwards.

The thing hasn't come out yet but he's been opening his eyes much more.
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You are lucky he isn't very healthy if not he would have fought you off. I think I can see it somewhat in this pic. Looks like it turned into a little horn like piece of shed right in the corner of his eye? That's going to be tough to remove. Just keep on wetting the eye with the saline. Try again with the gauze tomorrow.
 
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SamanthaLovely

New member
cricket4u said:
You are lucky he isn't very healthy if not he would have fought you off. I think I can see it somewhat in this pic. Looks like it turned into a little horn like piece of shed right in the corner of his eye? That's going to be tough to remove. Just keep on wetting the eye with the saline. Try again with the gauze tomorrow.
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Yes that's basically what it looks like. It sort of looks like it's connected to the corner like it was the corner shed and it's stuck. It's hard to tell with such tiny eyes.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
cricket4u said:
You are lucky he isn't very healthy if not he would have fought you off. I think I can see it somewhat in this pic. Looks like it turned into a little horn like piece of shed right in the corner of his eye? That's going to be tough to remove. Just keep on wetting the eye with the saline. Try again with the gauze tomorrow.
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SamanthaLovely said:
Yes that's basically what it looks like. It sort of looks like it's connected to the corner like it was the corner shed and it's stuck. It's hard to tell with such tiny eyes.
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Be gently persistent with the saline squirts and the wet gauze. Sounds as if you're making progress.

What about the right eye?
 
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SamanthaLovely

New member
He's not opening his eye now unless I'm soaking it. And he hasn't eaten since the 10th and I'm starting to be concerned. We're going to see about booking an appointment with our vet for early next week. I don't think we'll be able to get a fecal in though. He had a moisture puddle with a urate but no actual brown feces. I keep trying with crickets but he doesn't seem interested at all. I'm wondering if he could be stressed from soaking his eyes on top of all that.
 
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cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
SamanthaLovely said:
He's not opening his eye now unless I'm soaking it. And he hasn't eaten since the 10th and I'm starting to be concerned. We're going to see about booking an appointment with our vet for early next week. I don't think we'll be able to get a fecal in though. He had a moisture puddle with a urate but no actual brown feces. I keep trying with crickets but he doesn't seem interested at all. I'm wondering if he could be stressed from soaking his eyes on top of all that.
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He is too thin and needs to eat.:( Have you tried other insects? Baby hornworms would be ideal at a time like this.

I figured if he had that horn like piece of shed, he may also have a layer covering the cornea. schedule the appointment, but continue squirting his eye until then.
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
SamanthaLovely said:
He's not opening his eye now unless I'm soaking it. And he hasn't eaten since the 10th and I'm starting to be concerned. We're going to see about booking an appointment with our vet for early next week. I don't think we'll be able to get a fecal in though. He had a moisture puddle with a urate but no actual brown feces. I keep trying with crickets but he doesn't seem interested at all. I'm wondering if he could be stressed from soaking his eyes on top of all that.
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Have you been trying the wet gauze patch? Thing is with stuck shed on his eyes, he won't be able to see well to hunt. Do you still think BOTH eyes are impacted with shed?

Maybe the vet could remove the stuck shed issue(s) more quickly with far less stress?

Let's get some Fluker's Repta+Boost from your local Petco. Feed him only that since he's not eating lives. Be sure to keep him hydrated with moisture in his moist hide, water dish, maybe water droplets on his nose.
 
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cricket4u

cricket4u

New member
I remember you said he was eating 1 or 2 crickets a day and now he refuses, so yes I am pretty sure you are stressing him out (sorry:biggrin:). He cannot afford too much stress in his body condition. I would not pull him out the enclosure, instead I would lean in, hold tissue under his eye and squirt. Removing them from the enclosure is the biggest stressor of all.

How sad, he must of been kept bone dry. You sure know how to get yourself into the worse situations. I just want to warn you that he may need to be sedated to avoid damage to the eye, if it has turned into a cap over the cornea.
 
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