lingering eye problem

[miss katie]

I have a leopard gecko lambeau who since about January or so has been having some kind of eye issue with both his eyes. They started off cloudy then become practically closed and now are starting to look better and they are both open. However I'm not sure he can really see out of both eyes. Since his eye issue he hasn't been eating his normal diet which was the normal meal worms and crickets. He doesn't seem too interested in meal worms anymore or crickets and that has me wondering maybe he can't fully see. His eyes look clear but his pupil looks a little off. It looks like it should be higher up than it is. I have taken him to a vet twice now and I was given neo poly eye ointment to apply three times a day for a believe it was ten days. His eyes did get a little better and on the second vet visit he had I discovered maybe it was because he wasn't getting vitamin A and absorbing calcium like he should be. So because of that I got an Under the tank heater it is a zoo med medium size for 30-40gal tanks. I by the way have a 40gal long. I have that on the left side of the tank. here is a picture of my current set up in very great detail. I want to get some light shed on this issue that has been around for a couple months now.


this is the ENTIRE set up




this is the LEFT side




this is the RIGHT side




For lambeau right now I am feeding him the carnivore care and putting his calcium drops in it and mixing some reptivite in with it so he gets his vitamin a and what not. I am only doing the calcium drops and vitamins ONCE a day. I do try feeding him more since he is a bigger gecko about 16g and I don't want him to loose weight. Here is a picture of what his eye looked like when it first started getting better.

 

[miss katie]

my ultimate goal from this would be to figure out if I continue doing what I am doing if it will resolve itself of if I should take him to the vet yet again. I would also like to get him back to his normal diet.

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but Carnivore Care plus Reptivite (especially daily, when it's meant to be used 2-3 times a week) plus calcium drops sounds like too much calcium and totally unnecessary for a gecko who isn't showing signs of MBD.

Also, measuring temps halfway up the tank on the opposite side of the hot hide is pretty useless. Isn't going to tell you much about what the temperatures the gecko is actually experiencing are. It's also generally agreed that the humid hide should be on the warm side or at least in the middle, not all the way on the cool side.

Maybe it's just me, but it's difficult to tell what's going on in that picture of his eye to me. You said his eyes looks clear, but I can't see anything that looks like a clear eye in that picture. It looks almost like it's just covered with old shed. A better picture would be more helpful.

~Maggot

 

[miss katie]

the picture I posted was when his eye started to improve that is not what it looks like now but I will post a picture of what it currently looks like...where would you suggest the probe should be for the warm side? I will definitely move the humid hide over

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

miss katie ~

Carnivore Care is an all-in-one powdered food designed to be mixed ONLY with water. I would not add Reptivite or anything.

Temps you are striving for:
88-93 F under warm dry hide on the warm end
no greater than 85 F - 4 inches up from the ground on the warm end
no greater than 75 F - 4 inches up from the ground on the cool end

If you have already completed the Health Questionnaire on leo lambeau, please copy and paste it into this thread. Believe me when I say doing such is best for your leo. We really need it in order to give the best assistance .

Persistent eye problems may require vet assistance. There is only so much we can do.

 

[miss katie]

General Information
Species of lizard: leopard gecko
Gecko's name: lambeau
Morph: not sure
Gender: male
Age: about a year
Weight: 15g
Total length: 8 inches
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it: 4inches
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner): pet store-petco
Captive bred or wild caught: captive bred

Vivarium
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x height): 40 gal long tank
Cage (type, size): glass aquarium
Substrate provided: reptile carpet
Types of hiding places provided: logs and caves
Is there a humidity hide? location? Yes..warm side
Please describe any other furnishings: fake plants and stackable rocks
List recent changes in the environment, if any: added under tank heater and got basking light 100 watts

Lighting
Artificial lighting
Incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s): screw in…100 watts
Fluorescent (tube bulbs):
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window: yes

Heating
Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage? yes
What type and brand of thermometer (digital with probe, temperature gun, LCD strip, analog (circle), combo digital thermometer/hygrometer, stainless steel aquarim type, other): digital with probe…zoo med
What is the ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide: 90.7
What is the air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground: 87.9
What is the air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground: 78.3
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature (Under Tank Heater, heat light, ceramic heat emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other): uth, 100 watt basking light and heating cable under tank
Ventilation space for your UTH by elevating the tank above the shelf (some UTHs come with sticky feet for the tank corners): yes sticky pads
Are you using a thermostat(s)? no..but I did order one so it’s on the way for my heating mat
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time? Gray rock cave on warm side
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much? Yes doesn’t go lower than 75

Humidity
Is the humidity measured? yes
Humidity range: 30%-70%

Diet
Insects and worms, list type: none
Regular diet fed to the insects and worms:
Are the insects and worms formally “gutloaded” 1-2 days prior to feeding off to your gecko? If so with?
How often do you feed your gecko? Try to at least once everyday
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often? Calcium drops one drop everyday not sure of the brand got it from the vet
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both? With d3 it is in the reptivite multi vitamin
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without? Without---just plain ole calcium carbonate powder
Multivitamins (include brand name)? reptivite
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet: stopped eating normal diet and now onto carnivore care to get nutrition

General Health
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs: since january
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased? normal
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased? decreased
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss or gain): little but of loss
Discharge from the eyes or nose: nope
Increased breathing rate or effort: nope
Change in the droppings: nope
Urates
---white or yellowish: nope
---size of urates as compared to size of feces: no
Abnormal skin color or shedding: yes seems to be having abnormally long sheds
Parasites on the skin or in the feces: nope
Weakness: no

Previous problems and/or illnesses: just this eye concern

Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household
List other animals that are kept in the same cage: 1 other girl leopard gecko
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months): 2 other leopard geckos but one recently passed away
Are any of your other pets ill? Nope


that should be everything..i will get that picture of his eyes currently up right now

 

[miss katie]

by filling out this form I found one of my issues...my temperatures are messed up...I really want to invest in a good either temperature gun or a different digital thermometer...I don't feel like mine right now is very accurate.

 

[miss katie]

i think i will make an appointment with the vet for him i am having surgery on the 28th and will be out of commission for awhile but hopefully they will have an appointment before then...this is what his eye looks like right now...

 

[Embrace Calamity]

You said his eyes were open and clear, but that's not what the pictures show. I'm not sure how you expect people to comment on the placement of his pupils when we can't get a picture of them. It also appears you didn't remove his 2-week-old shed as was suggested yesterday.

~Maggot

 

[miss katie]

Ok first off his eyes were more open this morning and no I did not take the pictures this morning I took them a few minutes ago and that's what it was...I expected them to remain the same but obviously they didn't. And second I used my phone camera since my iPad camera's quality was horrible, and I could not find my digital camera to take a more close up picture. Third I'm not going to force his shed off and yank on it, I have his moist hide with cocoa fiber substrate that he has been going in a lot lately and I have been putting him in containers with shallow amounts of warm water for 10-15 mins at least once a day if not more. And fourth some of his shed has come off and it does not appear right now to be constricting any of his toes or limbs and if that were the case I would definitely get him to the vet to make sure he wouldn't lose any limbs or toes.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

by filling out this form I found one of my issues...my temperatures are messed up...I really want to invest in a good either temperature gun or a different digital thermometer...I don't feel like mine right now is very accurate.

We really appreciate cricket4u's Health Questionnaire . In just a single post, when filled out with as many details as possible, it allows us to get to the heart of the matter.

As you have discovered, it seems to highlight issues for keepers too.

 

[Thin Lizzy]

What kind of condition is the other gecko in the tank? Any issues? Are they the same age? Male & female together? Sorry but I though this was a no no. Are both geckos only eating carnivore care? Was Kiwi in this same tank?

 

[miss katie]

no my other gecko Rio is absolutely wonderful...It is not recommended to have a male and female together until they are of breeding age if you want to breed them because he can want to breed with her all the time and that can stress her out. But they are about a month apart so pretty close to the same age. And you definitely don't want two males together because they can fight. Ideally I have heard two females work great but my other female (kiwi) I had died recently and I had her own tank setup for her. And only one geckos is on carnivore care that is lambeau again because he has not been eating his usual diet of crickets and meal worms but Rio the girl eats her normal diet of crickets and meal worms....hope that answers everything you asked

 

[cricket4u]

You do have a male and female housed together correct?

 

[miss katie]

Yes I love that form Cricket4u made it is super helpful haha I actually have a blank copy saved on my computer...I'm sorry I should have clarified that more right now no they are not together someone on the forum I believe it might have been you Cricket4u that suggested I try putting them in different tanks and try feeding Lambeau again in two days...I wish I could find that posting

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

You mention that at 8 inches long lambeau weighs only 15 grams and that this represents a "little bit of loss" since January 2013. Was lambeau ever much heavier?

This represents a very unhealthy weight .

In a shared living space like your 40 gallon LONG tank, each leo should have his/her own hides so that they are not forced to share. That means doubles of all hides.

Good on ordering a thermostat!

Have the tank temperatures ever been substantially cooler for a long time than those temperatures you report on the questionnaire?

 

[miss katie]

he was 20g at one point back when he would eat his normal diet. I was hoping to get ahold of the vet monday and try to set something up for him before my surgery on thursday and I was also going to ask her how often I should be feeding him each day. I feel like because he is a bigger gecko I should be feeding him more often so he gains some weight. And no the temperatures never drop substantially cooler for a long time than those I reported. I keep the heating pad and under tank heating elements on 24/7. What do you think about a night buld for added heat when the day is off or would that be too much with the under the tank heating elements?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

he was 20g at one point back when he would eat his normal diet. I was hoping to get ahold of the vet monday and try to set something up for him before my surgery on thursday and I was also going to ask her how often I should be feeding him each day. I feel like because he is a bigger gecko I should be feeding him more often so he gains some weight. And no the temperatures never drop substantially cooler for a long time than those I reported. I keep the heating pad and under tank heating elements on 24/7. What do you think about a night buld for added heat when the day is off or would that be too much with the under the tank heating elements?

As long as ground temps stay no cooler than about 70ish during the night, I would turn off any overhead heat/light and just leave the UTH/heat pad on 24/7. It should be OK to use an Exo Terra Night Glo Moonlight bulb for nighttime viewing and then turn off when you turn in.

One GU member reported insulating 3 sides of the tank with styrofoam.

Two thermostats will control overhead heat/light and the UTH to maintain roughly the set temperatures. Hopefully your thermostat will arrive soon.

Daily feeding sounds like a good plan to me till he gains much needed weight.