wont open eyes or eat! help!

Squeaker

New member
My 1 year old Leopard gecko hasn't opened his eyes or eaten for the last week! I soaked him for a while in warm water, I thought i was just some skin from shedding on his eyes. I got some dead skin off him but he still wont open them. I have no Idea whats wrong and i have very little money to take him to the vet, Please help my baby!

Here are some pictures:
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Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Is there a layer of old skin covering his eye? Have you some normal saline to flush the eye with?

You could try a 15 minute or longer confinement in a humidity chamber to see if that will help you gently remove any skin. Just take a plastic container, poke holes in it, spray the sides, place wrung out paper towels inside, then leo. Close the lid. Place under a low wattage light source for 15 minutes or longer. Carefully monitor leo during this time. Humidity should increase due to the warmth.

Please fill out our Health Questionnaire and paste onto this thread: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...68527-helping-your-sick-gecko-read-first.html

Consider changing the color of your posting font. What you have chosen is glarey and difficult to read.
 
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Squeaker

New member
I am very new at this, So please bare with me. I tried to fill the sheet out best i could.

General Information
Species of lizard: Leopard Gecko
Gecko's name: Beats
Morph:
Gender: Male
Age: 1 year
Weight:
Total length: 6 inches
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it:
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner):
Captive bred or wild caught: 3 inches

Vivarium
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x heighth):
Cage (type, size): 20 Gallon tank
Substrate provided: Reptaile mat
Types of hiding places provided:
Is there a humidity hide? location?
Please describe any other furnishings: A log on the warm side under the lamp and over heating pad, a tree log hide with moss on the cool side for misting.
List recent changes in the environment, if any:

Lighting
Artificial lighting
Incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs):Exo terra wattage(s):50
Fluorescent (tube bulbs):nigh heat lamp exo erra 50w
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window: yes, if i open my blinds.

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):circle
What is the ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide: 90-80F
What is the air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground:80f
What is the air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground:75-70
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature (Under Tank Heater, heat light, ceramic heat emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other): heat lamp, Heating pad
Ventilation space for your UTH by elevating the tank above the shelf (some UTHs come with sticky feet for the tank corners): YEs
Are you using a thermostat(s)?yes
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time? The dry side log
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much?" by 5-10 degreees slowly

Humidity
Is the humidity measured?
Humidity range:40-50

Diet
Insects and worms, list type:Giant melworms [The small ones arnt enough for him, he has always handles the large ones fine.] Wax worms
Regular diet fed to the insects and worms:3-6 Giant melwarms
Are the insects and worms formally “gutloaded” 1-2 days prior to feeding off to your gecko? If so with? No
How often do you feed your gecko?: Every 3-4 days
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often?: Calcium powder
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both? Reptil calcium -zoo med
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without? without
Multivitamins (include brand name)? None
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:

General Health
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs:
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased? Decreasing
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased? Decreased, Hasnt eaten in a week. I tryed to feed by hand
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss or gain): yes
Discharge from the eyes or nose: no, But wont open
Increased breathing rate or effort: no
Change in the droppings: More white
Urates :yes
---white or yellowish: yellowish
---size of urates as compared to size of feces:
Abnormal skin color or shedding: pale
Parasites on the skin or in the feces: no
Weakness: doesnt like moving around

Previous problems and/or illnesses: None

Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household
List other animals that are kept in the same cage:
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months): NOne
Are any of your other pets ill? No

Thank you for trying to help me by the way! I tried the humidity and cleans some dead skin off his eyes.{my mother thought i was hurting him and was stupid for trying to use a q-tip to softly clean his eyes} I got some off but he still wont open them.
 

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Thank you for trying to help me by the way! I tried the humidity and cleans some dead skin off his eyes.{my mother thought i was hurting him and was stupid for trying to use a q-tip to softly clean his eyes} I got some off but he still wont open them.

Good for you removing some stuck shed from his eyes. Let's try the humidity chamber approach again. Be extremely gentle with his eyes so as not to damage them. Advise getting a normal saline solution to gently squirt into them too. Get the contact lens moistening solution, NOT the contact lens cleaning solution.

You are keeping this leo way too cool. These are the temperatures you want:

Temperatures for all leos regardless of size:
88-93 F (31-34 C) ground temp at warm end inside the warm dry hide
no greater than 85 F (29.5 C) air temp - 4 inches above ground on the warm end
no greater than 75 F (24.5) air temp - 4 inches above ground on the cool end

Leave the UTH on 24/7. Can turn off overhead heating at night.

Please read the Leo Caresheet linked right below in my signature asap.
 
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Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Leo Beats:

Can you take the tank's measurements?

Need 3 hides: warm dry, warm moist, and cool dry.

Is the tank right in front of a window accessible to the direct rays of the sun? If so, the tank could dangerously overheat.

Under warm dry hide the temperature should always measure 88-93 F depending upon your leo.

Picture of tank?

You mention a thermostat. Yet you say the warm end varies from 80-90 F.

Best to feed crickets. Add mealworms for variety only. No waxworms, because they are super high in fat.

Brand and type of calcium powder? Does it contain vitamin D3? Calcium in tank should be plain calcium carbonate. Need a multivitamin such as Zoo Med's Reptivite with D3/vitamin A acetate.

Feed Beats 3x per week.

Is your leo losing or gaining weight?

Urates should be white and 1/3-1/2 the size of the feces.
 
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