I need help with my sick leopard gecko!

[PeekaboosGirl]

Hello!
I'm new here - just joined to ask a few questions. My leopard gecko is about 8 years old and while he's been fat and healthy for years, he's now not really eating anything, and he also has a swollen eye. His eye seems to be filled with a clear fluid and is bulging. He hasn't really wanted to eat for about a month now. I didn't really worry the first couple weeks because he goes through these periods where he doesn't really want to eat every so often. It has also been brighter and cooler in the house lately, so he's been in his warm hide a lot. I think he may have a blockage from ingesting moss from his moist hide. He has reptile carpet so there's no other substrate he could eat. I don't really know the signs of infections/parasites, and he may have something like that. He did sneeze occasionally for a while, but he hasn't done it lately so I don't think it could be a respiratory issue.
If you have any tips on what it could be or how to help him, I'd really appreciate it!

 

[acpart]

Sorry your leopard gecko isn't doing so well right now. The best advice I can give you, because of the eye, is to take him to a reptile vet. It's likely he has an abscess or other type of infection in the eye. He may not be feeling well enough to eat. The problem needs to be treated and it will take a vet to determine the proper antibiotic and dose and also whether there needs to be some kind of direct intervention like draining it. Good luck with him.

Aliza

 

[PeekaboosGirl]

His eye actually doesn't seem to be bothering him - he can see and blink and everything just fine. It drained a tiny bit earlier today as well. We have been giving him warm baths once a day, and he definitely seems to be feeling better today. He is really getting skinny though - I can see his spine There is a vet clinic here that says they do reptiles, but they're really expensive and we don't know how good they are either. We may have to take him though if he doesn't start getting much better soon.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Problematic eyes especially need exotic vet evaluation & possibly treatment. There is nothing we can do at home for this except use good supplements.

What is the ground temperature underneath your leo's warm dry hide? That should be 88-92 F (31.1-33.3 C) as measured by the probe of a digital thermometer. Sneezing may indicate an Upper Respiratory Tract infection.

Please list the exact supplements you're using: brand, exact name, & frequency. It's important that your multivitamin contain Vitamin A acetate (retinol). A wee bit of retinol @ 1 feeding per week maintains healthy eyes & skin. Some vitamins ONLY contain pro-vitamin A (beta carotene).

 

[PeekaboosGirl]

I'm not sure what the temperature under his dry hide is, but I'll make sure to check it tomorrow. It's pretty warm to the touch though. We don't feed him any supplements at the moment actually. We used to feed him calcium powder, but we ran out a while ago and weren't able to get him any more due to the pet store being closed on the days we go to town (we live out of town). I will be going to the pet store this weekend however, and I will talk to them about what kinds of things might help as well.
He is really interested when I offer him mealworms - he'll lick them and play with them but he won't actually eat them. So he's hungry, but he just won't eat.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I'm not sure what the temperature under his dry hide is, but I'll make sure to check it tomorrow. It's pretty warm to the touch though. We don't feed him any supplements at the moment actually. We used to feed him calcium powder, but we ran out a while ago and weren't able to get him any more due to the pet store being closed on the days we go to town (we live out of town). I will be going to the pet store this weekend however, and I will talk to them about what kinds of things might help as well.
He is really interested when I offer him mealworms - he'll lick them and play with them but he won't actually eat them. So he's hungry, but he just won't eat.

88-92*F = 31.1-33.3*C

Please share an image of your 8 year old leo. My leo is 16.5 years old. There are a couple leos in Europe right now who are in their 40s!

What brand & type calcium powder did you use in the past? What do you feed the mealworms before offering them to your leo?

I recommend buying Zoo Med's Reptivite multivitamins with D3 + Zoo Med's Repti Calcium withOUT D3 (pure calcium carbonate). Amazon carries Zoo Med supplements too. Zoo Med makes a yellow digital thermometer with a probe that costs about $10 USDs.

You can use mealworms all the time instead of crickets or dubia. Let's follow Schedule 126:

Weekly Schedule 126 for Leopard Geckos 18 months old +​

(withOUT UVB)
Especially adapted for your 8 year old leopard gecko​

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) symptoms include uneven (lopsided) gait, walking on one or both "elbows", bowed limbs, belly dragging, and an underbite. Difficulty chewing should be closely monitored.

The Reptile Supply Company (916-226-4089) based in Lodi, California stocks Zoo Med's ReptiVite multivitamins withOUT D3.

• Monday > > crickets or dubia lightly dusted with Zoo Med's ReptiVite multivitamins with D3
• Thursday > > crickets or dubia lightly dusted with Zoo Med's Repti Calcium withOUT D3
• Saturday > > Optional: mealworms, superworms, or black soldier fly larvae (Phoenix worms) > > no dusting

For link 126 click: Weekly Feeding & Supplement Schedule 126 for leopard geckos 18 months old +

PS: Do you know any place that sells silkworms? Silkworms contain retinol. Perhaps you could get a few?

 

[PeekaboosGirl]

I checked the temperature in his tank and it is at about 31-33 C. I honestly don't remember what brand of calcium powder we used, but if I'm remembering right I think it was just pure calcium. I gave him another warm bath this morning and while he was a little grumpy, he did seem to be feeling better (he was more energetic). One thing he is doing is "talking" a whole lot. He always clicked a lot when he was happy, and he'd do that little croaking thing when he was frustrated but he does both almost all the time now. I don't know if that has anything to do with anything, but it is a change in behaviour. He also is going to shed in the next few days (he's starting to turn white)
I can't do photos just yet but I will get photos to you later today!

 

[PeekaboosGirl]

Here are some photos of him that I took today. They're not the greatest because he wouldn't really stay still - he just wanted to run around lol.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I checked the temperature in his tank and it is at about 31-33 C. I honestly don't remember what brand of calcium powder we used, but if I'm remembering right I think it was just pure calcium. I gave him another warm bath this morning and while he was a little grumpy, he did seem to be feeling better (he was more energetic). One thing he is doing is "talking" a whole lot. He always clicked a lot when he was happy, and he'd do that little croaking thing when he was frustrated but he does both almost all the time now. I don't know if that has anything to do with anything, but it is a change in behaviour. He also is going to shed in the next few days (he's starting to turn white)
I can't do photos just yet but I will get photos to you later today!

Here are some photos of him that I took today. They're not the greatest because he wouldn't really stay still - he just wanted to run around lol.
View attachment 49750View attachment 49751View attachment 49749

What is your leo's name?

You mention he used to get plain calcium, before you ran out. By some chance was it Repashy's Calcium Plus? Repashy's Calcium Plus is an all-in-one multivitamin. Calcium + D3 is vital in preventing MBD (metabolic bone disease).

Please share a 60 second video of him walking around on some solid surface like a carpet. That way we can tell whether MBD is any issue.

 

[PeekaboosGirl]

Oh, I guess I never mentioned his name haha! His name is Peekaboo. I think the brand of calcium we had started with Terra or something like that. I can try and get a video to you tomorrow. He's always been really strong and loves to climb - couch cushions, curtains, us, anything he can get his claws into LOL He was really kinda lethargic a couple of days ago, but the last two days he's been more energetic - he was even running around on the couch and climbing on me today.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Oh, I guess I never mentioned his name haha! His name is Peekaboo. I think the brand of calcium we had started with Terra or something like that. I can try and get a video to you tomorrow. He's always been really strong and loves to climb - couch cushions, curtains, us, anything he can get his claws into LOL He was really kinda lethargic a couple of days ago, but the last two days he's been more energetic - he was even running around on the couch and climbing on me today.

Good job, Peekaboo! (What a cute name!)

Exo Terra is one supplement brand.

Please pick up some new supplements today when you visit the pet store. Peekaboo really deserves them. Zoo Med's supplements are GREAT. I've been using those supplements for my geckos for years.

Let me know which brands your pet store carries if they don't stock (or can't order) Zoo Med's.

1. Zoo Med's Reptivite multivitamins with D3
2. Zoo Med's Repti Calcium -- plain -- no D3

 

[PeekaboosGirl]

Hello! I've just come back from the pet store actually. I didn't see your message before, but I did get him some things. Exo Terra was the brand that we did have before. I got him some Exo Terra Multivitamin powder (which has both calcium and vitamin D3 in it) today - and Exo Terra seems to be the only brand that they carry as far as powders go. I also got him some freeze-dried silkworms because they don't carry any live ones. The one other thing I got was called a jelly pot - it's like a flavoured jelly that he can lick. I thought that might be good to get him started, since he will lick things.
I can't get a video of him to you today because he's shedding. Some good news though - while there is some skin laying around in the tank, it looks like he has eaten most of it. Last time he shed he didn't eat any of his skin. I'll have to clean his tank after he's finished though - he's dragged moss everywhere lol

 

[Volkswachter]

Would recommend against the jelly pots for any reptile, but especially for a leopard gecko. Leos are 100% carnivorous, and those jelly pots are practically 100% sugar with very little nutritional value. I'd also very strongly suggest you do some google searching for live feeder dealers in your area and get good quality food shipped to you. Shipping can be a pain, but since you only have the one reptile you can order a month's worth of mealworms, and 20-30 silkworms for probably 40-50 dollars depending on the shipping, they generally do next day delivery.

It's unlikely that Peakaboo will even notice the jelly pot, as they're active hunters who can't even see prey that isn't moving (you'll notice your leo flick his/her tail while stalking prey to get it to move so they can lock onto it), Leos aren't adapted to digest high amounts of sugar, and if Peakaboo did lick/eat at the jelly pod, it might actually make him/her sick, but what you've most likely done is put a bacteria garden into the enclosure lol.

I know you're trying to give Peakaboo a nice treat, and that's awesome! But the absolute best treats for leos are horn worms once and a while, and (in my opinion/practice) a frozen-thawed pinkie mouse every 6-12 months.