Accidental Leopard lover

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RexyTexel

Guest
Okay so a customer came into my store with this very malnourished leopard gecko and I could not say no. It still has some residual skin left from it's last shed which looks like it didn't go very well. It's missing every toe tip and I can see it's spine pretty well. It's still incredibly perky, no sunken eyes and still shows a lot of interest in food.

I gave it a few wax worms because I figured they're higher in fat and it needs it. Was that okay? It's about 7-8 inches long and almost all white. I haven't actually checked for the sex yet because I really don't want to stress the poor little guy out by too much handling. So far it's being kept in a 20 gallon(long) fish tank and I have play sand in it. Is that okay or should I switch to something else? It has a little hide and of course a water dish. I also have a 75watt infrared bulb on one side. Should I switch to an UTH or keep the bulb?

I apologize if this is in the wrong sub-forum. I figured this thread is all about general care so this would be the correct place. And thank you for any and all information you all can give me. I want this little guy/girl to thrive.
 

wakeskate420

Member
Messages
291
Location
Ohio
I would advise switching to the uth and also using paper towels instead of play sand. As for feeding, I would limit the wax worms and go for the feeders with more protein in them like crickets mealies or superworms. I'm not sure what feeders you have readily available but you can also use silkworms, and dubia roaches since they are very rich in protein. Just make sure not to feed too much too fast or it can do more harm than good, slow and steady and keeping the temps a little higher than normal seems to help with feeding, I keep mine around 95 ( hot side) and room temp on the cool side. Just don't go over 100, good luck and hope everything goes well!
 

Jordan

New Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Sheffield, UK
sand is bad as it can cause impaction so as mentioned above switch to paper towels.

dont give too many wax worms as they can become addicted and that will be all they eat, and thats bad.

also bulbs are bad too, so you should get rid of that and go for an UTH.
 

Dog Shrink

Lost in the Lizard World
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2,799
Location
NW PA.
Ditto as said above also an alternative to paper towels is ceramic or vinyl floor tiles. They distribute heat and hold heat a little better imo. I would forgoe the wax worms for now or maybe limit it to 1-2 a week and get the fella on some good mealies or super worms and feed the same amount ever feeding for the first few weeks to avoid refeeding syndrom. There is another thread on here that goes into more detail about refeeding syndrom, but I don't have it book marked but I did participate in it so if you search my profile for threads I posted in you're likely to find it. I would feed 2-3 mealies or 1-2 supers a day until you start seeing this fella recover, then after he gets some mass back you could consider switching to every other day feedings (maybe in 3-5 months).

Make sure you are dusting likely twice a week I would think with a good leo multi vit. and leave a dish of regular pure calcium with out D3 in the tank 24/7 in like a gator aide lid so the leo can lap at it when he feels he needs it. Also of course a dish of water as well. I use votif candle holders in my tank to do this as they're pretty :) and you can get the glass ones at wal mart for like a buck. Make sure you use the uth as belly heat is more important to leos than ambient tems. I use a 6x11 7 watt cobra heat mat on my 20 long as it produces heat at a consistant 100 degrees. 93-95 would be a good range to start with this recovery. Use a probe thermometer directly on the floor of the tank right above the UTH to get your most accurate temp readings. If you're having trouble making temps you can use a blue night light or a ceramic heat emitter to help make the temps yo need. Leos do NOT need UV lighting and it causes them stress. There is also a debate on the use of red lighting so you may want to read about that as well. I have one but have had no use for it yet. The night light brings my temps up a good 5-6 degrees if needed.

Make sure you provide 3 hides, one on the hot side, one on the cool side and a moist hide to help aide in the leos sheds which he could have difficulty with since he's malnourished and ill kept until now. I keep my moist hide on the border between the hot and cold side but this topic has also been debated so read the debates and decide which works best for you.

I'm sure others will chime in but these are the basics just offa the top of my head. Good luck :)
 
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RexyTexel

Guest
Wow thanks guys for all the great information. I'm going to start reading about everything right now. I bought feeder crickets today and I can probably pick up some superworms or mealworms tomorrow at work. He seems to be doing really really well. It's about 7:30pm here and he's starting to wake up a little and walk around.

Question...his tail is very deformed and I'm assuming it's from him being practically starved to death. When he starts to fatten up will his tail ever take shape again? Also what should I do about the residual skin still on the underside of his tail and the underside of his mouth? I managed to massage the skin off his eyes as they were sealed shut from it. One of his eyes was rather sunken into his head but it's starting to take shape. Watched him clean out his eye socket last night with his tongue..lol it was crazy!

Oh I sexed him..and it's a boy. He's almost all white no bit of black or yellow on him at all. He's so gorgeous and I can't wait until he gets back to his healthy weight.
 

Dog Shrink

Lost in the Lizard World
Messages
2,799
Location
NW PA.
The tail thing could be a regenerated tail that has lost all it's weight or it could simply be from having no weight on it. With out a pic it's hard to say. As far as the stuck shed, soaks in warm water for about 20 minutes 1-2 times a day should do the trick. You can use a q-tip or a soft bristle tooth brush to gently help rub the stuck shed off. If his eyes keep crusting you may want to flush them with some regular saline solution once or twice a day to help keep them moist until he gets his electrolite balance and fluids back up. It's very likely he could be dehydrated. Being all white he could very well be a diablo blanco. Hopefully you can get pix of him up soon. We'd love to see him :)

Keep up the good work.
 
R

RexyTexel

Guest
I though about soaking him but I wasn't sure if that'd be okay or not. Looks like he's going to get a little bath today then!

He's gained a lot of speed and strength back since I first received him.

I'll try to get some pictures up and post them in the "show off" section of the forum.

He's pretty scared about me touching him at all. I'm assuming the people who had him never handled him at all. Should I try to hand tame him or is it perfectly fine if he just doesn't want to be held? I don't want to stress him out about anything.
 

Jordan

New Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Sheffield, UK
Lol that would be crazy if it was a diablo blanco. i doubt it though unfortunately.
its more likely a blizzard or patternless snow or something. does it have red eyes? cuz if it fully white with red eyes its a diablo blanco. or actgually could be a super raptor.
 

Jordan

New Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Sheffield, UK
handle him when you have to and thats it until he's back to health, then tame him. i reckon that handling him and stressing him could just slow down the rfecovering process.
 
R

RexyTexel

Guest
handle him when you have to and thats it until he's back to health, then tame him. i reckon that handling him and stressing him could just slow down the rfecovering process.

That's what I assumed.

He's like pinkish white with grey eyes and the last part of his tail is a greyish color. I'll post pictures when he gets a bit more acclimated to his new surroundings. He spends a lot of time in his hidey. Only really comes out when he's on the prowl for food in the evening.
 

Jordan

New Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Sheffield, UK
thats normal for him to do that. he's more likely to come out when its dark and he hasnt heard anyone around for a while.
pictures would be great, it would be good to be able to ID him.
 

Dog Shrink

Lost in the Lizard World
Messages
2,799
Location
NW PA.
I find the best time to handle them is after they've eaten, after they get out of stalker mode to avoid possibe food related hostilities. MY Eros is kind meh about being handled but when he has a full belly he is much more tolerent. Let him settle for a few weeks, handle as little as you really need to to avoid stress but get those sheds offa him, then, once he is comfortable with his surroundings you can go for more love ins :)
 
R

RexyTexel

Guest
Okay sounds good. I'm learning tons on this website. I still need to pick a few things up to make his habitat complete. I'm pretty excited about how much progress he's making. I've always thought leopard geckos were the neatest creatures.

Another question. He doesn't have any claws on his feet. He only has little stubs. Will they remain this way for the rest of his life? I don't care either way I'm just curious.
 

Dog Shrink

Lost in the Lizard World
Messages
2,799
Location
NW PA.
I think if he lost the ends of his toes to bad sheds then he most likely wont get claws back . The digit that grows the claws are likely gone if he's lost toe tips. It'd be like you getting your finger amputated at the knuckle and wondering if you could regrow your nails... know what I mean?

What kinda things do you still need to get for his habitat? If it's hides a lot of the owners here use small tupperware tubs and the like, things you might already have around the house. This site is really informative, I have learned so much in just my short time here. I find it an invaluable resource, once you get past the snotty little brats like Jordan :p Ha...
 
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Jordan

New Member
Messages
1,409
Location
Sheffield, UK
OH! *scoff* ... charming.

:main_laugh: haha

and Kels right, his little 'stumps' are from bad sheds and skin getting stuck on their toes. Im afraid they wont grow back so he wont be able to climb very well unfortunately but it doesnt affect their life too much thankfully :)
 
R

RexyTexel

Guest
I just need to get better thermometers, an actual water dish(Right now he's lapping water out of a shallow bowl I found lol) and a hot plate for under the tank so I can attach the UTH without damaging my dresser. I'm just afraid the heat might damage the wood because the rubber feet they give you aren't very big. It's either a hot plate or 2 pieces of wood to prop the tank up.

I do need to get more hideys but unfortunately my mom will not let me use any of our tupperware >_< She's already pissy about the bowl.

Other than those few things, though, I have everything I need. I'm just very confused on the whole calcium with/without D3. Seems like it's a large debate going on.
 

Dog Shrink

Lost in the Lizard World
Messages
2,799
Location
NW PA.
The calcium is a bit of a debate but my theory on thea matter is better safe than sorry and if you're meeting all the other nutritional needs then it shouldn't be a problem imo. If you're giving your leo a good multi vit. they have D3 in there. As far as dishes you can use candlle votive holders, they're like 50 cents at wal mart and they also have good probe thermometers there as well, you can also find probes at lowes or home depot for under $10.00.

As far as the uth goes, the way I have mine set up is I do have 2 pieces of wood under the edges of my tank for air circulation, they're just lttle 1x2's so not huge and I put a piece of plastic styrofoam under the uth between the table top and the uth. It's not the kind fo stuff you find say packed around your stereo that you can pick apart, it is really good stuff my hubby's company packs their oil meters in and I actually had to cut it with a serrated knife, so maybe if you go to lowes you can get a piece there. Ask maybe for expanded foam hubby said. Or you can try the insulated foam board they wrap your house in before they put up vinyl siding.
 

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