Blind gecko?

[scottstew]

I have an aft and he has been through some rough times recently. I moved, and during the process he had some terrible sheds. especially on his nose to the point i had to take him to the vet and get him fixed up. there are still scabs on his nose, however since the move he has lost a ton of weight. his is half the size he used to be. his tail is shriveling up. He will eat, occasionally, but not a lot. I am noticing his right eye rarely opens, but that is more recent, and there is white near it which is new. but it doesnt appear to be shed skin. Is he blind? ill get pics up tomorrow, my phone died.

And before you have to ask, he is in a ten gallon cage. On paper towels. He has an under tank heater and a heat lamp, his cage is high 80s low 90s i turn the light off at night and it goes down. humidity always at least 50. water dish, calcium which he doesnt touch. two hides one warm one cold.

Is there something wrong with his eye? How do I make food more enticing for him to eat? What am i doing wrong?

thanks

 

[Angel]

the humidity in the cage is 50? the only place that should be humid is in the hide , have you taken him to the vet recently the weight loss could be a variety of reasons some being parasites, worms ect . Even if he didnt have them 6 months ago its a good idea to get fecals run regularly i do mine every 6 months but im sure other peole can chime in on how often they do theres, parasites and worms can come in with there food ie. crickets.
The eye sounds like maybe there could be an infection but its really not a good idea to go poking at there eyes they are so small and you could do more damage , did he have a stuck shed that you used qtips on his face ? possibly some of the fiber could have gotten in there? best bet is the vet if its an eye infection he can give you some ointment which may infact save your guy from possible blindness.
a few questions that may help us help you too, how old is he? what do you feed him? what supplements do you use calcium vitamins ect? and how often do you use them? and what brand do you use?

 

[Tony C]

the humidity in the cage is 50? the only place that should be humid is in the hide

It's a Fat Tail, not a Leo, so the higher humidity is appropriate. I agree that a vet visit is in order for fecals.

 

[Angel]

ooohhhhh my bad i missed that part =s
IM assuming the rest is still the same they can get parasites and worms , you feed crickets??? sorry thought was leo.

 

[scottstew]

He is progressively getting worse. Here are pictures.

Him may 2009:

Him now, Jan 2010:

I have no clue what to do. he wont eat. he doesnt eat. he wont open his eyes. his nose is like shrinking? it just isnt there. He has no weight to him. you can see all his ribs. there is crusty stuff around his mouth and face. help

I am taking him to a vet today. i would have sooner but it is a really far drive. really far.

 

[mindgamer8907]

I don't know if this is applicable to AFTs but could it be mouth rot? I think in leos that can affect their nose and eyes. If he can't and won't eat that might make sense. Maybe have the vet do a culture around the mouth so as to better prescribe an antibiotic? Good luck, I hope everything turns out ok. Poor little trooper.

 

[Alusdra]

Could be a lot of things, most if not all of which require a reptile-savvy vet. I would take him to one ASAP so they can figure out what is going on. It sounds like possibly an infection is involved, at minimum.

 

[scottstew]

I have an appointment with a vet tomorrow, 11:30 am. The mouth rot does make sense to me. OVer the summer he had rough sheds on his face, his nose was always really raw and "bloody" it didnt bleed, but it looked membrane-y. like he had unfully developed skin. I was informed by a reputable pet store that neosporin would help, so i put that on him for about a week, but he acted weird when it was on and constantly was trying to get it off. well see what tomorrow brings, wish him luck

 

[mindgamer8907]

Good luck Scott, keep us posted.

 

[scottstew]

i only have bad news. he had been starving, and was extremely dehydrated. he had no fat, and pretty much no muscle. The vets theory was that he probably had a dormant parasite in him since i purchased him, however the recent stress of the shed issues threw his immune system out of balance, resulting in not eating, rapid weight loss, and deteriorating health. They said force feeding him was an option, but with the condition of his mouth and nose it would do more harm than good. Eventually I decided the best option was to put him down. It was one of the hardest things i have ever done.

However out of the bad there is a lesson for other gecko owners. If you see a problem, or notice anything wrong do not wait. If you do not know what is wrong go seek professional help before it is to late. Had I gone to the vet a month ago he probably could have been alive and happy right now.