Blind Gecko?

[bbutz104]

I have a female leapord gecko, Xena, who I have had for 10+ years. She was an adult when I got her so I am not sure of her exact age. For a while now I have noticed that when I feed her it seemed like she was having a hard time seeing her food. I have had to abandon crickets all together because she couldn't catch them. I have been going with superworms as of late, but still it seems like she has a hard time seeing them. Another development is that she seems to be going through back to back sheds. She has no interest in getting the shed off either whereas in the past she used to pull it off. It seems to be building up around her mouth and now she doesn't even open her eyes. Her eating has really tapered off. Not sure if there is anything I can do for her or if this is just her advanced age causing these problems. Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Khrysty]

I have a female leapord gecko, Xena, who I have had for 10+ years. She was an adult when I got her so I am not sure of her exact age. For a while now I have noticed that when I feed her it seemed like she was having a hard time seeing her food. I have had to abandon crickets all together because she couldn't catch them. I have been going with superworms as of late, but still it seems like she has a hard time seeing them. Another development is that she seems to be going through back to back sheds. She has no interest in getting the shed off either whereas in the past she used to pull it off. It seems to be building up around her mouth and now she doesn't even open her eyes. Her eating has really tapered off. Not sure if there is anything I can do for her or if this is just her advanced age causing these problems. Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated.

TBH it's probably her body slowing down due to old age. BUT, that doesn't mean you can't make her happy during the time she's got left. Who knows...it could still be a few years!

I'd give her some warm soaks and try to work the shed off yourself, either with your fingers or a moist q-tip. If there are a lot of layers, it might take a few soaks to do it. (When we say warm, we generally mean lukewarm, not hot). If you don't already, make sure she has a moist hide in her tank. I'd put it over the heater for a sauna effect since she's shedding so often, but remember to keep it moist! It can't help her if it's dry. Removing the shed from around her eyes might help her see a little better, too.

Try offering her different feeders and see if that interests her any. It might just be that she's gotten tired of eating the same old stuff.

Do you have an overhead light? If so, is it a color other than blue or red? That might be hurting her eyes, too. Though, if you've had it up for 10 years, removing it is probably not going to do anything.

What are your floor temperatures like? She may not be hungry because she's a little chilly. The warm side should be between 90 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Cool side should be low 80's. So should the ambient air temperature.

 

[bbutz104]

Thank you so much for the advice. I will give these suggestions a try and hope for some improvement in her!