Caring for a friend's sick gecko

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I would not take crickets from her cage and give them to the healthy gecko though. If she has anything contagious, it will transfer to the other by the cricket.

Excellent point!

I'm glad to hear she took some of the dropper food! Getting some nutrition will help her fight the infection, and provide some strength. I know how difficult it can be to rehabilitate a sick gecko, and we develop a special bond with them. You are doing a FANTASTIC job!!!

 

[WftRight]

Scott&Nikki,

The point about not transferring crickets is good, but they were gone by the time I realized what I'd done.

I'm looking for a dish that will hold the mealworms in one place so that they can't crawl around the cage.

I have a couple of things happening tonight that will keep me from moving her to the bigger cage. I'll try to make the switch later this week.

I like the thought of mashing a mealworm for her. The mealworm guts that I've seen have been pretty soft. I could probably put just a drop or two of Pedialyte or something similar on the guts of a single mealworm, mix it a little, and have something liquid enough for her to slurp. I'm also thinking very seriously of using dried mealworms in the mixture that I made. They would be easier to crush into a powder that would go into suspension.

I'm thinking very hard of getting some chicken baby food for her. If she's going to be on soft food for a little while, I need to put some protein in her system.

Thanks,


Bill

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Bill, I think baby food chicken or veal would be a great source of protein for her!

 

[WftRight]

Would you try squeezing the mealworms guts (from live worms) in front of her to see if she would like that? It may trigger something to get her to eat them. I'm not sure if you have tried that, and Marcia is the best to ask about slurry questions.

Scott&Nikki,

I didn't squeeze a meal worm in front of her, but I squeezed one in a little squat cup and mixed a little squash baby food. (I threw away the exoskeleton.) I didn't get it liquid, but it wasn't too solid. It had the consistency of a stringy, sticky paste. I started her on the other mixture and then put some of the mealworm and baby food paste on her mouth. She didn't get all of it, but she got some. I kept at her with the other mixture for a while. I think I gave her about as much as I gave her last night.

She seemed a little more active and interactive. She'd cock her head this way and that. Occasionally, she'd give her head a hard shake and send little droplets of mixture all over. I was afraid that I'd gotten a little bit in her nose. My own eyes have trouble seeing her nostrils at close distance. She would occasionally turn her head as if she were looking right at me. I'm not sure whether she could see a vague outline of my head. I don't remember whether I was talking to her. She might have been turning towards my voice.

Her eyes are definitely worse. The vet said I could bring her back for another needleful of medicine. I'm going to try to do that tomorrow.

She also left me a little sample. I've put it in a bag and taped it to her cage in hopes that I won't forget to take it to the vet's office. Most people say to put it in the refrigerator, but my vet has generally been happy with room temperature as long as it's less than 24 hours old. I hope that it will be enough to say conclusively whether she has any parasite problems.


Bill

 

[WftRight]

I'm chasing too many things right now, but I'll hit the high points.

The vet pointed out that this gecko is shedding and that shedding geckos often refuse to eat. She recommended a daily warm bath to help her through the shed. She thinks that after the shed, the gecko will begin eating normally. I don't know whether she gave the gecko another shot. I tend to believe that she didn't.

She checked the fecal sample, and there were no bad indications. This gecko has eye problems, but she doesn't have intestinal problems.

I didn't get the chicken baby food yet.


Bill

 

[WftRight]

I thought that I'd give you guys a photo update.

The first shot is of a dark spot that has arisen on her belly. It's been there for about a week. She's still defecating, so I don't think it's impaction.

The second is how she looked when she arrived.

The third is how she looks right now.

She looks a little bigger in tonight's picture. I'm giving her about half a gram of slurry roughly every other night or maybe two nights out of three. I weighed her on Sunday night, and she was 27.1 grams before feeding. Tonight, she was 29.1 grams before feeding.

I still don't think that she's seeing anything.


Bill

 

[Scott&Nikki]

That spot is just one of her organs and nothing to worry about. I personally don't think she looks any bigger, but its great she is gaining some weight. Those toes look horrible . I figured she wouldnt be able to see any more, though. Is she only eating slurry right now? Have you tried anything solid?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

The first shot is of a dark spot that has arisen on her belly.

Bill, the dark spot you see in her abdomen is her liver. It appears to be enlarged, most likely due to hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver. This is very common in anorexic geckos because when they go off food, their fat reserves become mobilized in their blood system and the fat cells can clog up the liver. This can be reversed once the gecko begins eating normally.

She does look better! Bill, you are doing an awesome job rehabilitating this gecko!!!

 

[WftRight]

Is she only eating slurry right now? Have you tried anything solid?

First, thanks to both of you for the comments and advice. I'm glad to hear that it's not impaction. If I don't have to deal with that problem, I'm happy to avoid it.

She is still eating only slurry. I've tried her with mealworms and waxworms. I've even tried opening her mouth and putting the waxworm inside her mouth. She just spits it out.


Bill

 

[BluGnat]

So glad to hear/see she's doing better! Any idea if you're going to keep her permanently?

 

[WftRight]

As far as I'm concerned, my friend will take the gecko when he returns. It's still his gecko and has been his for seven years. I think he'll do much better with her now that he understands that he let things go too far.

Another bit of news is that she shed Friday night. I opened her cage to find her biting her rear leg and seemingly stuck in that position. I spritzed a little water on her mouth, and she let go of the leg. She had shed well across all of her body but not her head or two of her feet. The skin on her head came off well. I ended up putting her in a tub of shallow water to soak her feet for a while. I think I got everything off, but I repeated the process last night to be sure.

She lost a little weight in the shed, but she's still eating well when I give her the slurry.


Bill

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Bill, did she eat any of her shed? This would be a good sign...

 

[Scott&Nikki]

What do you mean she was biting her leg? Like, eating shed off? or actually biting her leg? Any marks?

 

[WftRight]

As far as I can tell, she ate all of her shed except the part that I took off her head and a little bit of excess on her feet.

The leg biting was strange. She appeared to be holding nothing but skin, but the skin wasn't old skin that she was trying to shed. What startled me so much was that she looked stuck. Her mouth was barely open if at all, and she just had a little bit of leg. If you can imagine something sticky being on the leg and just catching her mouth, that's the impression I had. That's why I spritzed water on her. I thought that if she was stuck by some substance, the water might make it dissolve. Afterwards, there were no marks on her leg, and I can see no evidence of stuck shed. Just to be certain, I made her soak her feet and legs again tonight.

I gave her a break last night and fed her again tonight. She hasn't gained any more weight. I think some of what I thought was weight gain over the past week was an inaccuracy or glitch with my scale. I still think she's up about a gram since I started weighing her.

I think she looks prettier than she has since she arrived.

Subjectively, she feels a little stronger. When she tries to push against my fingers with her legs, I think I can feel a little more pressure. Again, that a subjective opinion and may be just wishful thinking.

Here's a picture of her soaking.


Bill

 

[lil_katiedan]

You're doing a great job!

As for weighing her, make sure you keep the scale on a level surface and I find that having a fan or something on in the room causes it to change the weight. That way you can keep up with it and know how she's reacting to what you've given her.

Keep in mind that in her state when she eats the slurry it's the same as eating a cricket or mealworm. Make sure you're giving her as much as she'll take (don't force feed her though). You might also want to make sure you're giving her some calcium or vitamins. She'll slowly but surely regain her strength and eat more, just hold on. I'm sure she feels alot better. What you're doing is great and I'm sure your friend will appreciate it, even though he said don't bother with the vet. After having an animal for 7 years, it would be hard for me to give up.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Dottie]

What a great story! Is a geckotarian the equivilant of a humanitarian? You are indeed a great guardian angel to this little girl!

Dorcas

 

[WftRight]

Major Update!!!

First, as always, thanks to everyone for the kind words.

Now, the major news. I went into the guest room to put the slurry cup down to warm. I keep it refrigerated and warm it before feeding her. She was standing on the cool hide box. I noticed that yesterday she was standing on the warm side with her feet on the walls of the cage. Tonight, she was standing on the box seeming to "look" out. I was giving the other leopard gecko a meal worm, and I noticed that she seemed to be following me with her eyes. I still didn't believe that she could see, but I couldn't deny that she seemed to follow the motion.

I grabbed another meal worm and dusted it. The only light in the room was what little came through the open door and the red light from the other leo's overhead light. I lowered the meal worm into the cage on a pair of long tweezers. She regarded the thing for a second and ate it. I don't know how long she wasn't eating before my friend left her with me. I'd say that she hasn't eaten a meal worm in at least a month and maybe two.

I dusted another meal worm, but she didn't take it. I dropped it when I thought she was going for it. I'm going to give her another half hour or so to go after it. If not, I'll remove it and try her later with it.

I might still give her a little slurry tonight, but I'm not sure. I'm hoping that if I wait a bit, she'll go after the other meal worm. Last night, she took over a gram of slurry. Typically, she's taken only half a gram or so.

I've tried to offer her meal worms and crickets by hand and by tweezers, but she's never wanted them. I don't know whether her eyesight just returned today or whether she just wouldn't eat with the lights on. Tonight was the first time that I've tried to offer her live food in the dark.

In any case, I hope she's turned a corner. I'll keep monitoring things, and I'll give her more slurry as needed. However, if she will now take live meal worms, I have to believe that she has a good chance.

I also noticed that her calcium dish was tilted a bit. I hope that she's been eating the calcium, but I can't tell.

Late this week, I e-mailed my friend to show him the latest picture. He was amazed and impressed. He said that he'd follow whatever routine I had going to get her on this road to recovery. He also told me that her name is Crystal. His other leo is named "Shy," and he said she earned that name because she doesn't like him just as she doesn't like me.

Thanks again,


Bill

 

[Scott&Nikki]

That is great news! Just the fact that she has an appetite shows a good sign. Maybe now you should try laying off the slurry so she gets hungry enough for solid food?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Wonderful, Bill!!! If she ate a mealworm, it means she can see! I agree... I'd lay off the slurry at this point and see if she gets hungry for 'real' food. You have done a fantastic job with Crystal!!!

 

[WftRight]

Crystal's slurry days may be past. She was standing on her box waiting for me again tonight. She took the first meal worm off the tweezers. She dropped the second one and wouldn't go after it. It ended up crawling under the hide where I bet it will be waiting tomorrow. She doesn't seem to eat anything that doesn't come off the tweezers. She then took two more meal worms off the tweezers. I almost fed her a fourth one, but I'm hoping that she'll hunt the one that got away. I figured that I didn't want to get greedy in trying to make her eat too much. Three meal worms should weigh about 1.5 grams. That's 5% of her body weight. For an animal that eats every day, I figure that's enough food even if she is trying to regain some weight. If she gets the fourth meal worm, I'll try to give her four or five tomorrow. I might even try her on a cricket just for variety.


Bill