Gecko Health

[snuffyj]

Hi - my son has had a gecko for about 10 years. Three weeks ago he had difficulty shedding, and the skin remained on his face for a few days. It was covering his eyes and part of his mouth so he was having difficulty eating. His behavior changed dramatically and he started hiding in his cave, not coming out when we fed him, etc. I was misting him a few times a day and that helped. I also gave him a foot soak and he was able to get much of the skin off his legs after that.

After a second shed, which was just yesterday and went much better than the earlier one, he is still not acting like himself. I am wondering if he may have lost his eyesight - does anyone else have experience with this? He does not get excited over his food like our other gecko does, and when I tried putting my hand near his head he didn't even flinch. I honestly don't think he can see me. He certainly doesn't act like he can see anything. He comes to his food bowl when I tap on the tank, which I have always done when feeding him. I have been helping him "find" his water bowl and I also put his food in a small bowl and held it up to him. I have not changed anything else in his tank, which he has lived in forever, so everything is familiar for him. I'm not sure what to do about this.

Thanks for your help!

 

[gothra]

Does his eyes look normal to you? Any crust or cloudy looking? To know if his eyes are still working, you can change the lighting condition and see if his pupils can contract and dilate. If it can, then there is a good possibility that his eyes are still working.

Are all his old sheds gone now? If not, you can help him out by rubbing it with wet paper/cloth, and gently peel it off for him. I usually help out my geckos within a day if they have stuck shed on them.

 

[ajveachster]

It sounds like stuck eye shed to me. Bonnie gave you some good advice. I have used a moist cotton ball to help with getting stuck shed off the eyes. If you can see the stuck shed, but are unable to rub it off, you may need to use tweezers. If that doesn't seem to be the problem a vet visit may be in order. Good luck.