HELP

[nanobuds]

okay, we have a 1.5 year old leo, and hes not doing good. For the past 2 months now, he hasnt opened his eyes, and doesnt eat. However, hes still alive because he eats his skin when he sheds... and after each shedding he opens his eyes. One of his eyes looks okay, and his pupil responds to light channges, however the other eye has a thin film over it.

Well he shed his skin the other day... hes eyes didnt open, nor did he get all the skin off his head. Also, he isnt eating anything anymore... whats the best thing i can do? the gecko is my little brothers, but i take care of him mostly.
thanks

these are pics of him before he got sick

Cage (still the same today)

if you need pics of him now, let me know

 

[nanobuds]

oh, and he used to love being held. now his makes some strange hissing noise if he scenses a hand near him, or if we touch him...

 

[acpart]

Is that sphagnum moss as a substrate? It's hard to tell. Since it's been going on for so long and he's getting worse, I really think you have to take him to the vet. If you don't know where a reptile vet is, call a regular vet and ask for a referral. ALso, there are some online vet lists which you could find by googling.

Also, read the caresheets at the top of the page (click on the articles/caresheets button at the top) to see if you're doing everything right. The gecko probably either has an infection or is suffering a slow decline from not being cared for in the best way (that doesn't mean you were negligent, but that maybe you didn't know things that the gecko needed). Sometimes when a gecko isn't getting the correct care, it can take months for the problem to show up and then they start looking pretty sick pretty quickly.

Aliza

 

[Jade Icing]

I hope your gecko feels better. I have one that is off and I know how that feels.

 

[nanobuds]

mom wont take us too the vet, because its "only a lizard" :main_angry:

ill keep researching and figuring out what to do... thanks

 

[chazthaking2]

I'm sorry there are people out there that feel that way about reptiles. Your best bet is to give it calcium supplement and also it could be from a previous shed that something got stuck in his eye. With my geckos that have eye issues, I massage the eye just in case there is something in there, and massaging it can dislodge it. You should probably call a vet and explain your situation and try and get a price quote, maybe the price is convincing enough for your mom to take you. Best of luck.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I was also thinking the same as Aliza, possible eye infection esp. if now it seems to be bilateral (both eyes) or corneal abrasion possibly from the moss. Do you keep any type of "day light (UV bulb)" on his tank? I see the double bulb hood in your one pic. what are his temps like? Do you also use an under tank heat mat to help with his hot side? Also is there a "moist" hide somewhere in the tank? There is a thread that was just recently posted about red lights and eye sensitivity. Might be worth a read.

 

[acpart]

Ask your mom to read this thread. I'm a mom too and know very well that finances are tight all over (my husband's been laid off twice in the last 18 months and I still have 2 high schoolers at home). I know there's a feeling that it's "just a lizard" but it is a living creature that feels pain. It's very likely that a single vet visit and some antibiotics could turn things around. There have been a number of teenagers on the forum who haven't been able to take their gecko to the vet at first because of that feeling by the parents. Fortunately, in a lot of cases, the parents have eventually "seen the light". You could offer to pay back all or part of the cost from your allowance or work.

I hope things work out (also, change the substrate from the moss to paper towel or tile so the gecko doesn't scratch its eye on the moss).

Aliza