Impaction??? MBD??? Please Help!

[philthegecko]

Gotcha. I first thought you meant to use a combo of heat mat and lamp. So, lamp not really necessary when using the mat?

 

[Ozy]

Yea Phil. I DO have a red bulb over the cool side, but it is pretty much always off. I only use it if it gets too cold. I also have that hooked up to another Lutron dimmer and I only turn it on very dim though. DO NOT put a lamp over your mat. That would be bad. So yea, they don't need a lamp 98% of the time if you have a heat mat. They DO however need to be able to tell day from night. I just have the blinds up on the window of the room my leo is in and that works fine. Or you can just turn the light on in the room. That will be enough, because leo's don't like bright light. It stresses them out and hurts their eyes. This is what I use to measure the temps and I really like it http://www.petco.com/product/115362...epti Temp Digital Infrared Thermometer-115362 just point the top like an inch from the floor and press the blue button and it will instantly tell you what the temp is in that spot. My leo's cage is in the office area of our home and at night the ceiling light is ALWAYS on, because my husband and I tend to congregate in here. So at night, if the light is on, I just cover the viv.

 

[philthegecko]

Really appreciate all the advice, Ozy. Any thoughts on the appararent intestinal issue? Wondering if all the mealworms were too much combined with a lack of belly heat. Hard to know how many days without pooping necessitates a vet visit. That said, I think my wife is taking him since son is very, very concerned.

 

[Ozy]

To help him pass it along, do the warm soaks, then gently massage the belly in a downward motion. Then put a couple of drops of mineral oil on the nose for him to lick off. Be careful of the nostrils, wouldn't want any oil in THERE! lol Do this in the morning and at night. And I would recommend a vet visit. But you can do these things to maybe help him pass some poo, until you can get in to see the vet. Make sure it's a reptile vet and not just a regular vet. If he hasn't pooped for a week or more, THEN I would get concerned.

 

[Ozy]

Oh yea, and I feed my leo a mealworm staple and I know most of us here do. I think the biggest factor is the lack of belly heat. Without it, the food is just sitting in his gut. That may be why he's not eating, lethargic etc. I mean, if you had food rotting in your gut wouldn't you want to stay in your nice warm bed? Oh yea the fluker's calcium with vitamin D that you have in the tank. Too much vitamin D is bad for a leo, so I would take that out. Get you some Repashy Calcium Plus and dust every single thing she eats with it. Use your orange cubes to gut load your mealworms also. I take out about 20 at a time, put them in a little dish with the gut load and let them chow down for 24 hours before feeding. I buy my Repashy from their website. here is the link to the Calcium Plus. If you dust EVERYTHING with the Calcium Plus you don't need calcium in the tank or other supplements. This makes it SUPER easy to make sure your leo is getting the nutrition it needs.
https://www.store.repashy.com/calcium-plus-4-oz-bag.html
And I would recommend putting your feeders into a dish so they are not running around all over the cage. Make sure it is smooth sided and they won't be able to climb out. This is a good dish http://www.petco.com/product/111699...px?CoreCat=MM_ReptileSupplies_FoodWaterDishes Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Leopard Geckos need a moist hiding spot. I just got a shallow cheap Glad container w/lid, put some Eco-Earth in it. Cut a hole in the lid, mist the eco-earth with spring water, put the lid on and put it on the warm side. Check it everyday to make sure the eco-earth is still moist. I also use spring water for my leo's water bowl.

 

[philthegecko]

Very valuable info. Much appreciated!

 

[Ozy]

Here's a pic of the warm side of my tank with the moist hide, so you can see what I'm talking about. *pokes finger at ugly glad container* LOL! My leo is in a 20 gallon long aquarium

 

[M_surinamensis]

I know they don't all have the same requirements, and yes, they have characteristics suited to their environments and niches because that's what evolution does. But there is no heat radiating up from below in this situation. So I really don't know what you're on about.

~Maggot

I'm on about correcting your wildly inaccurate generalization. "Reptiles need heat on their bellies to digest their food." is wrong. If you had said "Some reptiles" or "Leopard geckos" then it would have been... closer to accurate. Close enough that I wouldn't have commented, anyway. However, there are plenty of reptiles that thermoregulate primarily through timed exposure to sunlight on their dorsal surface... so... yeah, phrasing it as a blanket statement makes it incorrect.

I've got this condition where gross, aggressive ignorance causes involuntary keyboard spasms. It all works out for the best though, because it sometimes manages to keep those who don't know any better from accepting inaccuracies, regurgitated generalizations, ignorance and occasionally outright lies from folks like yourself.

 

[Ozy]

Don't let M get you confused. Not all reptiles need belly heat for digestion, but LEOPARD GECKOS DO. To dust the crickets and/or mealworms I just put them in an old Repashy bottle I had, but you can also use a ziploc bag, dixie cup, whatever. Before I put the crickets in I grab then with tweezers and cut the back legs off so they can't jump. I put 1/4 of a teaspoon of the Repashy in with the insects then you just shake them around until they are coated. Then just dump the whole thing into the food bowl. It's good to have a bit of extra repashy in the bowl.

 

[M_surinamensis]

Don't let M get you confused.

If anyone is ever confused by anything I have to say, please just ask for clarification.

 

[philthegecko]

Thanks Ozy. Wife just returned from vet. He has mouth rot. Never noticed that he was bleeding in his mouth. Vet said he was deficient in vitamin A and C. Guess it was right call to bring him in.

 

[ImNotYogi]

If anyone is ever confused by anything I have to say, please just ask for clarification.

You seem pretty straight forward and knowledgeable on reptiles. I was flipping through the ethics forums a few days ago, came across the "most humane culling techniques" thread, and saw your posts.

 

[Ozy]

Well now you can get his set up and supplements right, treat the mouth rot and you should be good to go. For eating purposes you can mash up some crickets and mealworms with a bit of water and Repashy Calcium Plus, then dot it on his nose for him to lick off, so he gets his nutrients. He's gonna need it to help him get over this.

 

[philthegecko]

Thanks, Ozy. Will do.

 

[Ozy]

You're welcome! Pulling for your little one and be sure to keep me updated!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

I'm on about correcting your wildly inaccurate generalization. "Reptiles need heat on their bellies to digest their food." is wrong. If you had said "Some reptiles" or "Leopard geckos" then it would have been... closer to accurate. Close enough that I wouldn't have commented, anyway. However, there are plenty of reptiles that thermoregulate primarily through timed exposure to sunlight on their dorsal surface... so... yeah, phrasing it as a blanket statement makes it incorrect.

I've got this condition where gross, aggressive ignorance causes involuntary keyboard spasms. It all works out for the best though, because it sometimes manages to keep those who don't know any better from accepting inaccuracies, regurgitated generalizations, ignorance and occasionally outright lies from folks like yourself.

Fair enough. Didn't know that, and I admit that I was wrong. No need to be a douche about it though. But I guess that's part of your condition too. But you didn't say they utilise it from their dorsal surfaces. You said, "Some reptiles have evolved for more efficient thermoregulation when utilizing heat radiating up from below." If you had said "than utilizing..." that would have been true to your point. And when you said "some have not," that only indicated that they weren't as "efficient" in their thermoregulation when utilising heat radiating up from below, not that they don't do it at all. Point being you worded that very poorly, hence the confusion.

You're welcome! Pulling for your little one and be sure to keep me updated!

Same. I hope he heals well, and I wish y'all the best.

~Maggot

 

[philthegecko]

Thanks, Maggot. I appreciate it.