leo might be impacted

[catfishrod69]

ok i am new to this site, and new to leo owning....i recently bought a leo off a kid that is about 8-9 inches, male, and i think he is impacted...i have had him for 3 days, he was on sand, i converted him to paper towl, and the poop that was already in the aquarium, i examined it, and of course had sand in it....i have been feeding him bannana baby food, soaking and rubbing, which he hates, and giving him a few drops of olive oil....it looks almost like he has testicles, and there is a small bit of what almost looks like cricket gut load pokin out.....i havent tried feeding him a cricket yet, cause i thought it might bind him up more....let me know what you think of the picture, and if theres anything else i can do....thanks

 

[MiamiLeos]

Ok, it looks like you have two problems on your hand that may or may not be related to one another. For the impaction, I would say your doing pretty much everything that can be done at home. I'm not sure about the banana baby food though. GGG has an awesome slurry recipe that has had awesome results with sick geckos, you can just google it. The second problem, what you're seeing around his bottom is looking to me like some kind of prolapse. I'm not an expert in the prolapse area but I'm assuming it is either his hemipenis or the testicles. Another option is that he could have an infection down there which would cause the swelling. But again, not my area of expertise. If he were mine, I would definitely take him to a vet, but I'm not sure if that is an option for you. I wish I could tell you more, hopefully a few others will chime in and be more qualified in this area.

 

[catfishrod69]

Ok, it looks like you have two problems on your hand that may or may not be related to one another. For the impaction, I would say your doing pretty much everything that can be done at home. I'm not sure about the banana baby food though. GGG has an awesome slurry recipe that has had awesome results with sick geckos, you can just google it. The second problem, what you're seeing around his bottom is looking to me like some kind of prolapse. I'm not an expert in the prolapse area but I'm assuming it is either his hemipenis or the testicles. Another option is that he could have an infection down there which would cause the swelling. But again, not my area of expertise. If he were mine, I would definitely take him to a vet, but I'm not sure if that is an option for you. I wish I could tell you more, hopefully a few others will chime in and be more qualified in this area.

ok thanks for info...ill look up the slurry.....i really wish that there was something that i could do myself, but i know there isnt...the closest herp vet to me is a 2 hour drive.....of course......

 

[thegeckoguy23]

Give it some warm baths.

 

[prettyinpink]

I also don't think I agree with that baby food you're giving him. I could be wrong but this may be the recipie you're looking for http://geckoforums.net/showthread.php?t=54742

I wish you good luck

 

[catfishrod69]

ok well thanks for your help....and i checked him this mornin, and he pooped.....totally great.....it looks like the swelling on him has went down some....do you think that i should start feeding him crickets, and not worry about takin him to the vet, as long as the swelling starts goin completely away....thanks

 

[catfishrod69]

ok i was wrong...the swelling hasnt went down at all, and the stuff that looks like cricket gut load is still there....but he did poop....would love to take him to a vet, but the closest one i know of is 2 hours away.....i know i could probably find a vet around here that will say they work with herps, but they probably know less about them than me.....

 

[MiamiLeos]

If he is pooping normally than I would not have a problem with feeding him... I would take him to the vet though for that situation on his rear end :/

 

[gothra]

If he is eating and pooping, I won't say he is impacted just yet; eventhough he had sand in his feces. I would just get him off the sand and feed him normally. If he is eating, there is no need to give him slurry or babyfood. If you're really wanting to give him babyfood, choose one with meat - like beef or chicken vegetable; OR you can find a slurry recipe on line.

With the swollen hemipene, its possible that he could be having an infection. The stuff that is sticking out from the vent could be sperm plug that stayed there long enough to cause the irritation. This is just my guess; but if he is my gecko, I would give him a warm soak and then try to clean (pull) out that stuff. If it doesn't come out easily (don't force anything), I'll take him to a vet.

 

[catfishrod69]

If he is eating and pooping, I won't say he is impacted just yet; eventhough he had sand in his feces. I would just get him off the sand and feed him normally. If he is eating, there is no need to give him slurry or babyfood. If you're really wanting to give him babyfood, choose one with meat - like beef or chicken vegetable; OR you can find a slurry recipe on line.

With the swollen hemipene, its possible that he could be having an infection. The stuff that is sticking out from the vent could be sperm plug that stayed there long enough to cause the irritation. This is just my guess; but if he is my gecko, I would give him a warm soak and then try to clean (pull) out that stuff. If it doesn't come out easily (don't force anything), I'll take him to a vet.

ok i put 2 crickets in with him last night, and they were still there this morning, so i tried hand feeding him a cricket a lil bit ago, and he took it, i ended up giving him 5 crickets, he had no prob taking them....iam going to call a vet tomorrow, and see if i can email them that pic, and maybe they can send me some antibiotics or whatever they use....i think the closest vet around here that actually knows what theyre doing with herps is about 2 hours away.....as for the soak and pulling, i will try that in a little bit, he aint gonna like it though....he dont like the soaks at all.....anyways ill let you know what happens....thanks