Leopard Gecko Help! Your my last hope!

[GeckoJake]

Help please! My leopard gecko Cleo has not eatin on her own in 3 months and I got her about 6 moths ago and she was a baby so she is still a juvenile. I have force fed her or at least attempted to about 6 times throughout those months. Her tail is VERY thin. She was on sand and was supposed to be eating mealworms. I recently changed her to tile and rock and changed her diet to crickets. She has a moist hide and PLENTY of othe hides. She has not yet eatin one cricket. I have tried and tried to get her to eat and nothing... She isn't going to make it much longer. I don't have money to take her to the vet... She has a tale though but I can tell she has NO food stored in their anymore. She was as far as I know impacted. I thought I treated it. I bathed her in warm water multiple times. She pooped the day before I switched her to tile. She hasn't pooped since then. I have seen her drink only one time since I got her... Her setup is as natural as possible at this point. I do have a light tube but I am not sure if it is or isn't UVB. She also had a black light for night before. It is now a red light. So the first problem is that she is not eating. I recently force fed her two mealworms. I have never seen her eat her calcium or anything with calcium on it which is a bad sign. When I force fed her the other day I noticed the inside of her mouth around the rim of her mouth is crusty and rough. The roof of her mouth is a purplish color. I am not sure if this is normal. Also, for a while now she has not opened her eyes even when it's night and even when I take her out of her cage. She runs into walls with her eyes closed like she can't open them. It looks as if she is trying though. I am very scared. Three problems: Won't eat by herself. Can't open eyes. Rim of mouth is hard and roof of mouth is purple... Also, her stomach has blue on it which as far as I know might be the impaction. If you can help then please!!!...!!! I'm begging you! I love her. She is my best friend as my family is falling apart and all my friends don't like me so I guess they aren't really my friends... Please help! I can give you any information you need. I am so scared and this gecko is EVERYTHING to me. PLEASE HELP ME SAVE CLEO! Also, how much are vet costs for the average checkup because I could try to make some money but it would be most likely a dollar per week... I currently have only 50 dollars. Please...

 

[9AC5]

Sorry to hear about your gecko, hopefully she'll be ok. What you've described does sound like impaction, especially seen as you know she already had it. And can I ask what temperature the hot spot is at?

 

[PhoenixCoconut]

Sorry about this! You can make this slurry it may help....http://www.goldengategeckos.com/info.html Maybe in the future you should think about the vet before you buy.........

Ya prob impacted give her warm baths in water.

 

[LeopardShade]

Your gecko definitely needs veterinary assistance and treatment at this point. From what you've described, impaction could be likely, due to the dark blueish spot on the belly and complete loss of appetite. Do you know exactly how long it has been since she has defecated? The constant squinting or shutting of the eyes could be due to the bright bulb you have. Light tubes are, from what I know, and if not otherwise specified on the label, always a source of UVB, which is unnecessary for leopard geckos. They are nocturnal, and do not need any supplemental lighting such as UVB or day-night cycles. Bright light can be a significant source of stress for the gecko, as their eyes are incredibly light sensitive. I'm no expert when it comes to oral infections in reptiles, but what you've described sounds abnormal to me. All in all, a vet should be your top priority at this point if you wish to see your gecko get better.

I also noticed that you did not mention using an UTH (under-tank-heater) with your gecko. Leopard geckos absorb a large majority of heat through their bellies. Sub-optimal heating (which could be another contributing factor of impaction, or constipation) can lead to poor digestion, lowered appetite, and suppressed immunity. Your temperatures should be in the 90-95 F range at all times. I highly recommend investing in one, along with a good digital thermometer w/ a probe to monitor the temperatures.

I would also stop trying to force feed your gecko. This can be extremely distressing to the gecko, and will only add to its stress. Force feeding should really only be executed by a qualified vet.

Keep us posted on how things go!

 

[9AC5]

I completely agree with LeopardShade. And am also worried about the UTH situation, which is why I was asking about the hot spot temperature. When my UTH died, the tank obviously went cold, and until I replaced it, the gecko wouldn't eat. This is because the heating from underneath aides the digestion of food. You should seriously consider seeing a vet, and definitely invest in a UTH if you haven't already got one!

 

[mango+cola]

first things first, stop forcefeeding, if you don't know how to do it properly, you could seriously harm your gecko, I don't even trust Mango's vet to forcefeed her. Next, my gecko was very sick last summer, she would not eat a thing and didn't eat for approximately 6 months, however she never dropped below 60g. She was getting alot of vet attention during this time. One of the first signs we knew something was wrong with her is she looked like she was constantly winking because she wouldnt open her eye, we took her out and held her until she opened her eye, and it was clouded over, her eyeball was completely white, we rushed her to the vet and she had an eye infection due to a vitamin deficiency because of the lack of food she had been consuming. This could possibly be whats wrong with your geckos eye. She needed cream applying to her eyeball twice a day. And in the end after around $400 in vet bills we found out she had picked up parasites, which is why she stopped eating, and which is why she got the eye infection, so we had to treat her for parasites too. All in all, this is just my experience with my gecko, whose situation sounds alot like yours. Your gecko needs to see a vet, I don't think you will be able to get it too 100% health without any help at this point. And yes, $400 is totally worth my geckos life, she is now weighing in at almost 90g and is completely healthy!