leopard gecko

[Abby.loves.oreos]

My gecko won’t open his eyes and won’t eat and has lost a ton of weight. His color has gotten duller and i don’t know what to do. the picture on the left is him in april and the photo on the right is him now

 

[acpart]

You need to take your gecko to a vet. When you do, ask the vet to test for cryptosporidiosis. It's a serious disease, and I"m not saying that your gecko has it, but you need to make sure that it doesn't. How long have you had your gecko and where did you get it from?

Aliza

 

[Krystal10]

Is he okay? ^ If I could put in maybe he's not eating the insects try some food without insects in it maybe he'll eat it.

 

[Abby.loves.oreos]

You need to take your gecko to a vet. When you do, ask the vet to test for cryptosporidiosis. It's a serious disease, and I"m not saying that your gecko has it, but you need to make sure that it doesn't. How long have you had your gecko and where did you get it from?

Aliza

i got it from petco and ive had for a year

 

[acpart]

Definitely get it tested with a vet. Again, I"m not saying that your gecko has crypto, but geckos can be asymptomatic for years and then suddenly show that they have it. I doubt that Petco, which has many geckos pass through its facility, cleans its cages well enough to eradicate it. How do I know about crypto? My geckos have had it for 8 years and I'm still periodically losing them to crypto, one at a time.

Aliza

 

[Abby.loves.oreos]

Definitely get it tested with a vet. Again, I"m not saying that your gecko has crypto, but geckos can be asymptomatic for years and then suddenly show that they have it. I doubt that Petco, which has many geckos pass through its facility, cleans its cages well enough to eradicate it. How do I know about crypto? My geckos have had it for 8 years and I'm still periodically losing them to crypto, one at a time.

Aliza

He started shedding a few days ago but wont make any effort to get it off so I’ve had to help him. he still won’t eat at all but is more active

 

[Krystal10]

i got it from petco and ive had for a year

Yeah maybe, it's good to let a vet do it's job.

 

[DustyTheGecko]

He started shedding a few days ago but wont make any effort to get it off so I’ve had to help him. he still won’t eat at all but is more active

Just out of curiosity, how did you help him shed? It's generally a bad idea to pull the skin off, since that can harm them, and rather increase their humidity. At least with crested geckos you increase the humidity, I assume the same for leopards. (anybody feel free to correct me if i'm wrong)

 

[acpart]

In general, I increase the humidity for geckos who require humidity and make sure I provide a humid hide for geckos that come from arid environments. If after 24 hours they are still not successful with shedding I do remove the shed for them. As long as it's clear that the shedding is underway (pieces of loose shed as opposed to a "frosted" look which would indicate that shedding is going to start but hasn't started yet), I rarely have problems with this method and hopefully the geckos are grateful after they try to bite me!

Aliza

 

[Krystal10]

Just out of curiosity, how did you help him shed? It's generally a bad idea to pull the skin off, since that can harm them, and rather increase their humidity. At least with crested geckos you increase the humidity, I assume the same for leopards. (anybody feel free to correct me if i'm wrong)

He's having difficulty so she's trying to help and maybe try a milk like Pangea. No more insects.

 

[DustyTheGecko]

In general, I increase the humidity for geckos who require humidity and make sure I provide a humid hide for geckos that come from arid environments. If after 24 hours they are still not successful with shedding I do remove the shed for them. As long as it's clear that the shedding is underway (pieces of loose shed as opposed to a "frosted" look which would indicate that shedding is going to start but hasn't started yet), I rarely have problems with this method and hopefully the geckos are grateful after they try to bite me!

Aliza

OH I see what your saying! Thanks for the correction! Dusty is extremely good about shedding (leaves no evidence, she eats the skin), and always has a full shed within a night.

 

[Krystal10]

OH I see what your saying! Thanks for the correction! Dusty is extremely good about shedding (leaves no evidence, she eats the skin), and always has a full shed within a night.

Yeah, that's good but sometimes there can be trouble.

 

[DustyTheGecko]

Yeah, that's good but sometimes there can be trouble.

Yeah it's always hard to monitor her shedding, since she always does it at night, but she usually gets grale/pale the evening before, and in the morning she's brightly colored. She always sheds fairly quickly... What are some things I should monitor and look for when she sheds?

 

[acpart]

If you never noticed that she's shed there's nothing to check and nothing to worry about. Otherwise, make sure that there isn't shreds of shed hanging off her, especially on the feet and the end of the tail. It's fine to pull those off and to use your fingernails if necessary.

Aliza

 

[DustyTheGecko]

If you never noticed that she's shed there's nothing to check and nothing to worry about. Otherwise, make sure that there isn't shreds of shed hanging off her, especially on the feet and the end of the tail. It's fine to pull those off and to use your fingernails if necessary.

Aliza

OK! Thanks for the info!

 

[Abby.loves.oreos]

Just out of curiosity, how did you help him shed? It's generally a bad idea to pull the skin off, since that can harm them, and rather increase their humidity. At least with crested geckos you increase the humidity, I assume the same for leopards. (anybody feel free to correct me if i'm wrong)

i didnt help him shed too much because i didnt want to hurt him so i only pulled off very loose pieces. He still has shed on eyes and mouth but wont get it off and its been so long since he started that shed that now its basically dried on his face and im too nervous to try and take it off because i dont wanna damage his eyes

 

[DustyTheGecko]

i didnt help him shed too much because i didnt want to hurt him so i only pulled off very loose pieces. He still has shed on eyes and mouth but wont get it off and its been so long since he started that shed that now its basically dried on his face and im too nervous to try and take it off because i dont wanna damage his eyes

Oh ok! Good job!!

 

[acpart]

i didnt help him shed too much because i didnt want to hurt him so i only pulled off very loose pieces. He still has shed on eyes and mouth but wont get it off and its been so long since he started that shed that now its basically dried on his face and im too nervous to try and take it off because i dont wanna damage his eyes

If the shed is still on, especially around the eyes, you really need to get it off. Wet a paper towel and get the dried shed wet so it softens. Use your fingernail to loosen the shed and see if you can peel it off. You won't hurt your gecko; you will make it much more comfortable.

Aliza