More tail happenings

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

The reason I asked you again about the vet was because you stated this.

I thought that meant...... you were going to the vet.

Me too....

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

Julie.. We are trying to help as best we can. But if your parents won't take Ollie to the vet, there really isn't anything else we can do, hun. We can't wave a magic wand, or give you some recipe that is going to make him better (BELIEVE ME, If I could, I would!) Leopard Geckos aren't "cuddly, play with them" type pets. They like to be left alone, especially when they're little. For HIS sake, would you consider giving him up to a rescue or finding him a home where he can get proper treatment and vet care? PLEASE don't make him suffer with home remedies that may hurt him more than they'll help him, and maybe die a slow and painful death. I am thinking about BOTH of you. I know it's hard to hear, but it's the truth. It will make him much happier and relieve a LOT of stress for you. Then, when you are older and have a job of your own, you can get a leopard gecko and give it an AWESOME cage and spoil it rotten! I know you are only 10 and it's hard to have a sick pet. My heart goes out to you, it really does. But I really think the best thing for him and you, would be to find him a different home (maybe one where you can visit him) and wait until you can pay for vet care yourself, before you get another.

EDIT - The reason why everyone said, "Go to the vet" is because that is what needs to be done. I know you are frustrated and upset that your parents won't take him. And I know it can be aggravating when you keep hearing, "TAKE IT TO THE VET" and you KNOW it needs to be done, but there isn't anything you can do about it, because you're 10 and rely on your parents. I'm not trying to make you frustrated OR upset. I really do care about YOU AND YOUR GECKO. That is why I suggested giving him to a rescue or someplace else where he can get the treatment he needs. Sometimes life is hard and we need to put our feelings aside for our pets, who depend on us to take care of them.

But how do you know he is sick? You haven't even seen a picture! And he eats wonderfully, the only problem is the black spots. But the aren't really black spots, like on the teeth or anything, it's just like some black thing that can get out (I've seen it happen) like buildup or something, on his gums.
I've reduced my handling to a minimum (only when I clean cages, and even then I won't bug him, and also I'll lift him up for a few sec to see how his tail is doing)
After his tail heals, I'm going to hold him in a minimum also, and when I do only set him on my shirt or something and let him walk around freely.
My mom did say we could go to the vet, per se, only if you can visually see something is wrong (like getting thin, or something) if it is mouth rot, and you can see there is mouth rot, she will gladly take Ollie to the vet.

 

[Ozy]

How do YOU know he ISN'T sick? Are you a 10 year old vet? My grandma always says, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Anyways, I said my piece, so do whatever you feel like you need to do. Leopard Geckos ARE NOT supposed to have black stuff in their mouths, so OBVIOUSLY something is wrong!

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

How do YOU know he ISN'T sick? Are you a 10 year old vet? My grandma always says, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Anyways, I said my piece, so do whatever you feel like you need to do. Leopard Geckos ARE NOT supposed to have black stuff in their mouths, so OBVIOUSLY something is wrong!

I'm not saying he isn't sick, I'm sorry if it came out that way. I'm just saying give me a few more day sto see if something IS wrong, and if it is then my mom will HAVE to take me to the vet. Because that's what she said when William died, if anything is wrong like with him ill take it to the vet, and she didn't see it as some sort of problem.
I have to go to school, see ya

 

[katie_]

Lol no they arent. You JUST posted one about his broken tail. He was very thin.

 

[Fatal_S]

Some good advice I found:

If you buy from a pet store, like PetSmart or Petco, I suggest taking them to the vet to make sure it is not sick.

You admit multiple times that you didn't catch that William was ill until it was too late. You're repeating the same thing with Oliver! He's skinny and stressed and his mouth has something going on, and you're just hoping it will fix itself. If something is wrong you can't know without going to a reptile-vet. If nothing is wrong, fine, it's like $60 and you know your gecko is okay. But when Oliver passes away in a month because of his worms, or mouth rot, or some other treatable issue you'll be right back to where you were with William. How many times will you repeat this cycle of buying from a bad source, not providing health care, and watching your beloved pet suffer?

I'm sorry, but 10 is old enough to learn from your mistakes. You missed the issue with William, and that's sad. Don't do it again with Oliver.

I'm not trying to be mean, I've messed up big time too. My pets have suffered and died because I was too stubborn to admit something was seriously wrong. I get the feeling. But that gecko needs you to man up and do right by it.

I'm wishing Oliver all the best and a speedy recovery.

 

[katie_]

Black build up around teeth IS signs of mouth rot.

 

[chastity]

how is he doing tonight?

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

how is he doing tonight?

He's doing fine when I check on him, his poos look normal, with the urate big so you can see he has been drinking, like I said I left him alone and his tail looks really good, I kept the stub in there, I change his water (he seems to be drinking more often now) and Katie, trust me he is fatter then the pics I first put of him.

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

Some good advice I found:


You admit multiple times that you didn't catch that William was ill until it was too late. You're repeating the same thing with Oliver! He's skinny and stressed and his mouth has something going on, and you're just hoping it will fix itself. If something is wrong you can't know without going to a reptile-vet. If nothing is wrong, fine, it's like $60 and you know your gecko is okay. But when Oliver passes away in a month because of his worms, or mouth rot, or some other treatable issue you'll be right back to where you were with William. How many times will you repeat this cycle of buying from a bad source, not providing health care, and watching your beloved pet suffer?

I'm sorry, but 10 is old enough to learn from your mistakes. You missed the issue with William, and that's sad. Don't do it again with Oliver.

I'm not trying to be mean, I've messed up big time too. My pets have suffered and died because I was too stubborn to admit something was seriously wrong. I get the feeling. But that gecko needs you to man up and do right by it.

I'm wishing Oliver all the best and a speedy recovery.

I told you he's NOT SKINNY. I left him alone for two days now, not even touching him! He's at least two times the size of William. And if the 'mouth rot' progresses then Ill take him to the vet. But right now, he doesn't look like he's in pain, he's sleeping the entire darn day, and I'm not stressing him out, I haven't even touched him for a while now! He has everything he needs, and if he does progress badly from here, my mom will gladly take him to the vet.
And by the way, I only bought William sick. He was my first pet, and nobody told me that he was thin. (Except for one person) and nobody told me he was thin! Everyone said he looks fine! And now you're saying a perfectly sized baby leo is very thin. William was very thin. Oliver is not.

 

[Ozy]

Let's all just take a chill pill.. And remember that we are talking to a 10 year old little girl ok? I think we should just calm down and see what happens. Good job on not bothering Ollie! You can take the stub out of the cage and throw it away (if it's the part NOT attached to his body of course, LOL). He doesn't need it. It's ok to clean, feed, change water and stuff daily, just shoo him out of the way if he's in the way and do what you need to do. When we say "handling" it means trying to hold him, taking him out of the cage and messing with him.. Stuff like that. Don't try to mess with his mouth, or make him open it or anything. Just keep a VERY close eye on it and if it looks even a TEENY bit worse he needs to go STRAIGHT to the vet ok? Make sure you keep his cage, food, water and calcium dishes SUPER clean. During this time I would take out his repti-carpet , replace it with paper towels (or newspaper) and change all of the paper everyday. Make sure your temps are spot on. Remember 90-95 on the floor of the hot side.. High 70s on the cool side. And make sure he has his humid hide on the hot side and a dry, warm hide and a cool hide. Make sure you are gut loading the mealworms really well, Fluker's High Calcium Cricket Diet and their water gel is a good combo. Dust EVERY mealworm with Repashy Calcium Plus (You probably already know, just a friendly reminder. )

 

[Lindz0518]

Let's all just take a chill pill.. And remember that we are talking to a 10 year old little girl ok? I think we should just calm down and see what happens. Good job on not bothering Ollie! You can take the stub out of the cage and throw it away (if it's the part NOT attached to his body of course, LOL). He doesn't need it. It's ok to clean, feed, change water and stuff daily, just shoo him out of the way if he's in the way and do what you need to do. When we say "handling" it means trying to hold him, taking him out of the cage and messing with him.. Stuff like that. Don't try to mess with his mouth, or make him open it or anything. Just keep a VERY close eye on it and if it looks even a TEENY bit worse he needs to go STRAIGHT to the vet ok? Make sure you keep his cage, food, water and calcium dishes SUPER clean. During this time I would take out his repti-carpet , replace it with paper towels (or newspaper) and change all of the paper everyday. Make sure your temps are spot on. Remember 90-95 on the floor of the hot side.. High 70s on the cool side. And make sure he has his humid hide on the hot side and a dry, warm hide and a cool hide. Make sure you are gut loading the mealworms really well, Fluker's High Calcium Cricket Diet and their water gel is a good combo. Dust EVERY mealworm with Repashy Calcium Plus (You probably already know, just a friendly reminder. )

:main_thumbsup: I agree!

 

[katie_]

I agree we're just talking to a 10 year old, but when shes told her new gecko is thin, she shouldnt be so stubborn.
Yes William was emaciated thin. Oliver is still too thin, even though he is bigger than William was.

 

[Fatal_S]

I am not trying to be mean, but you are young and a relative newbie to leos/reptiles. You do not have the knowledge base to say if your gecko is healthy or if there is something nasty happening. A vet does.

Oliver is skinny. No, he's not emaciated. But he's not at a healthy weight. Not to mention he just lost a huge portion of his meager fat-reserved when his tail fell off. Yes, he's unlikely to fall over dead right now. He's not in terrible shape by any means. But he is skinny and there is something strange with his mouth. A simple visit to a vet could let you know what's going on and if it needs to be treated.

Mostly, I'm concerned about the mouth. The tail and skinniness are things I think you're working hard on. But mouth rot is nasty and it doesn't disappear just because you want it to. Trust me on this. I ignored the first signs I caught in my skink (it was actually his eye, it swelled up then returned to normal, so I didn't think much of it). I asked more experienced people like you are here, but had I taken the time to see a vet maybe we could have caught it early. He nearly died; the vet was afraid to even touch him at the first appointment - he was so close. Part of his face literally rotted off, even with lots of medications. He survived, but his face will never be the same. Mouth rot is nasty, and a good vet could give you a quick yes/no answer and you would know for sure. It's not that expensive, and the animal is worth it.

EDIT:
Wanted to add that I do get that you're in a tight spot. You are working hard for your gecko. I don't mean to make it seem like you're messing up. For the vet, I just know how awful mouth rot can be.

But I get that your mother is an issue. After all, if there's nothing wrong she might consider vets a waste of time and money. Maybe tell her you would really appreciate a simple check up so you know Oliver is healthy, and offer to do some extra chores or such in exchange?

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

I agree we're just talking to a 10 year old, but when shes told her new gecko is thin, she shouldnt be so stubborn.
Yes William was emaciated thin. Oliver is still too thin, even though he is bigger than William was.

I'm sorry that's just my trait... Horrible one, I agree, but that's me...
Please believe me, he's not horribly thin (yes, William was emaciated) I took really old pics then I fed him a lot of mealies and he got fatter, maybe not normal weight, just he got fatter then the pics I took before. I'll work on his fatness. He was the fattest one at Petco.
Please forgive me, I had a very stressful week this week.

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

I am not trying to be mean, but you are young and a relative newbie to leos/reptiles. You do not have the knowledge base to say if your gecko is healthy or if there is something nasty happening. A vet does.

Oliver is skinny. No, he's not emaciated. But he's not at a healthy weight. Not to mention he just lost a huge portion of his meager fat-reserved when his tail fell off. Yes, he's unlikely to fall over dead right now. He's not in terrible shape by any means. But he is skinny and there is something strange with his mouth. A simple visit to a vet could let you know what's going on and if it needs to be treated.

Mostly, I'm concerned about the mouth. The tail and skinniness are things I think you're working hard on. But mouth rot is nasty and it doesn't disappear just because you want it to. Trust me on this. I ignored the first signs I caught in my skink (it was actually his eye, it swelled up then returned to normal, so I didn't think much of it). I asked more experienced people like you are here, but had I taken the time to see a vet maybe we could have caught it early. He nearly died; the vet was afraid to even touch him at the first appointment - he was so close. Part of his face literally rotted off, even with lots of medications. He survived, but his face will never be the same. Mouth rot is nasty, and a good vet could give you a quick yes/no answer and you would know for sure. It's not that expensive, and the animal is worth it.

EDIT:
Wanted to add that I do get that you're in a tight spot. You are working hard for your gecko. I don't mean to make it seem like you're messing up. For the vet, I just know how awful mouth rot can be.

But I get that your mother is an issue. After all, if there's nothing wrong she might consider vets a waste of time and money. Maybe tell her you would really appreciate a simple check up so you know Oliver is healthy, and offer to do some extra chores or such in exchange?

I know you're only trying to help, and I thank you. And if he continues to get worse (just a teeny bit worse) ill have to take him to the vet. Actually, so to speak, I'll have to beg my mom to take me to the vet.
P S I don't really have chores, but I guess I could exchange some for a vet visit.

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

Let's all just take a chill pill.. And remember that we are talking to a 10 year old little girl ok? I think we should just calm down and see what happens. Good job on not bothering Ollie! You can take the stub out of the cage and throw it away (if it's the part NOT attached to his body of course, LOL). He doesn't need it. It's ok to clean, feed, change water and stuff daily, just shoo him out of the way if he's in the way and do what you need to do. When we say "handling" it means trying to hold him, taking him out of the cage and messing with him.. Stuff like that. Don't try to mess with his mouth, or make him open it or anything. Just keep a VERY close eye on it and if it looks even a TEENY bit worse he needs to go STRAIGHT to the vet ok? Make sure you keep his cage, food, water and calcium dishes SUPER clean. During this time I would take out his repti-carpet , replace it with paper towels (or newspaper) and change all of the paper everyday. Make sure your temps are spot on. Remember 90-95 on the floor of the hot side.. High 70s on the cool side. And make sure he has his humid hide on the hot side and a dry, warm hide and a cool hide. Make sure you are gut loading the mealworms really well, Fluker's High Calcium Cricket Diet and their water gel is a good combo. Dust EVERY mealworm with Repashy Calcium Plus (You probably already know, just a friendly reminder. )

Thank you, I'm sorry that I've been a pain in the butt. I promise I'm not even touching him (except for one instance I had to, I took out his hide slash water bowl to change water, and to make sure I didn't put it on him I had to push him away, as to not hurt him, so I did shoo him)
For some reason he's not eating mealies on his own. That is freaking me out, although he did eat crickets all the time. Should I switch back to crickets? I'm kind of scared since I can't touch him...

 

[jemjdragon]

I have been following your post for a bit and I wanted to give some advice because what you are going through with your mom not wanting to take Oliver to the vet is basically what I went through with my mom when I was younger (and my mom is Polish too).

First off, it started with my guinea pigs. One was getting severely thin because his teeth were too long and I managed to convince my mom to get another smaller cage to separate him from the other guinea pig, however, even when he was at the point where I hand feed him and his hip bones were sticking out, she still wouldn't take him to the vet, stating she is not paying for a vet trip that costs more than buying a new guinea pig. He eventually passed away.

The second sick pet was my first leopard gecko, Ryoo. I had her for 4 years before she got sick. I noticed her getting skinnier and refusing food. My mom would not take her to the vet either. So I called the vet myself. Found out how much a fecal and check up would be. Then counted up all my money that I had saved from my allowance. I didn't have quite enough, so I brought it up with my mom again. She said she would take me to the vet if I got enough money. I did extra chores for her and garden work for some family friends, and managed to go to the vet after a week. She took me to the vet and Ryoo had a check up, got a fecal exam, and I got her medications too.

Ever since then I made sure to have enough money for at least a check up.

I know for a 10 year old saving money for a vet check up is hard. But I find if you work hard and show that you are serious about taking the animal to the vet, then parents will usually help. Maybe call the vet office and ask about pricing then talk to your mom. If you have money for it, ask if your mom will take you and you will pay. If you don't have enough, ask if your mom will cover the rest or if there is anything you can do around the house to help make money for the rest.

I hope this helps.

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

I have been following your post for a bit and I wanted to give some advice because what you are going through with your mom not wanting to take Oliver to the vet is basically what I went through with my mom when I was younger (and my mom is Polish too).

First off, it started with my guinea pigs. One was getting severely thin because his teeth were too long and I managed to convince my mom to get another smaller cage to separate him from the other guinea pig, however, even when he was at the point where I hand feed him and his hip bones were sticking out, she still wouldn't take him to the vet, stating she is not paying for a vet trip that costs more than buying a new guinea pig. He eventually passed away.

The second sick pet was my first leopard gecko, Ryoo. I had her for 4 years before she got sick. I noticed her getting skinnier and refusing food. My mom would not take her to the vet either. So I called the vet myself. Found out how much a fecal and check up would be. Then counted up all my money that I had saved from my allowance. I didn't have quite enough, so I brought it up with my mom again. She said she would take me to the vet if I got enough money. I did extra chores for her and garden work for some family friends, and managed to go to the vet after a week. She took me to the vet and Ryoo had a check up, got a fecal exam, and I got her medications too.

Ever since then I made sure to have enough money for at least a check up.

I know for a 10 year old saving money for a vet check up is hard. But I find if you work hard and show that you are serious about taking the animal to the vet, then parents will usually help. Maybe call the vet office and ask about pricing then talk to your mom. If you have money for it, ask if your mom will take you and you will pay. If you don't have enough, ask if your mom will cover the rest or if there is anything you can do around the house to help make money for the rest.

I hope this helps.

We already did, the one at PetSmart costs like 60$ for a checkup, and most people say that one isn't so good, so a professional one around here must cost more...
Thank you that really helped. Unfortunately I talked to my mom about getting an allowance by doing chores, she said no.
Once again, than, you. Just wait for a few sec, ill check up on Ollie.

 

[WilliamTheLeopardGecko]

I'm scared now.... Ugh, I checked on him, he was kind of white and lying still, so I had to touch him(yeah, I know, but I had to make sure he was okay) he got thinner, not eating mealies, and in shed. Ill tell you more later....