possible post shed eye infection?

[desmond]

hey all,

im new to the forum, i joined looking for a bit of help. my leo has been shedding but it seemed to take longer than usual. probably not ideal conditions living in new england. its hard to keep her home at a consistent temp or humidity. but i keep one side at about 80 and the other side around 70, but the humidity varies depending on the day.

today i noticed her eyes were shut and she was a bit pale, my fiance noticed yesterday but assumed she was basking a bit. we saw a buildup around her eyes and when she heard us talking she ran out and tried climbing up the tank.

we took her out and put her in a bit of a warm water bath since i havent seen her drinking in a bit then used a q tip to dampen her eyes a bit to soften the gunk. shes now able to open her eyes and her eyeballs themselves look fine and shes been licking them like crazy, but theres still a bit of buildup around the lids.

i havent been able to find an exotic pet vet around here yet but found that flukers has a reptile antimicrobial eye solution that may help.

any suggestions? has anybody had any experiences they could share?

some info: Lilith is a year old as of april 23rd (best estimation), got her from +++++ (which i consider a rescue.....). she hasn't had any issues until this particular shed. most of her habitat are slate tiles with some patches of reptile sand. i keep water on the warm and cool side and mealworms in the middle. also a good size section with damp moss for humidity. i keep crickets but shes never interested when i put them in and they end up dying.

- matt

 

[Dinosaur!]

I already sense that you may have been misinformed on some husbandry guidelines. But for us to get a better idea could you please fill this out so that we will be able to help you and your gecko out more?

About your leo:
- Sex
- Age & Weight
- How long have you owned your leo
- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend)

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal)
- When was the last time he/she went
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size
- Type (ex. glass tank)
- Type of substrate
- Hides, how many, what kind
B) Heating
- Heat source
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)
- Method of regulating heat source
- What are you using to measure your temps
- Do you have any lights (describe)
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)
- Describe health, or previous problems

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much)
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect)
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)
- What are you gut loading food with

 

[desmond]

I already sense that you may have been misinformed on some husbandry guidelines. But for us to get a better idea could you please fill this out so that we will be able to help you and your gecko out more?

About your leo:
- Sex
Female

- Age & Weight
1 year 2 month - dont have any means of weighing her, but shes a decent size with a nice fat tale

- How long have you owned your leo
1 year 1 month

- Where was he/she obtained (ex. Pet store, breeder, wild caught, friend)
pet store

A) Health/History
- How often do you handle your leo
not very often, a few times a month. we handled her more as a youngn but since shes grown she tends to head back towards the direction of her habitat if we put her on the bed. though she enjoys a nice back rub, its funny when they arch like a cat for a scratch

- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now.
she isnt acting any differently than usual, she tend to enjoy her hide more often than not

- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe.
she has had no problems since we've had her

B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal)
the portion thats usually white looks slightly yellowish now, but she doesnt eat often, i usually have to feed her mealworms as shes seems very disinterested in crickets when i put them in there. but i will find her at 3am sometimes tearing up the mealworm bowl secretly.

- When was the last time he/she went
the last time may have been 3 days ago

C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on

i believe she may have a post shedding eye infection. her shedding took longer than usual and i helped her remove a bit of skin because she was constantly rubbing against one of her hides to no avail and didnt want her hurting herself. i feel there may have not been enough humidity?

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size
- Type (ex. glass tank)
- Type of substrate
- Hides, how many, what kind

ill attach a few pics of her habitat.
its a glass tank, dont remember the exact size inch wise.

half of the tank are slate tiles and the other half reptile sand. we started her on all reptile sand and never had issues with impaction and she seems to enjoy it more. 2 hides. one small cave with a water bowl build in the other is a small log tunnel. both of which i got from a pet store. she prefers the cave. i also have a small dish where i keep some damp moss. occasionally shell hop in there and sit around but its been a while

B) Heating
- Heat source
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side)
- Method of regulating heat source
- What are you using to measure your temps
- Do you have any lights (describe)

i have a 75 watt uvb lamp i leave on at night. the hot side stays between 80 and 85, though i know it should be more, but i have trouble raising the temp while keeping the cool side around 70.

i have a heat rock i leave in the middle of the tank (which is on 24/7) in case she gets too cool during the day when the uvb is off. i have a therm on either side of the tank and a humidity monitor in the middle

C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females)
- Describe health, or previous problems

no cage mates

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much)
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect)

i have a bowl of mealworms in there she enjoys, i keep crickets and put them in often but it seems she doesnt like them. they end up dying off in the tank. ive tried removing a leg or 2 from them so she can catch them but she still doesnt attempt to. she did when she was younger though. occasionaly i will hand feel her mealworms, but she wont eat crickets when i try. ive tried buying the pre packaged crickets (like a can of tuna) but she wont eat those either.

B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands)
- What are you gut loading food with

i leave a small pile of calcium powder with vit d on the other side of the mealworm dish, which i just bought today. before that it was just calcium powder.

i usually sprinkle the meal works with calcium powder a couple times a week. my initial calcium brand was repashy superfoods, today i got flukers.

i feed the crickets flukers orange cube quencher. but i havent gotten any recently as she wont eat them.


I hope this helps! and thank you for taking the time!

 

[desmond]

dont mind the coco butter. we keep that there to keep out kitty from trying to jump from the bed into my dresser where her tank is.

 

[desmond]

i just took her out for a closer look. her tail has gotten a bit smaller, shes a bit paler, still has a bit of skin coming off on her arms and claws. but shes definitely active. i put the sink on real low with some luke warm water and she hung out a big licking her eyes after i dropped water on them, seemed content.

i dropped some warm water on her lid the rubbed it a bit. it seems she still has skin on 1 of her eyelids. i did the same thing earlier and her right eye is looking better with a bit of gunk, no skin . her left eye is concerning me. when i open it, it looks almost brownish like theres no eyeball but when she licks i see her eyeball come through fine. maybe a a sheet of gunk or something?

im going to find some reptile antimicrobial eyedrops i heard about earlier, tomorrow made by flukers. tried tonight but the store i went to didnt have any.

 

[sausage]

you really need to have a under tank heater (UHT) because leos absorb heat through their bellies not through the top of their bodies like most lizards. 75w is quite high, over head lights dry out the air a lot which can cause shedding problems and can also cause burns. you can easily place one under the tile end of the viv and the hide over the top will create an even warmer area if she wants more heat. you also mentioned that the light is a UVB lamp? leos don't strictly need UVB and those bulbs do not admit heat as far as im aware, unless its one of those new combo lights?
if you do wish to supply your leo with UVB alone you shouldn't use any higher then a 2% UVB output and only have it on for 2 or 3 hours a day.

i would recommend getting an infrared thermometer, you can get them real cheap off ebay, to check that the floor temp is high enough (which it probs isnt at the moment). those thometers are super accurate .

i would recommend creating a wet hide to help with shedding, you can do this by simply placing the wet moss inside the other hide at the cool end. that will create a nice damp, dark spot for her to shed in. the moss in the dish will dry out too quick in the open.

vitamins and minerals are also vital for skin health. make sure you dust with a vit mix that contains vitamin A (essential for eye and skin health) and vitamin D3 (vital for calcium absorption) as well as a pure calcium powder. i leave a cap of calcium in my vivs all the time, As you do already and i dust with the vit mix.

your doing good by bathing the eye, keep that up. take a close look and check there isn't any more skin stuck round the eyes, try to remove it carefully if there is. it is also important that you get the skin off her arms and feet as soon as possible because it can eventually restrict blood flow resulting in loss of toes and even limbs in severe cases.
sit her in some lukewarm water like you have been doing to moisten the skin and use Q tips, tweezers and your fingers to remove the skin.

It would be wise to seek out a herp vet for a visit, just to make sure theres nothing sinister going on though. a health check never hurts .

 

[Dinosaur!]

sausages post times 1000! Plus heat rocks can get "hot spots" that will burn your gecko before they even realize they are burned, becuase they are THAT hot.... Also, your gecko is albino based on that picture, and lights can really hurt albino geckos eyes, so the overheads could be doing more damage then they are good Im glad you came here for advice, and I hope that your geckos health begins improving. Welcome to the forum

 

[desmond]

you really need to have a under tank heater (UHT) because leos absorb heat through their bellies not through the top of their bodies like most lizards. 75w is quite high, over head lights dry out the air a lot which can cause shedding problems and can also cause burns. you can easily place one under the tile end of the viv and the hide over the top will create an even warmer area if she wants more heat. you also mentioned that the light is a UVB lamp? leos don't strictly need UVB and those bulbs do not admit heat as far as im aware, unless its one of those new combo lights?
if you do wish to supply your leo with UVB alone you shouldn't use any higher then a 2% UVB output and only have it on for 2 or 3 hours a day.

i would recommend getting an infrared thermometer, you can get them real cheap off ebay, to check that the floor temp is high enough (which it probs isnt at the moment). those thometers are super accurate .

i would recommend creating a wet hide to help with shedding, you can do this by simply placing the wet moss inside the other hide at the cool end. that will create a nice damp, dark spot for her to shed in. the moss in the dish will dry out too quick in the open.

vitamins and minerals are also vital for skin health. make sure you dust with a vit mix that contains vitamin A (essential for eye and skin health) and vitamin D3 (vital for calcium absorption) as well as a pure calcium powder. i leave a cap of calcium in my vivs all the time, As you do already and i dust with the vit mix.

your doing good by bathing the eye, keep that up. take a close look and check there isn't any more skin stuck round the eyes, try to remove it carefully if there is. it is also important that you get the skin off her arms and feet as soon as possible because it can eventually restrict blood flow resulting in loss of toes and even limbs in severe cases.
sit her in some lukewarm water like you have been doing to moisten the skin and use Q tips, tweezers and your fingers to remove the skin.

It would be wise to seek out a herp vet for a visit, just to make sure theres nothing sinister going on though. a health check never hurts .

hello! first of all i have fantastic news... she was trying to shed but it was probably too dry, which is my fault. i soaked her for a while again tonight and used a q tip to damped her whole body and skin started coming off like she was wearin a suit. the great news is i grabbed some tweezers and broke the skin around her head and slowly pulled it off of her face and her eyes appeared! the lids looked a bit swollen, maybe from the skin constantly in her eyes but they look as beautiful as ever. i still plan on taking her to a local vet i found used to be a zoo vet and sees reptiles. she seems happy now just hanging out in her cool hide, probably a bit anxious so ill leave her a lone a bit. she still has a bit of skin on her tail and claws but ill let her get that now that she can see.

thanks for the advice, im a first time owner and get suggestions left and right that seems to contradict and the pet store obviously doesn't help at all. im going to get rid of the uvb and rock and get an under tank heater. any suggestions for habitats? i currently have what you can see in the photo, the little cave with water bowl on top and on the other side a log looking tunnel, maybe a bit too small for her now.

 

[desmond]

sausages post times 1000! Plus heat rocks can get "hot spots" that will burn your gecko before they even realize they are burned, becuase they are THAT hot.... Also, your gecko is albino based on that picture, and lights can really hurt albino geckos eyes, so the overheads could be doing more damage then they are good Im glad you came here for advice, and I hope that your geckos health begins improving. Welcome to the forum

thanks for the info. i took away the lamp but left the rock for now until i can grab an under tank heater tomorrow. i covered the rock in sand so if she decides to use it (which ive never seen her do) there won't be direct contact. also, thank you for your concern!

 

[Dinosaur!]

thank you for taking our advice kindly! I can tell that you care about your gecko, and I know she will be fine with you

I would really reccomend getting rid of the sand, but thats a personal choice for you to make. I just dont even like the possibility of an impaction with my geckos. better safe than sorry in my opinion!

And you can add as many hides as you like, as long as she can get completely out of the light. Most people reccomend at least a cool dry hide, a warm dry hide, and a humid hide (warm, cold, or in between). Anything else is just extra peace of mind for your gecko

Good luck with your girl!

 

[desmond]

heres the new setup. i have a zoo med undertank heater under the far right side where the cave/water bowl combo is. got a new hide next to it, it has small openings on both sides and i put a small dish with wet moss in there. she can enter, chill out, and exit on the other side. i left some sand on the right side because its nice and cool and she likes just resting on it (also because i recently got a larger tank and havent gotten more slate tiles to fill it in, trying to stay a true as possible to her natural rocky environment). then her tunnel hide is in the back right, you can see her noggin poking out checking out whats goin on. had her out in some water (while redecorating) with the fiance to soften the skin on 2 of her legs because she hasn't gotten them yet. the rock and heatlamp are gone and the humidity, in general, is rising, which is good. i thought the heat lamp may have dried the air a bit but i didnt realize how much, its almost at a normal level now. the white dish is a bit more water on the cooler side. and hopefully shell make her new poop corner in the open area on the front left, well see. i took out her old ones for a cleaning. what do you think?!

thanks for all of your help. its much appreciated, especially with all of the seemingly incorrect information out there. hopefully she enjoys it!

 

[indyana]

Oh wow, what a lovely home!

Only thing I don't see that I'd normally like to see is a thermostat, but if you're monitoring the floor temperature carefully, that should also be good.

 

[Dinosaur!]

thank you for taking our advice! This new setup should be much better for your girls health Just keep a close eye on the sand and the temps, and you should be good!

 

[sausage]

Im glad shes doing better. You will find a lot of conflicting info as you read and ask around but generally most people on there agree with each other.
the tank looks lovely . I build platforms in all my vivs to increase the floor area as my geckos seem to love climbing. .
as already said sand is a conflicting thing. some people love it some people hate it. I personally use it and have never had a problem in all the years iv been keeping leos and they love to dig . if your environment is at optimum temperature and the leos health is fine any ingested sand should pass out with no problem. I do keep one of my leos on repti carpet but only because he has a recurring eye problem. So thats just my personal opinion. you'll have to make up your mind about the subject, just be aware that there are potential risks involved. your sand area is quite small though so i dont think there would be a problem