Problems shedding! Skin stuck to eyes!

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Meeks420

Guest
Hello everyone, recently (yesterday or the day before) i noticed my leopard gecko was shedding. But then i noticed both eyes were closed and skin was stuck over his face, including both eyes and his mouth. I was able to get the skin off his mouth by a damp cotton swab. But i have no clue how to get this skin off his eyes.

What really scares me the most is that he has been losing weight, alot, sometimes he has periods where he wont eat and he gets skinny. But its odd that hes getting this skinny and this instance is happening. I read on some websites that this might be normal for intance,

Puffed-Out Eyelids - Pre-Shed
This is common in many lizards with moveable eyelids, seen most frequently in iguanas and true chameleons. As the skin on the eyelids is undergoing the changes associated with getting ready to shed, the lizard will puff out the eyelids when its eyes are closed. These distensions look frightening from the outside, but they apparently help loosen the old layer of skin, readying it to shed.

Later, once the old skin is ready to break and start coming off, the lizards will often rub their closed eyes against something in their enclosure or area. This might be to soothe an itch associated with the coming shed, or might be done to help gently break the skin so that the final step in the shedding process can begin, that stage where you lizard looks like it has bits of cloth stuck to its eyelids, waving gently in the breeze.

Still im in tears about this, im 16 right now and ive had this little guy (Gecks) since i was 11 (5 years). Apparently my mother had been taking his humid box out of the cage. but for a while (a year) he hasnt had any problems shedding
Also some is stuck on his tail, but i dont think it poses a problem. I gave him a luke warm bath today and he didnt enjoy it at all he licked his face/eyes though during it. Im not sure if his weight loss is because hes blind, and cannot see anything or its health related. Or he might be able to see through the shedding skin.

Please, i am by no means an animal expert. Is this normal? Or has anoyone else had this instance? and if so, what was the outcome?

All help would be greatly appreciated by me and my little friend Gecks.
 
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Kilikina

New Member
Messages
195
Location
CO/TX
kiki got some shed stuck in her eye a couple months ago. i left it alone for a couple days hoping it would make its way out on ints own, but that didn't happen. i eventually bought some saline and squirted it in there and it came out the next day. i'd recommend you get some saline and squirt it in there!! hopefully that'll work for you.
 
M

Meeks420

Guest
kiki got some shed stuck in her eye a couple months ago. i left it alone for a couple days hoping it would make its way out on ints own, but that didn't happen. i eventually bought some saline and squirted it in there and it came out the next day. i'd recommend you get some saline and squirt it in there!! hopefully that'll work for you.

Thank you!
Ill try to get some in the morning.
Right now hes sawing logs in his cave.
I got a cotton swap and very gently dropped water on it in hopes of it to losen up. and it seems to have worked a little bit, he also stuck his head up and opened his mouth to drink some. Lol. hes still energetic also. He attempted to corner a cricket earlier somehow, but it jumped over him :/
 
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leonewbie

Guest
You might want to let your mom know to keep the humid hide in the cage...that way it's one more think you can eliminate as a possibility (why was she taking it out anyway...curiousity? :) And if you notice he is having problems catching the crickets...maybe try pinching a leg off one side so they are slower for him...does he eat any mealworms? Good Luck!
 
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Meeks420

Guest
You might want to let your mom know to keep the humid hide in the cage...that way it's one more think you can eliminate as a possibility (why was she taking it out anyway...curiousity? :) And if you notice he is having problems catching the crickets...maybe try pinching a leg off one side so they are slower for him...does he eat any mealworms? Good Luck!

he has a tray of mealworms all the time. The skin is still on his eyes, but he seems to be doing better, ive been dropping water on the shed with a cotton swab and it seems to be loosening up. He keeps licking his eyes and streching his mouth like hes trying to losen up the skin. Hopefully this is normal. He hasnt ate, and i keep making sure hes drinking by letting him drink some of the drops from the cotton swab. I think he wont eat while i watch him with the room light on though. He might want to eat when its pitch dark in there.
 
M

Meeks420

Guest
He is eating and definatly drinking. IT seems like one of his eyes is starting to look better, and ive been misting/bathing him daily on top of making sure his humid hide is humid. HIs eyes still dont look to well though. the skin seems to be really dry and flaky. Then agian he might have been scraping it to get it off. I also read in another post with someone else having the same scenario and they said that their leo's eyes actually got worse before better! i really do hope this is my case. Besides the skin hes doing fine. Hes running around, eating, drinking. ect. I think he might be able to see through the matted skin
 

JordanAng420

New Member
Messages
3,280
Location
Miami, FL
The guy at the pet store told me to use mineral oil on eyes...

DON'T do that. The solution is not sterile at all.

This is just sort of a heads up to anyone reading this: Please don't take medical advice from pet store staff!!

There's a reason we went to school for that stuff.
 
M

Meeks420

Guest
Today Geks passed away.
He had not been eating for the past couple of weeks and getting smaller and smaller. The shed never fully went away and he began to have both eyes infected.

I cant help but feel so damn guilty for this.
How could i be such a crappy owner? I mean, i was supposed to be there to take care of him. And what did i do?

I let him die, i feel like the worst person in the world right now.

Now i have to wrap his limp little body up and bury him.

The only thing that is going through my head is that empty cage with rocks/logs for no one...
 

JordanAng420

New Member
Messages
3,280
Location
Miami, FL
Meeks,
I am so, so, SO sorry for your loss. It's awful to go through the pain of losing a little loved one. The feelings you are experiancing are normal, and guilt is only part of the grief process: GUILT, anger, depression, denial and finally acceptance. You may feel some, or all of these steps...

I'm sure you did the best you could to help this little guy. Unfortunately, these things happen sometimes...they don't all make it :( And it sucks, but you shouldn't beat yourself up too much. If there's something you neglected, then it's been a learning experiance.

We're always here for a shoulder to cry on... :)
 

mainelygeckos

New Member
Messages
1,465
Location
Maine
Oh I'm so sorry hun :( And Maia is right don't beat urself up. Things do happen and more often then not they are beyond our control. Yes our shoulders are here for you should u need them HUGGS
 

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