Scabs/Licking/Biting/Strange!!!

[nicolegggrady]

Hello,

For a couple days my Leo has been spending a lot of time outside of his cave...mostly on his heating pad.

He is eating normally, his temps are only around 77 on hot side and a little lower on the cool side. I have been reading that they should be higher on the hot side...

But my concern is that it looks as if there are a few scabs on his back, I mean really, really tiny but still worth mentioning. And he is flipping his head back to try and lick his back as if he is itchy. He can usually just reach the base of his tail so he just licks there for a second and he nibbled his tail a couple times. He keeps trying over and over and over to reach his back and I watched him for about 10 minutes and he looked so tired by the end of it, I think he finally just gave up.

I did turn off his lights and then he did stop trying to swing around and looked more calm. So I am wondering if maybe the lights were irritating this mystery scab?

I did touch his back VERY GENTLY and he freaked out, I usually am able to touch him with no reaction as I have had him for 6 years. He seemed as if my touch was very painful and I felt so bad

There is a little discoloration, just the colors on his back aren't as bright?

THE OTHER THING I NEED TO MENTION is after watching him I took a peek around his cage for anything sharp and OH MY GOD I saw a spider. Now it was VERY small, about half the size of an eraser on the tip of a pencil. I have seen this spiders around my house before (I live out in the country) but NEVER IN HIS CAGE. Which makes me worry maybe he was bitten? Now irritated?

He looked pretty tired and was walking a little funny but I imagine that is the result when you thrash around for 10 minutes and get tired. He ate a pile or worms though and has not lost any weight.

Is it a bite? Is it a burn?

If anyone can weigh in on this I would appreciate it, I am worried for him and do not want him to be uncomfortable.

About your leo:
- Sex - Male
- Age & Weight - 6+ years
- How long have you owned your leo - 6+ years
- 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 often
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now. - Thrashing backwards to try and lick back
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe. - problem shedding once but changed his environment and he has been blissful since
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal) - normal
- When was the last time he/she went - in the same spot, not sure when, but it is normal
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on - 2+ days, a few scabs on his back (very small) a little bit of dry skin, trying to lick but cant reach

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size - 20 gal
- Type (ex. glass tank) - glass
- Type of substrate - reptile carpet
- Hides, how many, what kind - 1 cave, 1 log
B) Heating
- Heat source - 2 lights
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side) - hot, 77 cool, 72
- Method of regulating heat source - heat lights and under tank heater
- What are you using to measure your temps - 2 thermostats
- Do you have any lights (describe) - 1 normal light, 1 heat red light
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) - NONE
- Describe health, or previous problems

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much) - small waxworms for treats, small mealworms
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect) - dropped in
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands) - using a calcium poweder and I have seen him eat it
- What are you gut loading food with - none

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Do you have pictures? Is he housed with another leo? If the light was hot or UVB it could be burns. He also does need the floor on the warm side at 90 degrees to digest his food properly. Best way to achieve this is with an Undertank Heater. They can be purchased at most pet stores for around $10-20 but you'll probably also need a dimmer or thermostat to control it which will be $10+ more. I seriously doubt a spider that small could have bitten him but I guess it might be a possibility.

If you're really worried about him a vet visit would be best. Arav.org has a list of reptile vets in lots of places.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Also, if you provide the rest of this info it will help.

http://geckoforums.net/f130-health-medications/70912.htm

 

[nicolegggrady]

Thank you so much for answering.

I am going to take some pictures tonight if the problem persists.

I do not have another Leo, he has always lived alone.

I have had the same lights for months but maybe now he is showing signs of it affecting him. He does have an undertank heater and lays on it after he eats. Sorry I should have mentioned that!

I will buy a dimmer. My dad forgot to turn his light off for 2 nights while I was out of town so it is possible that he fell asleep out in the heat and then the UVB or other light burned him?

God I feel so bad I am always so annoying about them taking care of him while I am gone but he forgot...

 

[nicolegggrady]

About your leo:
- Sex - Male
- Age & Weight - 6+ years
- How long have you owned your leo - 6+ years
- 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 often
- Is your leo acting any different today? If so how does he/she normally act which differs from now. - Thrashing backwards to try and lick back
- Has he/she had any problems in the past, if so please describe. - problem shedding once but changed his environment and he has been blissful since
B) Fecals
- Describe (look any different than normal) - normal
- When was the last time he/she went - in the same spot, not sure when, but it is normal
C) Problem
- Please briefly describe the problem and how long it has been going on - 2+ days, a few scabs on his back (very small) a little bit of dry skin, trying to lick but cant reach

Housing:
A) Enclosure
- Size - 20 gal
- Type (ex. glass tank) - glass
- Type of substrate - reptile carpet
- Hides, how many, what kind - 1 cave, 1 log
B) Heating
- Heat source - 2 lights
- Cage temps (hot side, cool side) - hot, 77 cool, 72
- Method of regulating heat source - heat lights and under tank heater
- What are you using to measure your temps - 2 thermostats
- Do you have any lights (describe) - 1 normal light, 1 heat red light
C) Cage mates
- How many (males, females) - NONE
- Describe health, or previous problems

Describe Diet:
A) Typical diet
- What you're feeding (how often, how much) - small waxworms for treats, small mealworms
- How are you feeding (hand fed, left in dish, ect) - dropped in
B) Supplements (describe how often)
- What vitamin/minerals are you using (list brands) - using a calcium poweder and I have seen him eat it
- What are you gut loading food with - none

 

[nicolegggrady]

Do you know of any remedies for burns from lighting?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

How are you measuring your temperatures? I would get a probe thermometer as you need to measure the temp on the ground. The air temp doesn't matter too much. I'd also get him a couple more hides and a moist hide in a 20L. I'd get rid of the light all together. In my expeirence UTH + lamp = cooking geckos unless your house stays at 65 degrees or cooler more than 12 hours a day.

If they're minor scratches I wouldn't put anything on them. If they're open wounds that are fairly deep I might try some Vaseline or Neosporin. He'll heal faster if the wounds sccab over and dry out, he has warmer temps and a good moist hide to help him shed.

 

[nicolegggrady]

Thank you so much for answering me.

An update as of last night and this morning, I left all the lights off and he seems much more relaxed. His back is just a little dry, I can see some dry skin so I am hoping his next shed it will all come off and he won't have any sore spots. I am sure it was just the heat bothering him. I fed him this morning and he ate and was his usual self (attacking the worms all excited).

The thermo's I have are actually on the ground so the hot side is 76 and the cool side was 70 as of this morning. My basement is pretty cool so its never too hot where his cage is. He is usually laying on his heating pad.

Do you have some tips for safely increasing the heat so he doesn't burn? If I get rid of all the lighting should I be adding another UTH?

 

[nicolegggrady]

I turned his red light on just for a second to snap a quick pic of him I got an action shot while he was walking around

 

[mcwendle]

Wow he has a bulbous tail.

 

[nicolegggrady]

Oh god do I have to worry about that now? He is really big!! Like to the tip of my fingers to my arm. He's loooooong

 

[DrCarrotTail]

He does look quite a bit overweight - especially if he's a boy. I don't like my guys to have tails that are much wider than the base of their tail. I would put him on a bit of a diet. 5 mealworms 2x a week should do it. My one guy is 100g and has been on that diet for over a year and has lost like 3g. They really don't need to eat much to survive after they're full grown. If you pick up a cheap $10 scale you'll be able to monitor how fast he's losing weight and add another feeding if he loses more than a half gram a week or so.

Glad to hear he's doing better without the light! With the red light it's hard to make out any wounds on his back. An UTH should heat the floor of your tank way more than 76 even if your basement is 65 degrees. Sounds like it might not be working right. I would find a probe or infrared thermometer so you can measure temps accurately. If you have a really thick substrate in the cage that might be the case. Put the probe directly on the UTH on the outside bottom of the tank and see if the reading is any higher. That should tell you if it's working or not.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Also - geckos need a vitamin supplement in addition to calcium. If you're not using one Repashy Calcium Plus is a great all in one. They tend to suffer from vitamin A and other deficiencies if they don't get one on a regular basis.

 

[nicolegggrady]

UPDATE!!!! He shed and is doing much better now, seems more relaxed and is taking naps with his head half sticking out of his cave like the entrance is a pillow. So cute I am feeding him less frequently as he is a big boy. Thanks for your help!!!!