stomach coloration

[franky_402]

so my gecko just shed for the first time since i got him and when i was giving him/her a warm bath i took a look at the stomach and noticed some blue and white coloration. not really sure if this is normal, and the gf is freaking out that her gecko is going to die. i have a picture of it a little hard to see he didnt want to lay on his back very much!!

also anyone have an idea of what color morph he is

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Young ones have thin translucent skin, so you can see their guts. That white spot looks like urates. Check it again after elimination, it will look different. All perfectly normal

 

[Dog Shrink]

The feet seem an odd color to me... are you keeping this young one on colored sand? Also kinda thin... what's the habitat like? Temps, feeding schedule, diet etc? When was it hatched (age)?

 

[Jordan]

yeh i agree, looking kinda thin?

looks like a super hypo, or maybe a patternless but tail looks like it may have pattern on so not sure.

 

[franky_402]

We got him from Craigslist as a 3 yr old blizzard gecko, but I'm doubting that a lot. I don't have access to a scale so I haven't been able to weigh him either. He was on blue calci sand when we got him a week ago but since have switched him to ceramic tile. Also since we got him his tail has been extremely skinny and almost a purple color. He just shed yesterday and looks like he has some old shed still stuck on like 2 of his toes from a prior shed. I had him soaking for a little while yesterday but it wasnt softening up. Maybe I didn't have the water got enough but I didn't want to burn him. I assume he is an adult by what I've been told so I'm feeding him every other day. He usually eats about 4 crickets and 2 wax worms sometimes that varies but he never throws up and is always excited about food.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I presume your temps are all appropriate and using the right heating equipment so I think he'll bounce back in no time as long as you keep him on a consistant feeding schedule with the same amount each feeding. Be careful with the wax worms, they're addicting make sure they're the last thing you feed him IMO so he doesn't reject other food in lieu of the waxies. You may also want to consider adding some super worms next week as they are well balanced protein/fat wise and 3 should be a good feeding amount plus it gives him a little variety. Crickets can be intimidating if he doesnt eat them right away and they could nibble on him if you leave them in the tank. I'd continue the soaking, just a tick warmer than your hand temp. Hot but not super hot. Soak 2 times a day 15-20 minutes a pop, and make sure he has a good humid hide. Paper towels soaked in a glad ware dish with the lid on it and a hole cut so he can go in and out as he wants. Prob. better on the hot side of the tank.

 

[franky_402]

good to know, everytime i drop crickets in there he attacks immediatly he is very interested in food so thats good. sometimes he misses which also leads me to believe that he is not 3 yrs old. i was using water slightly warmer than my hand yesterday but it got cold pretty quick so i had to keep changing the water and when i tried to use the q-tip to wipe off the old shed he would get scared and try to run away lol.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Aww... I know that when I use to soak my ball python I would set the tub temp the same as I would for my 5 year old if that helps at all. Maybe try an old soft bristle tooth brush insted of the q tip. It's a little more rough so it could get the loose skin of faster than a q tip so the leo didn't get as scared from repeated attempts. .

 

[franky_402]

my gecko is about 7"-8" snout to tail, his tail is like purple colored is something wrong with his tail and how old is a gecko that is the approx length. also how often do they shed??

 

[fl_orchidslave]

He's about average size for an adult. I would offer a few feeders daily to help him gain weight back to a healthy level. When people loose interest in their animal it often isn't fed often enough. If he skips a day of eating it's no big deal. A healthy diet is the key, "treat foods" aren't necessary. He needs 90-95 under tank heat on the warm end, that helps with their color as well as digestion. If he was previously kept too cold, that could cause him to look dull as he does, even his tail. You are dusting feeders, yes? The warm bath needs to be like for a baby, you can take out some as it cools and add warm without disturbing him. Keep trying to roll off the stuck shed with a q-tip, a dab of mineral oil (baby oil) will help if its stubborn. Some members here have also used olive oil. Just from your photo he doesn't look too bad, but if his tail doesn't start plumping up he will need to see a vet for a detailed fecal test. It's great that he has such a good appetite Good luck with him

 

[Dog Shrink]

The purple tail could be really a white tail that is stained from the colored sand, or the leo has some lavender influence in him. I think most leos shed approx every 6-ish weeks. My leo is about 7 inches-ish and he is 7 months old.

 

[franky_402]

so then he is likely full grown (minus the extremely skinny tail) should we feed him small crickets or large and you should only dust them about twice weekly correct?? should i start feeding him daily for a little while to help him get his weight up back to normal. it also looks like he has what i think is a sperm plug from seeing other things here on the forums but i cant tell for sure if he is a male, i dont see the obvious ^ marking by his vent. is that a problem if that plug is still in there or should we try to have it removed. thanks for all the advice so far!

 

[JordanAng420]

Feed him whatever the heck he wants. And as much as he wants. Small or large crickets, mealworms, superworms, butterworms, waxworms, roaches...You'd probably be okay with dusting every other day if you plan on feeding daily.

This gecko is in pretty bad condition. Shame on the previous owners who allowed him to become emaciated.

What makes you think he's got a sperm plug? Got any pics of his vent?

 

[franky_402]

ill try to get a picture of it tomorrow it just looks similar to pictures of others that have said it was a sperm plug. it just looks like a hard black thing coming out of his vent. i dont want to pull on anything, the very first time i seen it i thought it was part of his bowel movement that was stuck or something.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I thought sperm plugs where white-ish?

 

[franky_402]

picture of what i think is a sperm plug, can anyone confirm???

 

[Dog Shrink]

Here is an image I found of a sperm plug compared to a poo

and a prolapsed hemipenes

If you've left him in a dry substrait I heard they will dry out and that is what it looks like to me, but I'm no pro. I think you need to see a vet asap.

An article I think worth reading (hope it's ok to post the link) it's about infected plugs and hemepenes necrosis http://snakebytestv.ning.com/profiles/blogs/please-read-infected-plugs-and?xg_source=activity

 

[franky_402]

Here is an image I found of a sperm plug compared to a poo

and a prolapsed hemipenes

If you've left him in a dry substrait I heard they will dry out and that is what it looks like to me, but I'm no pro. I think you need to see a vet asap.

An article I think worth reading (hope it's ok to post the link) it's about infected plugs and hemepenes necrosis http://snakebytestv.ning.com/profiles/blogs/please-read-infected-plugs-and?xg_source=activity

His doesn't look fleshy like In your picture it looks almost like a babies dried umbilical cord that's why I wasn't sure. Also your link just takes me to someone's post about her Leo dying and she mentioned a mag of some sort that explained how to check any chances u have a link to that I'm on my phone so its a little difficult to search on here

 

[Dog Shrink]

You'll have to click the link on your conputer, it does take you to the article, and if the hemepenes was to dry out it could look like a dried ubnbilical cord. that is a rather fresh prolapsed hemepenes which is why i included teh article about necrosis. I hope I'm wrong but the more info the better right. Still I'd get him to a vet anything sticking out of a vent can be good.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

He needs to see a qualified herp vet asap as his issues are snowballing fast on you, and he could take a turn for the worst in a hurry.