Tip of the tail is hard

[frost1375]

Okay... so I have my sick gecko under another post, but no one is responding anymore! He was at the vet and it was concluded that he has kidney problems and I'm supposed to give him soaks several times a day to rehydrate him. Also, i have to try to force feed him. I just went to give him a soak and the tip of his tail, like half an inch, is completely hard and sort of reddish brown. It looks as if it's almost dead and has become hard. I feel like it could be snapped very easily. Does anyone know what that means??? Is he dying on me??? He seems to be okay otherwise and was trying to hunt crickets earlier. He has no way of crushing his tail or anything, so I'm not sure why it's like that. Please if anyone knows whats going on, please tell me before I go rushing him to the emergency room! Thank you!

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

It sounds a lot like his tail could be burned. I recommend checking the surface temperatures on the hottest spot in his enclosure... ASAP!!!

 

[frost1375]

Okay! I'll check that. Is there anything I can put on his tail or do something for him? (Besides fix the temps) Is the tip of his tail going to fall off? Thank you so much for replying. I'm freaking out so bad!

 

[frost1375]

Since I had to separate him from the other geckos, I just sort of put him in a tank with a heat rock (which I have read bad things about) and an overhead heat lamp. I figured since it was temporary, the rock shouldn't hurt. I just held it in my hand for a few minutes and did not find any extremely hot spots on it. I felt it all over. That's the only source of heat inside the tank. I sort of hope it's just a burn, because I'm thinking worse things than that. So, just in case it's a burn, maybe I should treat it as one? But I'm not sure what to do. I'll definitely go out tomorrow and buy an under tank heater since his living situation will be a little more permanent than I thought. Or any other ideas other than a burn? I'm sorry for freaking out. I really just don't know what to do. It's times like these that I hate having pets because I feel so helpless and I feel so guilty for what's happening.

 

[JordanAng420]

First off, I would absolutely remove the heat rock immediately. It will most likely just add to the tail issue. It doesn't feel hot to you or I, since our body temperatures are close to 100 degrees anyway (esp. on your hand, where the skin is pretty thick). Geckos are cold-blooded and have very thin skin. Most reptiles (as crazy as it sounds) just don't have the common sense to MOVE when it's too hot...

My male has the same problem with his tail. First, it got very hard, almost rigid & turned pink, and then it started to scab...come to find out the little bugger had been wedging himself in between the carpet & the glass tank... We treated it with medicated soaks and Thermazine (prescription, great for burns) and 2 months later, he's still healing. I would buy the UTH, and if you're concerned about providing extra heat, you can use an overhead ceramic bulb (60 watt) that provides heat, but no light. To be honest with you, the LAST thing he needs right now is a heat rock.

 

[frost1375]

I definitely took out the rock. There should be 24 hour pet stores around! I always seem to need one at bad hours of the night. I hope he's warm enough until the morning. I can't believe they are stupid enough to not move when they are being burned. But, he's also been very sick, so I wonder if that just made him not want to move? Well, I'll keep doing his soaks and hopefully that will help his tail. I'm assuming I should ask the vet for that medicine for the burn? These geckos are driving me crazy. I definitely care way too much to have pets. When something bad happens, I always go crazy. Thanks for the responses! I really appreciate it!

 

[JordanAng420]

There should be 24 hour pet stores around!

I know! I've always thought the same thing! I'm glad you took out the heat rock. Your overhead lamp will suffice for a day or two. Your vet (if he normally sees other reptiles besides yours) should know what Thermazine is. Ask him if he thinks your little dude needs a topical ointment after his soaks, similar to that... if the tail doesn't seem to be getting better, you may want to ask him about oral antibiotics. My gecko, Arson's burn took about 10 - 14 days to heal. Good luck!

 

[frost1375]

Okay. Thank you so much! You guys are awesome on here. I was freaking out last night. I thought his tail was starting to rot off. Oh boy!

 

[GeckoGathering]

Eating and drinking????

Okay... so I have my sick gecko under another post, but no one is responding anymore! He was at the vet and it was concluded that he has kidney problems and I'm supposed to give him soaks several times a day to rehydrate him. Also, i have to try to force feed him. I just went to give him a soak and the tip of his tail, like half an inch, is completely hard and sort of reddish brown. It looks as if it's almost dead and has become hard. I feel like it could be snapped very easily. Does anyone know what that means??? Is he dying on me??? He seems to be okay otherwise and was trying to hunt crickets earlier. He has no way of crushing his tail or anything, so I'm not sure why it's like that. Please if anyone knows whats going on, please tell me before I go rushing him to the emergency room! Thank you!

I hate to add to your worries but I will for your own
advance knowledge. Is he eating or drinking on his own?
I read where you were giving him soaks and force feeding...but then you mentioned going after crickets???..If eating on his own that is a good start..........and also your vet diagnosed kidney problems.
I went through a similar thing and organs were shutting down......
Wouldn't eat or drink on its on own....and started going
through the hiding , laying around, and dying process...............
I sure hope your's responds. Take care. Hj

 

[frost1375]

Well, I did see him drink on his own. Though he was going after crickets, I'm not sure if he actually got any or not. And he's not eating the mealworms. So I'm still force feeding him until I see a real improvement. He still hasn't put any weight on. But, I don't think he's losing any more. I'm going to weigh at the end of the weekend. The vet didn't see him, but she said she has never heard of this happening to the tail. She wants me to just watch the tail and see what happens. She thinks it might fall off. I don't know. I have a hard time putting my full trust in vets. I really want to believe it's just a burn. But, she had no other explanation for it. I hope he pulls through!

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I can't believe they are stupid enough to not move when they are being burned.

Lizards will autonomize their tails, which means the nervous system in their tails is not very sophisticated. They do feel pressure, but not necessarily temperature in their tails... especially at the tip. Acute stress and dehydration can only add, or even create, kidney problems.... not to mention prolonged contact with high temepratures.

My advise would be to just leave your gecko alone for a couple of days now that you have removed the hot rock, and without forcing anything down his throat. Leave him plenty of water and a bowl of calcium and mealworms, and let him be.

It sounds like the end of the tail will most likely fall off on it's own. Make sure you watch for signs of ingection.

 

[frost1375]

Should I not give him soaks either or just don't force feed him? What are signs of injection? I'm sorry, I don't know what that means. He's also started sneezing a little bit. Could it have anything to do with his kidneys or could it be something else? The test for the crypto came back negative, but the doctor said he could still have it even though it was negative.

 

[fOOlsgOld]

I think Marcia meant 'infection', correct me if I'm wrong Marcia

 

[frost1375]

Ohhhh. I was thinking like a needle injection, but I was so confused. Infection makes a million times more sense! Thanks.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Yes, I meant 'infection'! (I miss our spell-checker here on GF!)

 

[frost1375]

There is no change in the tail. The vet wants to see him Friday morning and she's thinking about amputating it. If it was going to fall off on it's own, would it have done so by now? Do you think amputation is necessary? She said tail necrosis is very uncommon in geckos and sometimes the cause is unknown. She doesn't think it's a burn or anything. Any advice would be great. Thanks again for all the help!

 

[frost1375]

I need to know if it's a good idea to have the doctor amputate my gecko's tail. This will be happening Friday morning. His kidneys aren't better yet, so would it be wise to be putting him through this procedure? I need help please.