WTH

[cam.and.jen]

so i came home from work and i went to check on my little gecko charlie. i reached in the tank like normal but i guess i must have scared him or something cause he started shaking and did a summer sault hit his head off the tank wall and started shaking and convulsing violently and then he laid limp on the tank floor with all four of his legs pointing back towards his tail. i didnt touch him for a while just watched him he didnt move and i thought he died so i picked him up and realised he was alive. the then was very sluggish and didnt move the way he normaly did. he seems fine now but WTF it was scary his tail was thrashing and shaking like crazy. what dose this mean and what happend to him?

 

[Halley]

I sounds like he had a seizure.

 

[cam.and.jen]

thats what i was thinking but what could have caused it. could i have scared him into it? has this happend to anyone else? dose this mean hes sick?

 

[Halley]

I don’t really know what could have caused it. I’ve had 2 seizures myself, and even after multiple cat scans, blood work, etc. nothing was ever found, and I have been fine since.

However, I’ve never witnessed it in a gecko, and it’s very possible that he’s sick, I’d take him to the vet just to be on the cautious side.

 

[cam.and.jen]

thanks i hope hes ok tho

 

[hybrid]

Well either that what Halley said, or u scared him really badly. Even though we have tanks that we use that open from the top...we need to take into consideration that these guys are probs scared everytime u reach in to grab them. If you think about it..birds eat these guys im sure in the wild, and us coming from "above" would scare them I would think.

I ALAWYS place my ahnd in slowly then lay it flat...the geckos usually come licking and climb on. then i lift up to eye level. Just a thought =)
I

 

[Yamori]

Most animals will get scared and jump if they are surprised from behind of from above.
Even we humans if surprise will jump. The difference is we humans can cope with being frightened or caught unawares. Reptiles cant as they have very small hearts. Too much stress can really harm them.

So just try to be very careful, put yourself in their position. seeing a huge thing come up to their tank would be scary enough but being surprised from above or behind buy something very big would be far worse. Obviously in time they get used to you but will still jump if approached too quickly. Sounds like a seizure which very well could have been triggered by fright. Could even be a defensive thing they do to trick their prey(acting dead kind of thing).

 

[nats]

It sounds like you scarred the crap out of him and he knocked
himself cold and convulsed.
I have accidentally scared mine too, and they franticly darted
from one end of the tank to the other, flying over bowls and
hides. Then, they realize it's just me, and calm down.
I have learned to "announce" myself by making a sound, and
walking into the room slowly.

 

[Geck-O]

I have learned to "announce" myself by making a sound, and
walking into the room slowly.

I knock on the door of my gecko's cage before I open so he knows it's me.

 

[nats]

Like the above comments, leos are very nervous creatures,
and they have every reason to be, they are practically defenseless,
and have numerous enemies.

I know that a bird, when it knocks itself out crashing into a glass
window, will appear dead for a while, but when it comes to, it will
shake and convulse a bit before righting its self and flying away.

Is he acting OK now?
Check for bleeding from the nose, eyes or mouth.
If you see bleeding, excessive sleepiness (eyes closed all the time),
or more convulsing, take him to a vet PDQ.

 

[cam.and.jen]

hes ok now. hes always a kind of sleepy gecko and hes not bleeding. he was fine like 5 mins after. he usually is fine when i come in but i guess i must have scared him this time. it just scared the hell out of me and didnt know if this is a defensive thing to trick preditors or if he hurt him self.

 

[nats]

I knock on the door of my gecko's cage before I open so he knows it's me.

Yeah, I just talk to them. That way they know the big giant
creature is about to walk in

 

[Libby15]

Poor little guy!

 

[Baoh]

I sounds like he had a seizure.

Agreed.

Likely due to the blunt force trauma to his head.

He will likely recover well. Reptiles are gifted in that way more often than not.

---------------------------------------------------------------

OP, was the shaking prior to the head impact the same as the convulsions after, or radically different where the post-impact shaking was far more extreme? If radically different after the head bonk occurred, I'd say that underscores the seizure idea. Probably just got spooked, managed to smack his noggin, and had the seizure.

I once had a syncopic event due to an extreme athletic performance, hit the ground, which jarred my spine, and then that initiated a minor seizure. It wasn't fun, but I was fine soon after.

Just keep any eye on your little buddy for a while and do as others said, taking a little care to avoid sneaking up on him.