[K.J.Geckos]

As some of you may know from my past posts i have a adult male high yellow of around 2years old who has extreamly bad sheds.He has a moist moss box that is kept on the warm side of his viv.tonight i went to feed him as normal and noticed he was shedding but had not removed the skin past his head.As i always do,i gave him a warm soak in some luke warm water with some cotton wool at the bottem so he can stand on it.I then used the cotton wool to help him ease of some of his skin around his toes as he always leaves little "boots" on which i have to take off because of him losing his toes.Only tonight i noticed that the underneath side of his tail looked very red and almost like a bruse for no apparent reason.When it came to removing some skin from his tail he wouldnt let me touch it even with cotten wool.To my amazment he curled round and pulled the skin off himself in his mouth.The only problem is that it must of been so sore it started to bleed slightly.I checked him only 2 days ago as i do with all my leos and he was in perfect condition with no apparent problems other then being a little off on the eating side-but he did eat the odd waxie so it didnt worry me to much.He was on reptile sand as a substrate and i have removed this now and replaced it with paper untill it heals as i thought it would only cause more problems rubbing him.Has anybody got any advise other then the obvious take him to a vet?Im really upset by it as its come on so quickley.I have posted some picks below to give you an idea and any help to put my mind at rest and help my poor leo would be fantastic.

 

[purejurrasic]

Oh dear, that dont look nice.

I have never seen that kind of thing , on that scale, b4.

I did once have a gecko who developed a sore patch on the pad of a foot, looked a little like that.

It looks like an inflamation on the surface, maybe just an irritant or maybe an infection talking hold.

Not sure but almost as it he has had an alergic reaction.

With our sore foot, we done as you have, onto paper, wash and clean foot, then used tinodine to protect against further infection, and help fight that already there. It did clear up after about 3 days.

It sure sounds like you have every thing right, maybe there is something new in the viv? any signs of an injury?

Wish you all the best. keep us posted

 

[K.J.Geckos]

I know! i have never seen it before neither.I wonderd if it could be that hes burnt himself off the heat mat as leos aint the smartest of animals.Iv taken the heat mat out for the time being though and hes got a bulb in there with a rock under it so he can warm up and hes got a night bulb to.thought this would be better for the time being so he doesnt burn any new skin growth off again.it isnt looking so bad today and im carrying on with the baths with a drop of vet iodene in it to keep it clean and help sooth it for him.hes off his food but he weights 55g so hes got plenty of fat on him to keep him going for a good while. :roll:

 

[thorrshamri]

I think this is not a burn nor a surface infection.
First,I would advise to place the wet box at the cool end rather than at the hot end,humidity will stay longer.Use moist coco mould or moist turf,these are the best substrates for wet boxes.
Second,shedding problems may have many causes,among which,hypervitaminoses or hypovitaminoses.Which supplement,if any ,do you use,and what's the frequency for supplementing his prey?
What is shown on your pic is quite similar to what i have seen in snakes,scepticemia.To my opinion,your gecko would need daily Baytril injections in emergency,made in his rear thigh for example.If you can do it yourself,i will let you know the exact doses.The treatment should be done at least 8-10 consecutive days,with double normal dose on the first day.

If I were you,i would otherwise avoid heating devices like heat rocks or heating caverns,if any in the viv,cause him less stress i.e. handle him only for treatments when necessary,and broaden his food spectrum.If he is only fed crickets,try silkworms,grasshopers and the like.These shedding troubles are to me only the visible aspect of a more general and deeper health problem.

 

[Joemot]

He has a moist moss box

whats that?

 

[thorrshamri]

He has a moist moss box

whats that?

A box which should be present in every viv,for example an opaque plastic box with a hole big enough to let the animal in and out of it,and filled with moist materials,i.e. moss,vermiculite,turf or whatever.It helps reps shedding and is also a good egg-laying place. :wink:

 

[Joemot]

what should i put in one ?

something i can find around the house?

 

[thorrshamri]

Yes,for example a box made to keep food in the fridge :wink:

 

[Joemot]

no as in what moist items should i put inside lol

 

[scarlettvegetable]

You can use vermiculite, sphagnum moss, eco earth to name but a few :lol:

 

[Joemot]

any household items ? lol

 

[Penny]

Does'nt look very nice poor baby i'd take him to the vet atleast you'll have peace of mind that way,
you could always take the heatmat out and place it under the viv i take it his viv is made of wood?? if so the heat will still come through the bottom of the viv ive done this with my Leo's in the past as i didnt want to risk them getting burnt on a heatmat, good luck with him and let us know how hes getting on.

 

[purejurrasic]

Hi nutty

Hows your boy doing today?

any better?

 

[K.J.Geckos]

hiya guys thanks for all the replys.Hes looking a lot better today.seems to be quite nosey having a little look around the viv etc.Hes still not eating but im not to worrid at the moment with the amount of fat on him.He still wont put his tail on the ground so it mush still be a little sore.Hes in the hospital viv now lol.His heat mat is under the plastic viv hes in and he is on kitchen roll which i change twise a day.Hes still having his warm baths with a drop of vet iodene in it to and it isnt bleeding much if any what so ever.Im trying to avoid taking the vets.im a veterinar nurse myself and i dont agree with just giving antibiotics to geckos as they can do more damage then good.I certainly dont think hes suffering now and if it did get to painfull surely he would just drop his tail right?

thorrshamri wrote

Which supplement,if any ,do you use,and what's the frequency for supplementing his prey? If I were you,i would otherwise avoid heating devices like heat rocks or heating caverns,if any in the viv,cause him less stress

He has nutraboll on his food every other 3 day and he has a small dish of calcium in his viv all the time.He hasnt got any hot rocks or anything like heated caverns in his viv.just the heat mat.i dont agree with those things for leos myself.

 

[K.J.Geckos]

Hey great news guys.My little fella is eating again.I gave him a couple of waxies and he gulped them down so he must be feeling better.No leo can refuse a waxie!!!yay so happy

 

[thorrshamri]

Good ,did the blood-like stain disappeared from underneath his tail?

 

[K.J.Geckos]

well its formed like a bit of a scab and when he has a bath then it does bleed only slightly so im trying to give him a bath every other day now to give it time to heal.still treating it with vet iodene to keep it clean though.

 

[thorrshamri]

Sounds not very good though.You should keep him under dry conditions,i would avoid baths and remove dirt and other unwanted things from the wound with a damp cotton bud.

 

[purejurrasic]

hi nutty

Great news

I tend to agree with thorr at this stage, now the wound seems to be healing, I would just make up a dilute iodine solution, dab it all over the wound and leave to dry. It will help fight any infection and serve as a kind of barrier.

For sure, it it seems to be healing and no sign of infection, it should be fine to stop the baths.

Its good he is eating again, shows its not bothering him too much !

well done!

tony

 

[K.J.Geckos]

yeh i have stopped the baths.its got no infection in it at all which is good.Hes a lot happier today and hes putting his tail on the floor again to which is great.I found out why it wasnt healing so quick though.The little mite was licking it and pulling bits of scab off so there was always a little fresh bit on his tail.i tapped his viv lol to stop him doing it which seems to work.honestly they are like kids with chicken pocks,they always want to pick at the scabs!he is doing great though so im a lot happier now.hes staying on the paper towels for a good couple of months at the least though to just make sure there isnt and substrate getting in there to cause any futher probs for him.