I know it's a long post, but its just copied from the email I sent Travis and it's about as informative as I could make it. I'd REALLY appreciate everyone's help with this. I'm worried sick, and if anyone has any previous experience with amputee cresties I'd really like to know about it! THANK YOU ALL!!!!!



I had bought an unsexed juvenile crested from a breeder (Travis Cosette of Gainesville) back at the Tampa F.I.R.E.

show in March. It was eating beautifully and had recently completed its

second shed, when the worst happened.

This is the story, as of Tuesday (May 18) night:

One of the cats (with no previous interest in *any* of my other critters)

managed to pull the screen off the lid - the baby escaped, and became a

cat's toy for the night. I was home, but I slept through all of this! It

wasn't until the next morning as I was getting ready for work that I found

the cat still 'playing' with the gecko.

It's not dead, but it's pretty banged up. Its tail is chewed off (not

dropped - there is an exposed vertebra) and there are several 'minor'

lacerations, and it looks like a blood vessel has broken in its left eye.

The worst injury by far, though, is its right hind leg - it has basically

been stripped of skin and the outer layers of muscle. The skin around the

foot is loose and baggy. But it is ALIVE still, eighteen hours later.

As soon as I found it, I rushed up to the vet - It was very unforturnate to

see that she knew nothing (by her own admission) about Rhacodactylus sps,

and she repeatedly stated that "they're just like other geckos." Her

immediate suggestion was euthanization.

Euthanization is not yet an option. I *like* this little kid. He's got at

least another seven years on him. The vet *is* open to the option of

amptuation, and she beefed the juvie up with a small injection of

electrolytes and another of Baytril, as well as covered his wounds in

triple-antibiotic ointment. If I decide to amputate the mangled limb and

the exposed vertebrae, it would be first thing tomorrow morning.

I would like your advice on this, please. Should I put him through the

rigors of another vet trip and intensive surgury? He still has minimal use

of the shredded limb, but the skin is still hanging. Should I tell her to

trim away the hanging flesh, and leave the limb, even though I doubt proper

skin will ever grow over it? How traumatic IS it for a gecko it have a

missing limb?

It's SVL is about 3.75-4 inches, and its weight (minus the tail and muscle)

is 5 grams. He's currently on 0.05 cc of Baytril once a day for ten days

(today is the second day). I am also vert curious about how to feed him

during rehabilitation - I had thought that I could water down baby food

(only a little) and add some calcium dust; this could either be offered in a

dish or syringe-fed. The

other possible option is to make a runny paste from the T-Rex MRP Crested Diet, and

offer *that.* I'm definitely not feeding live crickets now... BAD idea with the exposed flesh. I know he's hungry right now... it's been four days now

since he last ate (crickets on Sunday night. Monday was off, and he never

had a chance to go at his bananas Tuesday night).

Your help would be very greatly appreciated. I've got no doubt that he'll

live, but I'm worried sick about what would be the best thing. If

amputation will totally ruin its life, is there's no rehab for amputee

geckos, then I will euthanize.... but I have hopes that he could recover.

Thank you so much for your time and understanding. I hope to hear from you

very soon.

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