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Bulge in Leopard Gecko armpit

olstyn Jun 20, 2006 10:42 PM

Has anybody ever seen a bulge behind a gecko's front leg(s)? Seems to be filled with fluid if anything (it's not hard). In this case, it's only on the right side. She doesn't seem to be affected by it, at least in that when we've touched it, she hasn't responded any differently than if we had just touched behind her leg - obviously she moved, but didn't look to be in pain. Nothing about her living conditions has recently changed, and thusfar she's been as healthy as can be (grew from small juvenile to 8+ inches long in about 8 months). The only odd thing about her behavior is that after she got to be 8-8.5 inches long, she suddenly stopped eating as much. We've talked to other people who have geckos and they've said that this is at least semi-normal, as she's reached adult size and therefore doesn't need to eat to grow anymore. Anyway, any information that anybody out there has would be helpful - this one doesn't seem to be in the book.

Thanks!

Replies (6)

gko_reptiles Jun 20, 2006 11:29 PM

When we got our first set of Leo's we had a gecko with this same... "problem". A fluid filled sac behind the front arms of a Leo means nothing more than that particular gecko is slightly overweight. The sac of fluid doesn't hurt them or immobilize them in anyway. Your Leo is fat and happy It's when he/she starts losing the extra fat that you should be worried. Sounds like you've got a healthy gecko is all. Good Luck!
.

olstyn Jun 21, 2006 12:13 AM

Well, that's comforting to know! I guess then that this ties in well with her reduction in appetite - she knows she's getting a bit more food than she needs and isn't as hungry anymore. I still want to keep an eye on it just to make sure it's not something different than what you think, though now that you mention it, I seem to recall hearing about this once before. Sounds like she's fine though, this makes me a much less worried gecko owner.

WindyO Jun 21, 2006 05:00 AM

Actually I had several with the same problem. Some were even juveniles. I found that when I lowered their calcium intake the bulges disappeared. There is another species of gecko that has calcium sacs there and I believe this to be the same thing.
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Brian
www.thewindycitygecko.com

ladyania Jul 01, 2006 11:01 AM

Mine has bilateral bulges. Since they were on both sides, I figured it was normal, my gecko is otherwise healthy. They just seem to be filled with fluid.

garweft Jun 22, 2006 10:48 PM

If you have The newer edition of The Leopard Gecko Manual you can check pg. 41. There is a nice picture of what I think you may be talking about on that page.

If you have The Herpetoculture of Leopard Geckos I don't think it is even talked about, though I may have missed it.

olstyn Jun 24, 2006 07:30 AM

I must have an older edition - page 41 in mine is all text, no picture.

That being said, the bulge has since disappeared, and it didn't really seem to have affected her when it was there - I just try to carefully observe anything that might be weird/wrong so as to catch any problems early. I had to have a leopard euthanised once, and it was heartbreaking. I don't want to repeat that, so anytime anything's the least bit weird I try to check with people about it. This one seems to have been no big deal, but it certainly didn't hurt to check.

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