Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have 2 baby leopard geckos I bought together at a pet store back in January..They have been the same size growing up until about a week ago...My baby male has lost a lot of weight..He has MBD I can tell because his spine is curved and his legs aren't straight and strong, my other male has this as well but it isn't as bad as this..I have calcium in the cage for all my leopards, but he is losing weight, and his tail is really really thin...One of his eyes is swollen shut as well..Can someone help me before it's too late for Little Sunny?? Please, Thank you so much for any information...Also, he will not eat for me Please help As soon as possible

KriS*

Can you get him to a reptile vet ASAP??? That would be the best course of action you could take. There could be many reasons that will make a gecko not eat but the eye problem makes me think he has an infection there. Check your setup. If you can tell us what your setup is like, we might be able to guess. Sorry this didn't help much!

sounds pretty bad, and you need to get him, or actually BOTH to a vet quick. MBD is curable if caught soon, the longer you wait the worse it will get. His eye probably has some sort of infection. It probably wasnt your falt, they most likely had it when you got them from the pet store but get them to a vet as soon as you can. Good Luck

Would the eye infection make him stop eating? His setup is paper towel, some fish castles for hide areas, some driftwood, a water dish, a calcium dish, that's about it...heating pad under tank on one side to keep it warm there... He's been eating the calcium so he knows he needs it for his bones... Is there anything I can do besides taking him to a vet ? I probably sound like a terrible person and I feel like I am, but I'm only 16, and my parents don't think lizards are worth the money I do, but I'm just starting to look for a job and working on getting my license and such..Sorry about the whining..I just want to help this little guy...Thanks
KriS*

My first baby gecko had an eye infection and died. Wouldn't eat. The reptile store I bought her from kept telling me she was okay, just getting used to her new surroundings, by the time I brought her in it was too late. She was treated, but the infection had gone too far and she was too weak- she was just a hatchling when purchased.

Your gecko sounds in pretty bad shape. I think the only chance it has is a vet, and that might not be enough to save it at this point. Or it might.

He just ate a medium sized cricket, and I put some neosporin on his eye, and it's opening up, and is already less inflamed...Anything else I should do at this point? at least he ate for me this time when I tried...I wish I could take him to a vet, but my parents just wont' go for it...Thanks for all your help and I'll keep you updated..any more help will be very much appreciated...Thanks again you guys
KriS*

I think you mentioned you have two leos- be sure to seperate them so the healthy one doesn't catch the infection. You don't need a fancy cage- get a sterilite shoebox and put air holes in it, line it with paper towels, make a hide from some tupperware or a magarine tub, but it half on a heating pad and provide a water dish and calcium and mealies. Use this set up for the sick gecko until it is well or dies.

I am not in the mood to give a lecture on pet responsibility today, so I'll spare you the speech. Good luck with your gecko.

Thanks, I put him in a separate cage earlier, I happened to have one set up lol it is for a snake i'm getting, but i think i'll wait on the snake for awhile now to make sure Sunny gets better, or just doesn't make it then disinfect the cage and stuff..Thanks for all your help guys..I'll keep you updated on how he's doing..Thanks again
KriS*

really reconsider getting the snake if i were you. Unless you get him to a vet, its unlikely sunny will live. If you go and buy a snake, what happens if THE SNAKE gets sick? you see, it'll be the same, parents wont want to go to vet, sadness, dead snake, period. sorry but a vet is a real neccesity when it comes to keeping reptiles. good luck

You really should have made sure you had the money to take him to the vet before you got him, and that your parents would be willing to. I'm sure you feel bad, and i wish the best for your gecko. If the eye isnt an infection, just got hit or sumthing, it may be able to heal on its own. My old leo (which now belongs to a friend) got his leg broken by an unstable branch, but made a full recovery and you cant even tell it happened now. As for the MBD, I would give him lots of calcium and hope for the best. If you can, try to convince your parents to take him to the vet. A vet can probably fix the eye, and the MBD if its in early stages (though unfortunetly it sounds pretty severe). Good luck
MaC