Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My leo must have gotten in a fight with a cage mate because it looks like his tail was about to seperate...there is a little ring between the tail and the body that seems to have formed...plus there is a little nip out of the tail...but the tail is still attached...

How should we heal this or will it go away on it's own???
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Chris

1.2.0 Bearded Dragons
1.2.0 Green Basilisks
1.1.0 Crested Geckos
1.2.0 Veiled Chameleons
1.1.0 Corn Snakes
1.0.0 Tokay Geckos
0.0.1 California Kingsnakes
2.5.1 Leopard Geckos

I think you should put the injured gecko in a seperate cage so it can heal without being stressed. Just my idea. You might wanna make sure there isn;t 2 males together. Just a reminder. I hope you gecko is ok..

You could try dabbing some rubbing alchohol on the gash to keep it from getting infected and also what gecko_girl said seperate him from any other geckos until he heals

Ditto to the separation suggestion - the injured one needs to fully recover before you try putting her back in with the others (if you do). If you don't have another cage, you can use a 12 quart sterilite or rubbermaid container as a kind of hospital room until she/he's fully healed.

Keep her/him on paper towels until its fully healed. Feed well and supplement with calcium/minerals to help it heal.

Rinse the affected areas of the tail gently in warm water especially if you can see any bits of substrate or fecal matter sticking it. You can put the leo in a rubbermaid type container with half an inch of water if anything is dried on (for half an hour), to loosen it up first.

After it is clean, apply a dab of antibiotic ointment (it doesn't need to be thick). Generic is fine, you can buy a tube of triple antibiotic ointment at your local drugstore for around $5. Read the label; you'll probably apply twice a day until healed. This will be more effective than rubbing alcohol, stays on better, and doesn't sting.

Separate, keep warm, hides for security, paper towels for substrate, feed and supplement, and use ointment.

>>You could try dabbing some rubbing alchohol on the gash to keep it from getting infected and also what gecko_girl said seperate him from any other geckos until he heals
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Andrea A.

Good idea, but maybe hydrogen peroxide or some antibiotic cream would be less painful. Alcohol really burns especially on open wounds

Hydrogen peroxide is good against anaerobic bacteria, the bacteria that doesn't need oxygen. This type is more likely to be found in deep penetrating wounds. Hydrogen peroxide is hard on the leo's exposed tissues too, and its better to avoid it if you can.

For more shallow wounds, an antibiotic ointment/cream is more likely to keep oxygen using bacteria at bay and is easier on the leos healing tissue.

>>Good idea, but maybe hydrogen peroxide or some antibiotic cream would be less painful. Alcohol really burns especially on open wounds
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Andrea A.

Yeah that is true. The best wound cleaning solution is pure sterile normal saline. All antibacterial solutions do kill some healthy cells as well this is true Oh yeah, if you want to wash it with sterile saline, just buy a brand new bottle of it from the contact section. That is how my vet had me care for Buster's wound when his mom bit him. (Buster is one of my parents' dogs btw)

n/p
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Chris

1.2.0 Bearded Dragons
1.2.0 Green Basilisks
1.1.0 Crested Geckos
1.2.0 Veiled Chameleons
1.1.0 Corn Snakes
1.0.0 Tokay Geckos
0.0.1 California Kingsnakes
2.5.1 Leopard Geckos