Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone know any tricks on getting a gecko to take medicine (panacur)? Do I just hold him down and squirt the stuff into his mouth (lotsa stress), or should I inject a waxworm with it and have him eat the waxie (yummy, but waxie will probably die the moment the drug reaches his brain and geckos don't like dead stuff)? Any other ideas other than the two I mentioned?

-Lemur 6

so I am gathering you did not see a vet. I would recommend you see one at least the first time so they can teach you how to do it. But I will describe as best I can the technique my vet taught me.

First you get a long wooden cotton swab. You put the side of the stick on the same horizontal plane as the mouth at about a 45 degree angle, at the side of the mouth opening, and apply light pressure. This will trigger the gecko to voluntarily open its mouth to bite (do NOT force open the mouth, you can break your gecko's jaw easier than you might think) and when it does you slide the stick in as a bar to hold open the mouth, it's okay if the gecko bites on it (it will!). You are not sticking the end of the stick in the mouth ever. Then you can insert the tip of your 1cc oral syringe and administer the correct amountt of panacur that you or your vet have calculated based upon the weight of the gecko. This is tricky to do by yourself even with professional instruction, if you can have someone else hold the gecko and then hold the stick in place it will be easier. But if you plan on administering panacur regularly it really is a good idea to bring in your gecko to the vet and have him weigh her and prescribe the dose and teach you how to administer. Many vets will give you enough panacur for quite a few usages if you request it, and will also provide you with some syringes and long q-tips for the dosing.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

My vet is actually primarily more a cat/dog vet, and isn't too good with little animals. I'm a little afraid to use your method (which is what I was referring to when I said "hold down and feed him the meds" since he's so small (only 3 months old). Reason I was asking was vet did a fecal and found some pinworms.

-Lemur 6

As long as you trigger the leo to open its mouth of its own accord and don't force it open, it should be okay. It is kind of tricky to learn at first, too bad your vet doesn't deal with small animals much. You could probably get him to lick panacur off a dropper, but dosing would not be as accurate. Panacur does have a pretty wide safety margin though.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos

Getting him to open his mouth is no big deal actually, it's the holding him in one place so I can administer the dose part that's a pain in the butt. If I wiggle my pinkie in front of him, it sorta triggers him to open his mouth (heehee). You don't like the injecting panacur into a waxworm idea? I was wondering if there would be anything wrong with that or if it would be okay.

-Lemur 6

If I used a ball tipped syringe, would I administer it down his throat, or at the corner of his mouth, or onto his tongue? I imagine the dose to be tiny (a single drop) since he's only 13 or so grams (or atleast the last time he went to the vet, he's probably twice that weight now).

-Lemur 6

13 grams is pretty tiny. But you would give her .1 cc, which is about 3 drops. But if she's already twice that weight, you're gonna have to give her .25 cc.

You should really invest in a digital scale just so you can be sure you're giving her the right amount. If she's small, then it's especially critical to get a proper dose. They sell for about $20-$30 at an office supply store (in the shipping/mailing aisle). A scale will come in handy. And you really need to weigh your gecko before you administer any Panacur.

I give them medicine by just putting dabs on their mouth and letting them lick it up at their own pace. It takes a firm grip to hold the leo still. It's something you get better at doing with practice.
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chickabowwow

3.2.3 leopard geckos (Rosie, Locke, Lisa, Caesar, Tommy)