Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is the Leo that laid one clutch and then nothing. I took it to the vet around here to inject it for inducing. First the vet had no idea what he was doing with the leo, and i was the one that made the decision to induce. Now after that, no eggs....and now she has white spots on her body that are not connected. about 6 or 7 and a really white one in the middle. I need some advice more then take it to a vet, unless, i know exactly what is wrong, because the vet will not know....Thanks for any input

I have to tell you the only way that gecko will live is if you find a vet that knows what they are doing with reptiles. She looks very egg-bound and even though I am no expert, I dought she has much time. She would probably need surgery to remove those eggs. It looks like she is past the point of trying any home methods. JMO

nothing in her stomach is hard at all.

there are a few lists of qualified vets that you can find at www.drgecko.com

My only thought is it looks like multiple eggs that are beginning to form, but I can't explain that one or tell you how it would resolve itself naturally.

You need a qualified vet to conduct proper tests and so on....

Please let us know what happens, I for one will be curious to hear the verdict.
-----
Steven Beckerman
E2MacPets

Someone has to know what is going on. I do not agree with egg bounding.

How's this for a thought coming from left field: depending on the amount of vit D3 in the leos diet (needed to synthesize calcium) could it be possible for a leo to get something similar to kidney stones in humans? It may explain the numbers of white spots.

Just a thought,
Uriah Walker
geckoville

n/p

Find a BETTER vet is good advice. Those could be eggs and she could be seriously eggbound, but I am also wondering about a few other possibilities...

...do geckos ever have multiple births, too ma=ny eggs developing at the same time, like humans occassionally have quintuplets w/o fertility drugs?

...do geckos get cancer? Could it be some kind of tumors?

I don't know the answer to you question, I think you really do need a very good reptile vet. It is possible to perform surgery on eggbound reptiles to save them.

I do see where you are going with the egg bound, but she has been induced twice with oxytocin, and because of that, there cant be any way she is still bound. Now i know there is a possibility, but i see the cancer aspect as more of a possibility at the present time.

I am planning on going to the vet, but first i just want some incling of an idea before i go in there so i can show the vet into the right direction. The vet close to me knows lizards but not Leos especially, and that is the same with all around my area.

If she's truly BOUND--unable to lay for some reason--oxytocin wouldn't solve the problem. All oxytocin does is stimulate contractions. If there's some sort of obstruction, the eggs aren't going to come out no matter how much force is applied that way.

I do see where you are going with the egg bound, but she has been induced twice with oxytocin, and because of that, there cant be any way she is still bound. Now i know there is a possibility, but i see the cancer aspect as more of a possibility at the present time.

I am planning on going to the vet, but first i just want some incling of an idea before i go in there so i can show the vet into the right direction. The vet close to me knows lizards but not Leos especially, and that is the same with all around my area.

I DO know that oxytocin shots ARE NOT ALWATS SUFFICIENT to fix eggbinding. Sometimes 4 or 5 shots are required, and sometimes that doesn't even work. I have seen it on this board, recently even, in fact. So to say that you know it is not eggbinding because she has had two oxytocin shots is misinformed.

Though I don't know that there might not be a possibility that she is developing multiple eggs at once for some reason...when is the last time she laid, or was bred? How old is she?

Maybe this isnt the place to ask for advice, I did not say that it was not possible for egg binding, i said that i did not think that was the problem. Thanks anyway, i will take my questions elsewhere.

I am just trying to provide information and help to the best of my ability. It seems as though I have offended you somehow, and I don't understand why.

I already know that egg binding is a possibility and on your first post said that was a possibility. I was asking for advice and specifically said dont say go to a vet. I know i need a better vet but i do have to work with what i have. That is why i was asking for suggestions. Stones is a possibility. I am not misinformed and i did not need to know that "oxytocin shots ARE NOT ALWATS SUFFICIENT to fix eggbinding." I also understand that. Maybe i am taking your tone the wrong way and i am sorry if i took it differently then what you meant.

"but she has been induced twice with oxytocin, and because of that, there cant be any way she is still bound."

I know from experiences with eggbound geckos I have read here, that geckos most certainly can be bound after 2, 3. 4. even 5 shots with oxytocin. It seems to me that that is information that you very much did need to know and hear to help your gecko.

n/p

Is there anyway that this could be an allergic reaction to the shots?

Maybe she is just getting old, she is almost 6 years

n/p

rurty

Looks tome like too many eggs developing at once. I believe that geckos being clutch laying animals similar but not to close to say like birds. The eggs are all fertilized up in the female in the ovaductile area. As needed they drop down a fertilized yolk to the shell forming area. This is how she can hold fertilization for some time. They don't actually retain the sperm but they retain fertilized yolks on the basically microscopic level. It looks that your female may have dropped a whole slew of yolks at one time and they are all trying to form shells at the same time. This could be a major problem and then again she may pass them. I have never seen the situation like this in a reptile before but in chickens and such it is how you get double yolk eggs. I would say almost that this is what is happening. If not it is some kind of tumerous infections or puss balls. Either case is going to require a vet with some herp back ground. Sorry I can't help you more.

n/p

Without an x-ray, it will be hard to tell. I noticed you said she had white spots "on" her body. If the spots you are refering to are on her body, that could be a possible reaction to the Oxcytocin. If you are refering to the spots visible through her abdomen I would lead more to binding, as they are quite large.

Given the situation that she is or has been breeding and age, would give way to that assumption/diagnosis.

The x-ray will, for the most part, tell all. This should have been the first step before treatment.

Starling is correct in that 1-2 injections may not be adequate and that it may not work at all. It is also safe to say that treatment will fail if the oviduct or vent is obstructed. Multiple eggs can and will form from either continued breeding or retained sperm.

Uriah is also not far off in the case of intestinal abceses, tumors, etc. I would think the the rapid onslaught of the objects would lead more toward binding however, two retained eggs can wreck an animal internally causing adjacent organs to become inflamed, irritated, etc. and to the naked eye, appear as additional retained eggs.

I know how frustrating it is and regardless of the vets perceived competency, explain to him/her what has been discussed via others here on this forum and use a little deductive reasoning and I'm sure you'll both reach an agreeable diagnosis. I will stress again...you will need an x-ray for a complete determination.

Keep a clear head and be respectful with the vet. He/She may be learning here also, so keep that in mind. Ask you vet if he/she has any collegues that might be able to consult. I can guarantee you that the vet is just as curious and determined to help your leo in the same manner you are.

Hang in there and don't get discouraged.
-----
Galen Clark
www.captivescience.com

n/p

There is a risky treatment plan that is often used by bird keepers to help an egg bound female. If you have no other choice, this may help.
Soak the leo is a warm bath. Once she is dry, take a syringe filled with a small amount of lukewarm vegetable oil and insert it into her vent and squeezing out the oil. If the egg is lodged in the canal, the oil may lubricate the egg enough so she can lay it. This is risky, but if you are sure she is eggbound, it is worth a shot!!!

Cleo
1:1 leos...soon to be 1:5!!!