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i have about a one year old albino. her belly over the past week has swelled up.also has alot of black in it like maybe a mass. she is eating and pooping fine. i thought maybe impaction , but when they are impacted do they normally still poop?any suggestions would be appreciated. thanks for your help. tanya
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Do you have anything in the tank that your gecko could be ingesting to cause impaction? Like sand, gravel....? If you do, until you find out what is wrong you might want to remove those things. I have never personally delt with impaction so I can't offer any more advice.-KL
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3 dogs,1 cat,2 gerbils,1 fish,and one leopard gecko....well only for the moment!

i did have her in with 4 other females . they had 2 moist hides that had vermiculite in them. so i took her out and put her in another tank byherself to see how she does.she went poop as normal and eats as normal. thanks
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I though impaction at first aswell, but she wouldnt be pooping if it was that, so thats pretty much ruled out. Then I thought an egg, females cn develope them on their own, but you said it was black so cant be that either. I dont know alot about crypto, but I think one sign of it is a black or blue mass in the belly. Thats all I can think of, and ifs it begins to worry you I'd take her in to the vet to get it looked at. Good luck,
Mac

I'd take it to the vet emmediatly, as this is definatly not normal. a few months ago, a blizzard i had bought just a few weeks prior developed a big blackish blue mass, probably just like this. it died. work fast, as i think that one died of crypto, luckily, quarintine saved the rest of my reptiles.
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your head will collapse, but there's nothing in it, and you'll ask yourself, "where is my mind"

if you have AIM, IM me at iluvblackfrancis

do you happen to have a pic of the belly? or do you know where i can get a pic . just for an idea?she was in with 4 others, they probably got it if she does have crypto huh? and i also have others in the same room but in seperate tanks do you think they were exposed? i am gonna take her to the vet, but just want to make sure they check every option to make sure!!! i dont want to lose all my geckos!!!!thanks for your help.
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There is a small picture on http://www.geocities.com/spsac/crypto.html

The color on their belly can be blackish to blue to purplish Get her to your vet fast.

sterilize everything with 10%ammonia (Bleach will not always kill crypto), keep her away from the other reptiles it is highly contageous (some say that it can even be airborn) so the geckos in the other cage could also be at risk. If she has it the others in the cage most likely have it also. Crypto can cause loose stools, tender abdomens, and at the end vomiting (but other things can mimic crypto). When at the vet he/she may want to do an acid fast test on stool but know that the only sure way to confirm crypto is an autopsy (if she dies it is important to get an autopsy so you can treat or euthanise the other reptiles). Crypto is apparently not transmitable to humans. Go to www.Drgecko.com for more of the symptoms. good luck and keep us posted

Hi Tanya,

First of all... geckos can not just get crypto, it has to come from somewhere.

Have you gotten any new animals in recently?
Is impaction even a possibility? Substrate?
To what extent is her belly swollen?

You say she is eating and pooping just fine, definitely not a sign of crypto. If she has nasty runny stools, starts to regurge, or stops eating it might be time to worry.

As far as the notion that a swollen belly means crypto... not entirely true. I have actually talked to my vet about this (very good reptile vet, breeds boas too) and he says that lizards/geckos do not show the swollen abdomen nearly as much as snakes, and some may not show any swelling.

Now to address the black mass... probably just her liver, but could be an impaction, etc...

My recomendation to you is this:

1) Quarantine all geckos that have been exposed to her.
2) House her alone so you can moniter her stool consistency and eating habits.
3) Go buy some latex gloves and use them when you handle her or her enclosure, etc... Dont depend on hand washing alone, it's much better to throw the gloves away rather than rely soley on soap and water. This is purely precautionary at this point.

If you really feel something is wrong, then by all means bring her to the vet; but if you think you might be jumping the gun a bit I don't see any reason to bring a gecko to the vet that is eating/pooping normally.

A vet trip never hurts, just saying it may not be neccessary.

I hope everything works out for you.

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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Red Striped Tangerines, Carrot Tails and Screaming Amel Fat-Tails

I just noticed you had two moist hides filled with vermiculite... I can tell you first hand I have had females decide they felt like chowing on the stuf.

The end result is a hard black mass in the tummy... I could actually feel and see the "grains" of vermiculite in one of my females this year. While this can cause impaction, my girls seem to pass it just fine and are not given a second chance to ingest any more (I remove the hides).

You will probably see some poops of pure vermiculite pretty soon... I have no idea as to why my females like to eat it every now and then. They all have water bowls and calcium dishes.

Just make sure you keep her away from the vermiculite hides for awhile!

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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Red Striped Tangerines, Carrot Tails and Screaming Amel Fat-Tails

If she doesn't pass the vermiculite and shows any signs of impaction bring her to the vet.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Red Striped Tangerines, Carrot Tails and Screaming Amel Fat-Tails

thanks Ross ,and eveyone who responded to me. i do have her seperated from everyone else . i did that yesterday to keep an eye on her. i also changed the moist hides to damp paper towels for now. the vermiculite i had was very fine anyway (like dirt) i threw that away.
i dont really think it is crypto. now that i look at her stool it does look like she does have a little vermiculite in her stools. but not alot , could she just not be passing it? is there anyway to get her to pass it if she is impacted?
once again thank for eveyones help!!!!

tanya
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If she ate lots of vermiculite it could take a few days to pass... warm soaks will help.

The only other thing I can say is if she stops eating/pooping or starts to regurge bring her to the vet, those are all signs of impaction.

I've got my fingers crossed for you.
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-Ross Payan - www.LeosAnonymous.com

Leos Anonymous

Red Striped Tangerines, Carrot Tails and Screaming Amel Fat-Tails