Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Not new to keeping Leos but I have never encountered this before in any of my herps...in fact, I dont think any of them have ever been sick.

Overview:

40g breeder with middle partion
One side houses male Leopard gecko ~ 2yrs old
Other side houses male blizzard pattern leo ~ 1 yr old
Bedding: exo terra jungle earth
Heating: 8w zoo-med under-glass heater
Large water dish regular misting
Feeding: every other day with either jumbo mealworms and/or crickets, all gut loaded and repcal dusted
Both geckos are friendly, hand fed and have never had any problems. They are kept in the finished basement which has a dehumidifier running 24/7 to keep basement at 35% humidity.

The last few days the reg pattern leo has developed a sunken left eye that has clouded over. The other eye, although clear, is also sunken. I thought perhaps dehydration as he was also having difficulty shedding. The dehumidifier was bumped to 55% and a misting was done. He was seen licking droplets as he always does. He has not taken food for the last few days. Tail is still plump, still passing stool and he is not impacted...nice soft belly. I always watch to make sure that they are not poked or injured by the crickets when feeding.

NO problems with the other leopard gecko.

I DID however notice that the heating pads came unstuck from the bottom of the glass...not sure how long that has been like that.

I have since secured them with electrical tape and will be more diligent in checking this in the future.

Could it have been a cold streak with the heaters fallen off?
Dehydrated? Running the dehumidifier too much?

NO mites, NO fungus on the bedding. Water is clean. Stool looks normal.

Any thoughts?
Thanks so much.

You shouldnt mist your leos often. Do they have a humid hide?
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2.4.6 Leopard Gecko (Abraxas, Trinny, Susahna)
0.2.0 Homonota Darwinii (Talus & Gracilis)
0.1.0 Cham Caliptratus (Al Respecto)
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (Cafu)
1.0.0 Black Cat (Felipe)
0.0.8000 Tenebrio Molitor
0.0.2000 Zoophoba Mario
0.0.2500 Lobster Roaches

I don't mist the geckos themselves but rather the hiding spot on the other end of the cage. Both geckos have a humid hide.

With the eye being clouded over it makes me think there may be an infection. One of my geckos got an infected eye and it was clouded over. I took her to the vet and they gave me a cream to put on her eye.

Any idea of what antibiotic it was? I have access so if I know what it is I can save a trip and $$ by going to the vet. Thanks.

The problem in reptiles is that their immune system is very much heat dependant... Higher available temps for them to use is generally a good proscribed cure for a lot of things.. including parasites, which all have a temperature at which they can no longer survive in a body... With reptiles, they heat up and cool down quicker.. they can take their body temps up to a specific level, kickstart their immune system with a high heat dose and then move off once that heat has done its work in its body. Its an amazing system. My leos have access to a belly heat area of about 110-120 degrees... the air temperature above it is around 92... at the lower end its in the high 70's usually. I also keep them slightly more humid than most.. With them being a nocturnal animal, those crevices they hide in during the day are going to collect what small reservoirs of water exist and evaporate... making the humidity they live in signifigantly higher than you'd expect. Otherwise it'd be impossible for a thin skinned species like the leo to exist in a desert. People just don't think. Anyone who lives in a desert should know that at nightfall, rocks left on the surface all day can still read at almost 170 degrees F for several hours.. they're natural heat sinks and its why you see so many species of lizards use them as such..

Now, for your specific problem... I'd boost the substrate heat, boost the humidity and leave the cage dark for a time... I'm dealing with a female right now who has one severely burned eye from being in UV light all the time. Her former owners had no hide for her and left the UV lights on all the time for heat... She had blisters on both eyes... the one has since healed just fine.. the other is slowly shrinking under this regime. What so many people forget is that just because a leo is a desert animal, doesn't mean higher humidity plays no role in their life.. especially being nocturnal. Humidity is naturally higher at night when dew collects on rock faces and crevices.. as it evaporates it increases the general humidity... During the day leos are spending many hours in temps of around 85 degrees and 70% humidity... in rock crevices... at night they come out and bask on the higher heat of those same rocks outside.. Its all very simple if you read about their natural habitat some.. Its not all about how to keep them in captivity but about some of the conditions they see in the wild as well.

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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
5.11.Leopard geckos (1.2 Blizzards (Caine, Phoenix, and Mirage), 0.2 Tangerine Albinos (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short, and Casper), 1.0 Tremper Albino (Mycah), 0.3 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, and Aris), 1.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas), 1.0 Full Stripe Chocolate Tremper Albino (Discord), 0.1 pastel (Raven) and 1.2 Normals)
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros) (R.I.P. November 18, 2005)
13 rats (plus pups)
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Ashe and Hercules)

Lucien

I would like to that you for your informative and in depth reply. It is greatly appreciated.

Ive been keeping leos for quite some time now, back pre heat-rock days.

I am going to redesign the tank a bit and move them upstairs. Eventhough the basement is finished down there and quite warm I think they will do better upstairs.

We consulted a veterinarian specializing in herps and he recommended some antibiotic ointment and some vitamin A supplementation. I am able to get the antibiotic and will now supplement with vitamin A along with the D and Calc.

Thanks again.

If anyone else has any info or tips I would be more than happy to hear.

You're very welcome. I've been keeping reptiles of all kinds for the past 10 years or so and I've found a lot about the nature of most reptiles and their husbandry is completely the same with small variations in high/low temps, humidity levels and preferences of hiding space. All of my leos are set up with undertank heating.. no lighting save what lighting comes through windows...3 hides in each cage and higher temps/humidity than most people think should be available to them. However, in keeping monitors, I learned alot about general reptile husbandry and I've applied that in my own way and manner. 10 years of study and research have put me where I can take a virtually dead gecko and get him to come alive again. In 10 years of keeping, I've lost 4 animals total, mostly due to faulty timers and power outages.. *shrugs* Thats not to brag its just simply the truth. There are many different ways to do things.. and you have to find what works for you after you get the basics down...adjust as you see fit... don't follow the crowd because most often the crowd... doesn't have huge amounts of experience in a number of reptile species...

This is Lazarus.. a rescued gecko that arrived in a UPS overnight box...without notification from the owner that they were coming...only 2 small 3 hr handwarmers for heat for them in the middle of December in the Northeast. His mate was frozen solid...the only movement from him was a tiny quivering in his tail. We immediately immersed him in warm water... got his circulation going and he is now turning out to be a very beautiful and very big boy. We've had him for a little over 3 weeks. He's big enough he takes 2 day old rat pinks which I've been feeding him for reconditioning in terms of nutrient levels..they were severely low when he first came in. He'll be put into my breeding groups next season...

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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
5.11.Leopard geckos (1.2 Blizzards (Caine, Phoenix, and Mirage), 0.2 Tangerine Albinos (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short, and Casper), 1.0 Tremper Albino (Mycah), 0.3 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, and Aris), 1.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas), 1.0 Full Stripe Chocolate Tremper Albino (Discord), 0.1 pastel (Raven) and 1.2 Normals)
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros) (R.I.P. November 18, 2005)
13 rats (plus pups)
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Ashe and Hercules)

Seems things have gotten worse.

The one eye that was clouded over has now turned red and bloody. The other has clouded over as well. So far the triple antibiotic isnt working. Going to a vet tomorrow.

Seems like Vit A deficiency but more serious.

Anything I can do tonight or tomorrow to help things along?

Gecko otherwise acting normally. Moving around tank fine, responding OK...not lethargic. Seems interested in mealies but cannot see to eat.
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1.0.0 Leopard Gecko (Normal,"Lexus" - was supposed to be female)
1.0.0 Leopard Gecko (Blizzard, "Sid Vicious"
0.2.0 Cats (Black, "Lola" & "Kahlua"
1.0.0 Reef Aquarium

Well, I'd actually believe it could be some form of upper respiratory problem rather than vitamin A deficiency. It could also possibly be Vitamin A toxicity but thats also rather doubtful depending on how you supplement your geckos... Usually things involved with the eyes in reptiles and most other animals, have to do with respiratory problems...and that can be a product of too low a humidity.. or heating issue... See the vet ASAP.. and if you have any on hand for tonight, flush it gently with a bit of warm saline water...
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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
5.11.Leopard geckos (1.2 Blizzards (Caine, Phoenix, and Mirage), 0.2 Tangerine Albinos (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short, and Casper), 1.0 Tremper Albino (Mycah), 0.3 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, and Aris), 1.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas), 1.0 Full Stripe Chocolate Tremper Albino (Discord), 0.1 pastel (Raven) and 1.2 Normals)
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros) (R.I.P. November 18, 2005)
13 rats (plus pups)
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Ashe and Hercules)