Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i need some seriouse advise here guys.
today when i got home from work i found a tank face planted to the floor, lid off and broken glass everwhere. i totally paniced. i have four cats, 'nuff said.
i first looked at the ceiling for him with no luck so i feed the cats and sarted picking up the glass and tank remainders. i found Boris hidden under the paper towel and squished under a fake rock. i am so shocked (amazed) he's not a cat treat right now. crazy enough, he still has his tail to.
okay, so the hard part about this all is he's shedding so it's hard to see what's new damage and what was comeing off to start with. he's got some deffinate chunks out of his back left leg (what i'm really worried about), multiple skin flecks on his nose, cheeks, cuts under his chin, lips and upper face. he dosn't appear to be hobbeling. i didn't want to hold him too much because he's already stressed out i'm sure. same reason i'm not provideing a photo.
so what should i do? extra water, food and a warm hideing spot? should i just let him be?
thanks for any words of wisdom. i'm really worried about the little guy.
-julie

I think a trip to the vet would be in order for such a serious trauma (even a small tank falling & shattering on/around him could cause some big problems). Aside of that, I would guess a nice hiding spot with slightly more humidity to aid in shed. Perhaps Boris' fav. piece of cage furniture (cleaned off & glass free) to give him some sense of security in a new environment?
I hope he turns out to be ok. And I hope the cats are ok as well (free of glass & all). Now you can lecture them about leaving their house-mates alone & not trying to destroy poor Boris. Perhaps a heavier tank nex time? or one placed so that the cats cannot gain a foothold in any place that would put the tank in jeopardy (I used to have my lizards in a room I could close off from the cats)
Keep us updated!
~C
-----
1.0 Crested Gecko (Anton)
1.1 Crazy dogs (Alex & Sadie)
0.2 Vacationing Kitties (Puddy, PeeWee)
0.1 Amazing Wife =o)
Charlie - RIP 9-8-05 (Veiled Cham)

i would agree with the previously said for the most part.
i would also get a little bit of antibacterial cream without a painkiller or any other type of anti itch additive etc.
and rub that on wounds.
try to keep the cage as sterile as possible until the wounds start to heal up. they usually don't take long and heal up fairly nicely ( atleast the little ones i've had to deal with)
good luck and a vet visit if it is an option might not be a bad idea

I'm not sure about lizards but for snakes if the wounds are superficial you can soak the gecko back half in some dilute betadine about the color of ice tea. You can get the concentrate from a pharmacy. Read the label about what wounds are not advisable for use before buying. My vet says it's the best for reptiles along with some polysporin after the dip.

That won't cost much and then you can decide if the vet is the thing to do based on recovery. If you have the money the responsible thing of course is to go to the vet.

Yes, you should definitely take him to a veterinarian qualified for working with reptiles immediately. His wounds have to be treated now!

Vet visit is important. Since he was under a rock when you found him, if he crawled under the rock after the crash or it landed on top of him, could mean internal injuries you cannot see by looking. All the other advice is good to treat the badly shed skin and external injuries. However what you can't see could kill your gecko. X-rays will be needed to check for internal injuries.

Put the gecko in a room that can be closed when you are not around so your cats wont' knock over the cage again. Also, if you are using a light as a heat source, this becomes a real fire hazzard if cats knock the cage onto the floor. It's not as much a problem with crested geckos since they do not need a really hot basking area, like some commonly kept lizards (bearded dragons for example), but as a precaution for you and anybody else who has cats and herps, you need to keep the lizards/snakes in a room where cat's can't get at them. Or especially curious dogs as well.

If you don't have anymore tanks to use, set up your gecko temporary (between now and vet check of course, and when new home can be purchased) rubbermaid container, opaque or clear, at this stage opaque may be better to give him more security to heal). Set up the usual fake plants for cover, moist hide and papertowel with a few places to climb. However I don't think he will be doing much climbing for awhile. Have fresh water handy close to his hides and just offer non moving food. (ie Crested Gecko Diet from T-Rex, babyfood (fruit and chicken/turkey with vitamines/calcium added)
-----
PHLdyPayne

thanks for all the replys.
update:
i forgot to mention that last night when i moved him into the new cage he was talking to me. he's not normally vocal so i was kinda suprised.
so last night right before i went to bed i did another check on him and found him up at the top of the tank hanging out. i got optimostic so i hung out by his bedside and watched him some more. he crawled down and next to the food dish (fresh CGD), gave me a big yawn, and then licked around it without actully getting anything. he's normally a shy eater anyway.
this morning he tucked himself away into the egg creats and was sleeping. it looks like a little food was taken. = )

it was actully a fake rock he was under, very light, but still not great fun to be under. the tank & furniture is all setrile.
i cannot close my room off to other animals. this is a problem i'm dealing with in my living situation until my new housemates are ready. i'm renting a room in a house from a lady who doesn't "get" animals. she said she did when i moved in yadda yadda but the deal is, i'm on bottom floor so all the animals think my room is rad, and i can't lock only mine in and the other housemates out. so i gotta just deal until march 1st. i did place his tank in a very secure spot, can't be knocked over. i was not useing a heat scoure either, so no worries there.
i don't have a ton of cash because of all the moveing i've been doing but i'm willing to spend it anyway. one of the responsiblitlies of motherhood. and i can not (i tried) get off work time until thursday to take him to the vet. so i get to sweat it out until tomorrow.