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My leopard gecko might be sick but I'm not sure. He doesn't seem to open his eyes often, or one eye will be open. I think some of the skin constricted around one of his fingers because the end is missing! Will it grow back? I thought I knew what I was doing but I'm starting to worry. I'm not sure that he's eating enough. He has trouble completely shedding. I feed him meal worms and change his water every day, I give him vitamins, I keep his tank between 70-80. What am I doing wrong? I feel like a horrible person. He's not very old, I got him at a reptile convention and the kid said that he was maybe a year and I know that they can live up to 20 years in some cases. He's not inactive, sometimes he'll climb up on his hidey log or sit in his water bowl. He's definitely moving to different spots in his terrarium. I want to take him to a vet but since it's 10 o'clock at night I thought I'd start here. He shook his head pretty fast earlier and kept his steadiness, which is a good sign, I don't believe that he's too thin. His skin seems to have darkened some as well. Please please please help me to help him. Thank you!
-Emily

If there is skin constricted around his toe and he has lost a piece, it will not grow back. They can live/eat just fine missing a portion of thier toes. Do you have a moist hide box in his enclosure? The shedding problems could be due to a lack of humidity. You can make your own hide box by using a small-medium sized tupperware container: cut a hole in the top and fill it with moist eco-earth (can be found at a number of pet stores etc.). There are other things that you can use as a substrate, I prefer the eco-earth as it maintains the moisture longer than other mediums.

As for opening it's eyes I am not sure. He could be just tired, not wanting to or there may be an underlying reason-infection etc.

Leopard Geckos do need a warmer temperature as well. I keep my enclosures between 85F and 90F. If you don't have a UTH (undertank heater) I highly recommend that you get one and a Rheostat to control the output. These both can be found at your local pet store or any of the reptile supply companies on-line.

How much are you feeding your gecko? Do you have a calcium dish in it's enclosure? Leopards eat every 2-3 days, my adults get 10 small calcium dusted mealworms. The good thing about geckos is that they can go for quite some time without eating as long as they are healthy. I have even heard of some going a couple of months before taking a meal again. If you don't have a powdered calcium dish I would also pick that up at the pet store as well. In the wild leopards get calcium from their environment where as in captivity they don't have that ability. If not supplied with enough calcium they could get MBD (metabolic bone disease).

If your gecko has recently shed it would explain the darker coloration. Geckos are at their brightest and darkest coloration right after a shed. My SHTCT was very bright orange with I purchased her and now she is a very deep, dark orange. It happens naturally.

Finally, If you are uncomfortable with the way your gecko looks or is acting, the only thing for you to do is to contact a Herp vet and have him looked at. All the advice in the world won't be able to diagnose an illness that is internal.

Good Luck and Best Wishes for the Admiral
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1.1 Super Hypo Tangerine Leopards
1.1 Mack Snow Leopards
0.2 Red Racing Stripe Leopards
0.1.1 Bell Albino Leopards
0.1 Blazing Blizzard Leopard
1.0 Rabbit
1.0 Husband
1.2 Children

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to give me that advice, I hope someday I'm as knowledgeable as you are about my little man.

I would like to add to the excellent replies to this post that the temp should be measured right over the under the tank heater using a digital thermometer with a probe or a temp gun

You should not be measuring the air temps to read 88 to 90 degrees as overall tank air temps that high will be too hot for your gecko

Also-if you have an albino/red eyed Leo-which is sensitive to bright white light and have such a light on the tank-get rid of it

I hope that your geckos is OK and that this has helped