lavish lance
hey, my geckos been having a tough time shedding for the past week or so, and I noticed today his eye was stuck shut. I was really worried, and had no idea what to do, but as I looked away for a bit, his eye just went back to normal? I'm sure there's something more going on here, and I feel horrible that my gecko might be suffering from vitamin deficiency... any advice? :(
some extra info, he's 5 years old, and is very healthy, we have never needed attention from the vet until now (I just scheduled an appointment.)
he generally does a good job shedding, we've never needed to remove more stuck shed than just stuff on his toes. last month he did an excellent job shedding and had no problems whatsoever. This time, he took a really long time to even begin shedding, and has not done a great job.
this is my first time noticing something wrong with him, i check up on him pretty much daily. his appetite is still around and he eats a couple times a week like normal, and hasn't lost any weight (71g). I can provide as many pictures as needed.
austere sleet
stuck shed like this is usually a sign of vitamin deficiency or a husbandry issue. can you go over your supplementing routine? as well as send an image of your enclosure and let us know your heating and lighting setup + temps
lavish lance
stuck shed like this is usually a sign of vitamin deficiency or a husbandry issu...
yeah, I usually dust the roaches I feed her with calcium that has d3, I have a multivitamin powder which has vitamin A (repashy calcium plus) but she generally doesn't eat them whenever they're dusted with the multivitamin.
I don't have any full pics of his enclosure right now, I can take some later but this is mainly what it looks like. as for heating and lighting, I only have a ceramic heat emitter above the hide on the right to keep it warm, there isn't any light source. his temps generally sit at around 80° f on the warm side of his tank
is there anything I can do for him until the vet appointment? I was planning on giving him a warm bath so I can start to remove all of his stuck shed.
austere sleet
id give the !guide a read as i can see a few things need changed (like heating which is especially important with loose substrate) but as for shedding id make sure you follow the !suppschedule or similar routine and assure your mv isnt old as after several months unrefrigerated vitamins can start to degrade. id also get digital thermometers as the one in the image isnt accurate. make sure your humid hide is damp. can also spray down the enclosure or part of it pretty good to help boost overall humidity so its easier to get off on his own
undone radishBOT
austere sleet
here is info on a sauna but dont remove any dry shed or mess with the eyes on your own. if the leo cant remove shed on their own with humidity help then a vet should be able to do it properly!
lavish lance
here is info on a sauna but dont remove any dry shed or mess with the eyes on yo...
thank you! I'll do this tonight, I'm currently trying to get an appointment for a better vet. I'll give the guide a read as well, and update his enclosure as needed.
I have to ask though, are his eyes gonna be alright? I feel so bad, I've never seen him in this condition and its all happening so fast... I just wanna make sure he's okay. I really appreciate your help, and again, I'll do everything I can to ensure he gets healthier asap.
austere sleet
is the eye still back to normal like you said or stuck shut again? i cant say much for it being stuck shut only a vet can help out with that!
lavish lance
is the eye still back to normal like you said or stuck shut again? i cant say mu...
it seems to get stuck shut whenever he goes to sleep, but he can open them back up, after licking them for a while
unfortunately today i noticed both eyes were closed, but after just a couple minutes he opened both of them back up
on a positive note though, he does still have an appetite. i got him to eat a couple of roaches dusted with the MV, and i was also able to get a vet appointment 2 days from now at an exotic animal hospital
austere sleet
thats good about the appointment! lucky for a soon appointment sometimes it can be weeks
lavish lance
yeah I'm really glad I was able to get one so soon. I would've been horribly anxious if I had to wait any longer lol
lavish lance
update, I have had pretty good success removing a whole lot of stuck shed from her body. she's been very cooperative, and doesn't mind the help