Mark on face + hunger strike

[copper birch]

hi! my problem child is having problems yet again and has been on a hunger strike for about a week which is not totally unusual for her but when i tried to feed her today she wouldn't eat and i saw this mark on her face, its night and the vets closed + i'm currently panicking because i have no clue what it is and how i can help her ☹️

i'm so mad at myself for not noticing it sooner since she hasn't been as active lately either 🥲 (not sure if i did this post thing right bc I'm freaking out lol)

[plush summit]

she looks like she's shedding

[copper birch]

she is about to but she's not this color under her shed like at all which is why i'm worried

[plush summit]

it doesn't really look like a burn or anything from what i can tell

see if it's still there after she sheds

[copper birch]

thanks! it looks like a betadine stain but she of course does not have a bowl of betadine in her tank 😭

[plush summit]

is this the little lady who has neuro issues?

or the health issues i should say

[copper birch]

yup i'm not sure if this could be related?

she does have issues with shedding her toes but she's gotten pretty good at the rest

[plush summit]

do you have a full body pic :o? i wasn't quite sure what was the issue with her when you were explaining in enclosure building

[little ridge]

oh have you been using betadine with her

[plush summit]

is it like- a bone deformity thing?? or

[copper birch]

nope whoops i should have clarified

[plush summit]

just curious what's up with the silly has anyone ever told you she's albino as well

[copper birch]

it's like a fun mix of god knows what 🥲 this is my favorite part of her wacky xray

[copper birch]

she was sold to me as albino but she looks more like a murphys patternless (kinda??)

[plush summit]

she's an albino mp/blizzard

[little ridge]

our geckos are twins..

[copper birch]

omg no way!

[copper birch]

thank u! i've always been curious lol

[little ridge]

she also has a tail kink that is only visible through xray

[copper birch]

i like to joke that hers is so bad it cancels itself out and that's why u can't see it without xray 😭

[plush summit]

i was curious about her health issues because we see a lot of people come in being like "MY GECKO IS BLIND!" or worried their gecko has neuro issues... and it turns out their gecko is just albino and needs proper clutter and coverage (most people don't provide this) because they're a little light sensitive

[plush summit]

😭 what's the rest of her look like if her tail looks like that LOL

[copper birch]

mines certainly not blind, just not very good at hunting 😭

[plush summit]

sorry i'm just curious ❤️

she's a cutie

[copper birch]

i tell myself it could be worse but honestly not great 😭 she's got the classic mbd style macaroni noodle arms (although she can stand normally now) and the bone density in her little toes was horrible but she's gotten a lot better with the prescriptions

[copper birch]

ty! she totally is loll

[plush summit]

what's her tank look like if you got a pic :o?

[copper birch]

no issues with the rest of her spine tho somehow she was super lucky there

[plush summit]

(i'm wondering something about her trying to eat paper towels)

[copper birch]

i might have one i'll look and if i don't i'll take one

[plush summit]

https://tenor.com/view/yes-sir-yes-boss-military-salute-giving-honor-rip-gif-23161689

[copper birch]

apologies for the garbage camera quality and even worse angle LMAO (u can't see it but there's a fake plant wall on the left side of the enclosure to block light from my window, some other stuff at the front of the tank, and double sided tape underneath the paper towels to stop her from nomming on it) ngl it's a major WIP

[plush summit]

Oh ❤️ can you get it from like the front!

like dis :3

[copper birch]

yes but it's kinda obscured by all the vines 😭

another garbage pic LMAO it's night time here 😭

ur enclosure is amazing btw

[plush summit]

you're fine LOL i'm wondering if maybe she's trying to eat the paper towels because of the shadows since there's not much overhead coverage providing a lot of shade

my albinos when they're being fed with lights on tend to go after the shadows and reflections rather than the actual bug...

so i'm wondering if she's seeing the shadows from the paper towel and decor and being like

https://tenor.com/view/mihoyo-genshin-genshin-impact-guoba-cute-adorable-gif-23737599

[copper birch]

i think u may be on to something 👀

if i can get my gecko to stop putting not-food in her mouth i owe u my first born

[plush summit]

These are my albino tanks :0

First pic are current ones, second is the previous builds in 40 gallon tanks

[copper birch]

3 geckos wow ur living the dream 😭😭

[plush summit]

I try to provide as much shade as possible while giving them cryptic basking opportunities / spots they can still get heating and uvb from

[copper birch]

my child is the queen of cryptic basking (i literally just realized that has a name lol)

[plush summit]

see if you can provide more coverage for her with corkbark and stuff! I think you were sent the guide in enclosure building as well from faith which goes over tank size as stuff 😮

if the coverage helps and she stops going after shadows and stuff / getting paper towels in her mouth then that's atleast solved!

[copper birch]

yup! i'll definitely give it a read when i have time (school has been wild lol)

fingers crossed 😭

[plush summit]

keep us updated on the weird face spot

[copper birch]

i will just never understand how she rips a chunk out of the paper towel, eats it, (hopefully) realizes it's NOT a worm, and does it again 🤦‍♀️ rip geck still waiting for her turn with the braincell

[plush summit]

do you feed her during the day with everything on?

(room lights, uvb, heating etc)

[copper birch]

i will! also do u think it's safe to give her a soak with that thingy on her face, i think she's going to shed within 24hrs and i usually soak before

[copper birch]

no i feed her at night after i eat my dinner and it's pretty dark, i keep her dhp on tho

[plush summit]

i'd just see how she does ! generally saunas are only done after a shed if they have stuck shed that hasn't been removed 24 hours after they animals has shed!

[copper birch]

i've been doing little preventative saunas as recommended by the vet but i've considered stopping since she seems to be shedding better now

[plush summit]

i see :o! was gonna say if you're doing that that can also affect albino vision :3

def do the clutter thing then and maybe make a spot that's not so covered (with like a flat rock) and make that her feeding platform so there's not so many shadows and see how she does

cus is it only when she's eating that she goes after paper towels? or all the time

[copper birch]

all the time 🥲

[plush summit]

does she have a humid hide?

[copper birch]

yup i got creative and use moss covered with a paper towel that's also taped down 😭

[plush summit]

ahh then yeh just see how she does with more clutter

[plush summit]

like in a hide or just out and about LOL

[copper birch]

in a hide, it's on the back left side of the pic i sent i think

[plush summit]

she shouldn't need the soak then as long as she has a proper humid hide

[copper birch]

hopefully she'll actually use it this time LMAO

[plush summit]

🙏

i have a little neuro girl too so ❤️ she's not super bad but she's... a character

[copper birch]

sometimes i put her in there and when i turn away she runs back out im like bruh 🤦‍♀️ lol

she's so loud too i'm like u think ur soooo sneaky NOPE LMAOO

[plush summit]

she has a very slight wobble / balance issues and gets really excited easily so (she's the one that goes after shadows and reflections... and anything that moves...)

[copper birch]

oh god same mine loves to check out her reflection

[plush summit]

this was her tonight C,:

[copper birch]

i fear she's a little self centered 💀

LMAO that is noooot food homie 😭

[plush summit]

i have videos of when i first got her falling backwards trying to climb

[copper birch]

mine used to (and still does) do some weird stuff too like she will just sit in her water bowl im like bro u got a humid hide right there

[plush summit]

djfnd ANYWAYS praying that that weird spot is just a weird shed spot- OH what's your little girl's name?

[copper birch]

i'm like girl that's for drinking that's gross get out plz

[copper birch]

she has so many oh god 😭 i have been calling her oodle boodle recently for literally no reason

[plush summit]

CUTE LOL

[copper birch]

her name changes daily based purely on vibes 😭😭

[vestal plume]

sorry to jump in, but real quick, i just learned albinos have different care necessities, what are the differences??

[copper birch]

i got a better pic should i try putting neosporin on it? i don't think it's an injury but i wanna be safe yk

[plush summit]

i wouldn't no. to my knowledge neosporin and stuff isn't recommended 😮 (i can double check)

[plush summit]

there isn't much difference besides providing more clutter! !albinocare

[loud furnace]

https://i.imgur.com/NeHOVQj.png
https://i.imgur.com/sUUpaTD.png
https://imgur.com/a/9sveWoa

[vestal plume]

appreciate it peachgy

thanks 🙂

[plush summit]

because they all have their own degree of light sensitivity, we suggest providing proper clutter and coverage for albinos while giving them the same care as non albinos :3 ❤️

[plush summit]

question. is the moss brown or green

[vestal plume]

bet, thanks

[copper birch]

brown natural sphagnum moss

[plush summit]

okay i was gonna say it's possible it's a stain from dyed spag moss but if it's brown

[copper birch]

the dyed moss is so ewww i made that mistake once lol

[copper birch]

the mark mostly came off with the shed but it's still a bit brown where it was, much lighter tho

the shed from her face where the mark was looks like ginger dipped in soy sauce LMAO

[plush summit]

omg

i wonder if she got stained by something in the tank somehow LOL

[copper birch]

i don't have the slightest idea what it could be i'm like girl what were u doing 😭😭

[copper birch]

so i just got back from the vet for her hunger strike and she may not be stupid, just blind 😭

[little ridge]

likely not blind, just albino

[plush summit]

tis why i mentioned providing lots of coverage lol

[copper birch]

there were two vets in the room trying to figure out what's wrong with her bc she does have quite a few weird behaviors the first vet hasn't seen before, eventually they set up a little obstacle course for her and decided she is probably blind, (tw death) ||they also said since the behaviors they described have become more severe i may have to think about euthanizing if she can't eat on her own ☹️|| idk if anyone has experienced anything similar

idk what to think 😭😭

[plush summit]

what behaviors other than not being able to see around?

when she walks around in her enclosure with the lights off does she walk fine? /gen

and what was she doing in the obstacle course that made them think she was blind

[copper birch]

she walks around bumping into everything and kinda licking her way around, i heard it's normal to some extent but i think she genuinely has trouble navigating, she doesn't respond to like waving anything (including food) in front of her face either

[little ridge]

wait what vet is this

are they certified to work with reptiles

[copper birch]

she was basically just bumping into everything

[plush summit]

was she squinting at all

[copper birch]

yup they're a reptile vet

[plush summit]

or were her eyes fully open

[copper birch]

her eyes were fully open

[plush summit]

so ime with light sensitivity in albinos , they sorta walk around like headless chickens when they're walking around in the light (sometimes they'll just full on squint and run around like AHHH)

[copper birch]

they said the blindness itself isn't exactly the problem but what may be causing the blindness (example they gave was brain tumor)

[copper birch]

headless chicken is a great description lol

[plush summit]

do you have any videos of her like, walking around in the enclosure

[copper birch]

i don't but i could get some later when she comes out

[plush summit]

def do that cus i wanna see something. i'm curious

[copper birch]

wait actually i do have one from about a verrryy long time ago when i was at the vet for a different hunger strike lol so just picture this but like x5 (side note: her poor little arms omg it really puts into perspective how much the prescribed vitamins have helped her 🥹)

i seriously owe my life to that vet for helping her she's so strong now 😭

[plush summit]

oh she doesn't look as fucked up as i thought lol. but yeh she just looks stressed there

[copper birch]

i wasn't aware it could get much worse 😧 she acts the same at home too tho, idk maybe she has anxiety like me 😭

[plush summit]

she glass surfs at home? (granted her tank is below thriving minimum so it could be husbandry related.)

[copper birch]

not the glass surfing but the scratching and bonking her head (do i need to upgrade her tank soon?)

[plush summit]

so thriving minimum is 36x18x18 inches or 90x45x45 cm

this provides proper enrichment and space for temperature gradients and stuff

in smaller enclosures it can be hard to provide proper gradients which in turn can cause possible stress / behaviors like glass surfing/pawing etc

[copper birch]

oh wow i thought it was like 20gal, i will definitely be looking into upgrades then thanks!

[copper birch]

i did a little test with the flash light on my phone and she does squint when i shine it at her, i hope that's a good sign lol

it's a bit weird tho bc she takes a bit to close her eyes and then a while to open them back up even after the light is gone

[copper birch]

i'm not expert but i think she has played us all for absolute fools, no way this silly is blind 😭

[little ridge]

just albino indeed

[copper birch]

this asshole had two very experienced vets convinced she was blind i literally cannot- 💀

god i love her so much but like seriously??? girly cmon 😭😭

[plush summit]

to be fair.

Light sensitivity can seem like blindness. that's why we have that "is my leo blind" question in the FAQ on the albino care command

even experienced vets may not necessarily know up to date information about morphs like albinos

girlie was probably like

https://tenor.com/view/blind-spongebob-blinded-myeyes-sizzle-gif-14462547375788220564

when they were doing the maze test

i had a big feeling it was just common albino stuff though

GOOD NEWS IS. if you get her used to eating on a stone / feeding platform you probably can try her out with loose substrate when you get her into a thriving minimum sized enclosure + she seems like she probably could do fine with climbing enrichment as well given her mbd / bendy legs aren't like god awful

[copper birch]

she's an incredible climber, i think she did rock climbing in her past life 😭

she's bad at getting down tho 💀

[plush summit]

it's okay mine are bad at getting down too

[copper birch]

her preferred method is flop 🫡

it may look like she has a death wish but it's actually a very sophisticated and refined method of descent

totally legit very good method i swear... 💀

also if u have any front opening 36x18 enclosure recs (that hopefully aren't $300 🥲) i would rlly appreciate it

[plush summit]

what country are you from :o!

[copper birch]

USA RAHHH 🦅🦅🦅🦅

[plush summit]

https://www.amazon.com/New-Age-Living-ECOFLEX-Reptile/dp/B086LJ4Z83?th=1

[copper birch]

i've always wondered if i can diy one but i don't know if i can be trusted with handling glass