HELP - my gecko is sick!

[firefly_]

I had bad experience with meal worms also. My beardie ate 3 of them one night as a different treat. She threw them back up within 30 min's. I didn't try any more for the longest time. Just the other day I got some wax worms because I heard that they were better than meal worms because they do not have that hard shell. I'm not sure on Knob tails or anything because I've never owned one, but she held down wax worms. Now she gets one or two of them every so many days. She seems to love them.

I really hope that it worked out for you! Keep us updated on the process.

 

[lilmissrazz]

can we get wax worms here in oz??

 

[pugsly]

Get in on a heat spot.

Obviously the meal worm was WAY to big for it. Remember the rule of the food size, should be no bigger than the space between the geckos eyes.

I have never fed meal worms to my geckos so try and get away from that habbit too.

But warmth is the key, if it cant digest it thats what they will do.

 

[ari]

Have you checked the specimens toes for a possible tornique from bad sheds - as an infection could be the cause.

Mealworms / Lesser mealworms & Zoophobs - I have been using all of these as a varied diet along with crixs, larder beetle larvae & roaches - I am yet to see any substantiated evidence in an actual photo as to problems with feeding mealworms. I have fed for years with not a single problem, and depending on the type of mealworm used there is infact nutritional value to be found in them.

I guess that geckos don't eat hard outer shelled grubs / larvae in the wild the.

 

[ari]

What age are these Levis?

 

[JKretzs613]

Hello

Hello,

Sorry about your gecko! Honestly, in that short amount of time, mealies wouldn't be the culprit unless it was way too large to pass. Mealies are a decent feeder along with crickets, for geckos, just not for bearded dragons. Gecko's digestive tracts are different & can handle a bit more chitsin than bearded dragons can.
However, do you know if your gecko was on sand before you got him? Perhaps he was already impacted when you got him. That is what it sounds like to me. Please take him off of sand, they get impacted with sand fairly easily. If he is impacted, feeding him anything solid will result in him getting worse.
You could get some tiny feeding syringes, & get some chicken, or turkey babyfood & mix that up with a bit of squash babyfood (for fiber) & get some into him to help pass things through if he is impacted.
Or the other thing it could be would be a viral or bacterial infection. If that is the case, he will need some type of antibiotics to properly treat him.
How did his stool look was it runny, or just hard to tell since the worm came through?

Tracie

 

[Liccy]

Still alive this morning - not real active... he can use his back legs - but is choosing not too move more than a few steps...

it was just like a wet worm folded over basically and squashed...too hard to tell really

He does seem to have some bits of shed stuck to his feet - and he has a bit on his eye that i cant get off... not sure how to get it off to tell u the truth - seems pretty well stuck on there...

The shed on his feet doesnt look like its cutting off circulation or infected or anything - but he is so small its hard to tell...

They are approx 7 months old, however this sick one is 2/3 the size of the other one... not sure if that has anything to do with it. the guy i bought them off said that the big one eats all the time, and he has to wait till the big one is full till the little one gets a chance to eat... he also told me that he didnt think they were very active - up until now, they seem fine in my enclosure....i do believe that the guy had them for a while before he sold them....

 

[Liccy]

Ive jsut noticed - that his front feet and toes are trembling / wiggling pretty bad....

 

[lilmissrazz]

id try and get him 2 a vet liccy

 

[Glider]

He sounds seriously ill. I really hope he makes it to the vet and the vet is able to help him through.
To help get some nutrition into sick lizards in the past I have mixed chicken&veg babyfood with a fair bit of vitamin&calcium powder and dabbed it on the lizards lips to lick off, and if the lizard is able to move around to catch food I get smallish fat crickets dusted with vitamin & calcium powder and chop their hopper legs off at the knees so they're really slow but still able to wiggle. Sick individuals should be housed by themselves in a dark quiet area with access to a good hotspot.

I hope your little fella isnt beyond help.

 

[Aslan]

Liccy - What is your hot spot currently at? and are you reading the temperature from a thermometer or thermostat? Keeping him warm is a good start...getting him to a vet will be even better...

I am pretty sure there is a good Herp Vet out Penrith way but I have taken mine to the Avian & Exotic Pet Hospital @ Camden in the past and they are great to deal with and not far off the Northern Road...

 

[Gecko :)]

He sounds seriously ill. I really hope he makes it to the vet and the vet is able to help him through.
To help get some nutrition into sick lizards in the past I have mixed chicken&veg babyfood with a fair bit of vitamin&calcium powder and dabbed it on the lizards lips to lick off, and if the lizard is able to move around to catch food I get smallish fat crickets dusted with vitamin & calcium powder and chop their hopper legs off at the knees so they're really slow but still able to wiggle. Sick individuals should be housed by themselves in a dark quiet area with access to a good hotspot.

I hope your little fella isnt beyond help.

I am very sorry to hear about your Levis,. I hope he/she recovers!

I agree with Glider,.
I would definately keep them seperate, just incase whatever it is is contagious!
and to ensure he/she can feed without having to wait for the other guy to let him..
Just wondering do you keep the enclosure completely dry or do you have a dampened (not too damp) spot for them, as if the humidity levels arnt right, they will have problems shedding,. but if it is too damp you can end up with fugus problems,. I have also heard that if the enclosure is very dry,. their inner ear membrane can dry out which may cause problems!!

I had some problems with one of mine a little while ago,. where she kept holding her head up in the air, and was walking a little funny,. I still am unsure what was wrong with her,. it lasted 3 days,. and now she is completely normal!!,. YAY

I hope all works out and he/she makes a full recovery,.

Kelly

 

[Liccy]

well i took him to a vet this morning - who rang all her vet friends and then proceeded to give him a vitamin b shot and antibiotics

He isnt doing anything weird - other than not moving basically (he just moved a few steps)... although he did do a rather tiny poo earlier today...

Here is my action plan for the next little bit:
* get rid of the sand substrate TONIGHT... and i have no idea what to use - paper kitty litter?
* continue the .001 ml of antiobiotics once a day
* get to the reptile vet at South Penrith on Sat

Questions:
* what substrate - seeing sand seems bad?
* Does wat the vet did seem ok?

 

[sparticus]

sand is fine to use.they live on it naturally...He probably gave it vitamin b to help absorb calcium..I have seen the twitching toes in mine and a mates geckoes and it seems to be linked to lack of calcium..Not lack of calcium in the diet but actually the amount of calcium being absorbed by the gecko..Once the heat was increased a little they pick up as the heat seems to help with the breakdown of calcium and transfering it to the bloodstream for use in the geckos body....use a calcium/vitamin combination powder as this will also provide it with essential vitamins for the breakdown and use of calcium...

 

[JasonL]

Keep it on the sand, don't use anything else.

 

[JasonL]

You need to supply a humid hide, ie; a hide with damp sand under it, this will help it shed.

 

[Liccy]

I know the sand is natural - but they seem to get it stuck all over them?? - surely this cant be good?

 

[sparticus]

is you sand damp all over the enclosure..?

 

[dentech]

im reading this and taking in everything its a great learning aid i have all fingers crossed for your little guy liccy. hope he starts improving soon

 

[Liccy]

No - the sand near the warm spot is dry - as the heat drys it out... the other sand is not too damp... but it still gets all over them?