albino leo gecko eye issue

Question
Hello,

I took my brother's albino leo gecko in when he could no longer care for him.  I am not a reptile person, but I love all living things, and felt sorry because he didn't have a place to go.  I have had him for about 2 years now.  I think he or she is about 3-5 years old.  About 1 1/2 weeks ago I noticed that his right eye was closed and there looked like some skin coming off of it.  I thought it was maybe the last part of his shedding.  He had just molted.  But his eye still stayed closed.  This morning it was the same.  I thought maybe he had scratched it on a rock in the cage, or got sand in his eye.  But tonight it changed.  Now it looks like like a puss bubble is coming out of the eye.  Not totally sure how to describe it.  Kind of looks like the eye is popping out, but cloudy too.  He keeps licking it.  But he is eating and drinking, and otherwise acting normal.

I keep him in a ten gallon aquariam and have a lizard heating pad plugged in under about one thrid to one half of his cage.  Also there is a light that we use at night and turn off during the day. I bought it from a pet store and the bulb is especially for lizards.  It's not colored though.  He lives in our finished basement, so it is quiet and dark during the day downstairs.  

He lives on calcium sand.  He has a lizard rock that hold water, which we try to change often.  He has two houses in the cage.  One over the heating pad and one on the cool side.  

We feed him mealworms and crickets, but more often mealworms, since they are more convienent.

We don't really ever take him out.  I have little kids, and don't want the lizard to get accidently hurt.  Ocassionaly my brother will visit and take him out for a little bit.

I feel bad for the little guy because of his eye.  I'm not sure what to do for him.  I really don't want to take him to a vet and pay a big vet bill, as I didn't really want him in the first place, but also don't want the little guy to suffer.  Any advice would be great!

Thanks, Jenny

Answer
Hi Jenny,
It sounds like your leo may have scratched his eye in some way and its now infected. Yes, it can also be some type of tumor, but lets go with the easier to treat scratch/infection... He really does need to see a vet so that proper diagnosis and treatment can be given.  Leos do get eye infections.  The vet will most likely prescribe an antibiotic eye ointment for him. While waiting on the vet appointment, you can very carefully wipe the eye with a sterile eye solution, be it an eye antibiotic ointment(which would be best) or sterile saline. There is a wonderful program called CARE CREDIT (www.carecredit.com) which is a credit card that many vets accept and the payments are very low and interest free for a year. Having the eye treated really should not be a huge vet bill. With infections and reptiles, it doesn't take much for an infection in one area to travel throughout their bodies...
Sand is not recommended as a substrate for leos as when they eat, they get the sand in their mouth and regardless of what the bag says, it does not digest or pass through their system, but builds up and causes severe life threatening blockages.
Its fine on not taking him out of his tank much...most leos do prefer not to be held, and he most likely is fine with getting out when your brother is there.
I've included a basic care sheet for you.  Please check your temperatures and info on humid hide as they are two very vital parts of their needs...Also, I highly recommend removing the sand to help prevent any other problems from it.
I do understand about the vet bill...and not wanting the leo in the first place.. having a big heart is how I got started in reptiles many years ago...the first reptile here, an iguana, I didn't want..but they do grow on you and the "crew" has grown to 3 iguanas, 2 leopard geckos and a ball python...
BASIC CARE FOR A LEOPARD GECKO
Leopards are pretty easy to care for but they do need
special care.  Here are some of the basic needs of your gecko.
HOUSING: The need to have at least a 20 gallon long tank for one Leo. This needs to have a secure fitting screen top...they can be quite the escape artists!!! They need to have a humid hide box.You can make this with something as simple as a small plastic dish with a hole cut in one side and a small mesh bag filled with some Sphagnum moss coconut bark or Peat moss that you mist.  
I made mine out of the small plastic folgers coffee containers...I cut an opening in the lid..and put the moss in..they LOVE it. I use the terrarium moss in mine.
I use that on the warm side of the tank. Be sure to provide a cool hidebox on the other end. I also provide a mid temperature hide...which is in the middle of the tank.I use the critter caves which you can purchase.  NOT the ones that have heat in them!!!!
Provide secure climbing areas for your gecko.  Fake plants, rocks and branches are all fine to use. be sure there are no wires or sharp ends to any fake plants you use.
*****SUBSTRATE:(that's the stuff on the floor of your tank) Newspaper, lizard carpet or paper towels work great and are easy to clean and are much safer than any loose substrate.  Sand or other loose substrate is not recommended as that they can be deadly to the leo when it is ingested(eaten, even by accident while eating their insects)...A very graphic site of an impacted leo surg can be seen at http://homepage.mac.com/exoticdvm/reptile/PhotoAlbum181.html   it is very graphic!!! ******What I have found that works great for safety and heat distribution is using about 1/4 inch of childrens play sand(since the tiles fit tight together, there is no sand danger) on the bottom of the tank and on top that you place ceramic or slate floor tile.  What is nice is that the 12 x 12 squares fit perfect in a 20 gallon tank with no spaces between the tiles.  The sand and the tile distribute the heat wonderfully.  Using the under tank heater as described is what distributes the heat.  Also, overhead heat will help in heating the tiles...I've been using this set up for several years and the leos love it.  Using a tile that isn't smooth is recommended.  **********
TEMPERATURES:  They need a warm area of 88-92 degrees and a
cooler area  in the upper 70s,  low 80s.   At night their temperature can drop to the low to mid 70's.  
Never use a hot rock for a leopard gecko...or any reptile.
They can severely burn any reptile.  You can use a heating
pad under the tank,under tank heater, or you can use a regular household lightbulb in a dome fixture with a ceramic socket in it to keep the warm area at the 88-90 degree area.At night, no white light. If room temperatures stay above 70 degrees, no extra night heat is needed. The undertank heater or heating pad should cover about 1/3 of the tank....be sure to raise the tank up about 1/4-1/2 inch off the stand when using an undertank heat source to prevent heat build up which can cause the glass to break and hot spots in the glass. Be sure to have a good layer of newspaper, carpeting or, even a thin flat rock(such as tile) on top the area that the undertank heat source is placed...if you use a thin rock or tile, it helps to distribute the heat very well.
You can  use the special nighttime lights that are designed for reptiles. I like using a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat for  nighttime heat.  
DO NOT use black lights or party lights as they can cause eye damage!!!!
The wattage you use will vary based on room temperature and size of tank.  
LIGHTING:  Leopard geckos do not need UVB lighting but it does not hurt them to give them uvb.  They should have some type of light during the day, be it a uvb tube, regular florescent light, reptile day light or regular household lightbulb. NO white lights at night!!!
FEEDING: Geckos should not be fed  crickets or other insects that are bigger than the space between their eyes.  Generally, hatchlings can be fed more than once a day,juvys can be fed twice a day, adults are fed once daily or every other day, in the early evening. Crickets and other food items such as silk worms, super, and an occasional treat of a wax worm, need to be dusted with a calcium supplement two times a week and also they should have a small dish of calcium in their tank.  I use the lid of a milk jug for the little dish of calcium in their tank.  For dusting the insects, Use a calcium with no added phosphorus.  Insects must be gut loaded(fed) for at least 48 hours prior to feeding your gecko. Remove any uneaten crix or superworms after 15-20 minutes.....  Place a piece of cut potato in the tank so that if you have missed any uneaten insects, they will eat the potato instead of nibbling on your gecko!!!
*************You have to be sure to feed your crickets and insects the right foods before feeding them to your gecko.  If your crickets/insects are not healthy and well fed, your gecko will not get the nutrition he needs. You can gut load your crickets and insects greens, veggies, cereals or specially designed commercial foods for crickets or the insects you are feeding. ************
Be sure to have a small dish of clean water for your gecko at all times!!
You can offer them some baby food or fruits on occasion ...
Mine will even eat a small piece of watermelon now and then.WATER:  always provide a dish of drinking water.  If you choose to mist your gecko to drink, its best to not get the tank too wet as that they do not do well with higher humidity.  Sometimes its better to take your leo out of their tank to mist them to get them to drink!!!
HANDLING:  Some geckos enjoy being held...others prefer not to be handled at all.  Be sure to be very gentle when holding your leo and NEVER grab them by the tail!  Their tails are extremely fragile and will break.  
I do suggest finding a vet that can treat reptiles BEFORE you actually need one!!!  To find a vet that is able to care for reptiles:
http://www.anapsid.org/vets
http://www.arav.org/Directory.htm

For more information on leopard geckos:
http://www.thegeckospot.com/leocareindex2.html

http://www.drgecko.com

If you have any questions or don't understand something, please let me know.