Leopard Gecko Cut Arm

Question
My juvenile leopard gecko cut his arm when he was stuck under one of his climbing rocks and bled a little, but currently has a swollen arm and is clenching it to his side. He is still eating and is limbing around but I don't know what I should do and don't have the money to take him to vet at the moment.

Answer
Hi Karen,

If the skin was broken then the immediate concern is avoiding infection. If he is on a sand or other similar loose substrate then I would suggest replacing that with paper towel or newspaper until the wound heals.

You can apply a bit of human antibiotic ointment to the wound with a Q-tip if it can be done without further aggravating the injury. Flush it with some tepid water first if there might be sand or other particles sticking to it.

With luck he just has a soft issue injury which can be painful and cause swelling (similar to us suffering a twisted ankle) but should recover fully. The fact that he is eating and moving around is a very good sign.