Leopard Gecko Problems

Question
QUESTION: Tracie,

I have a male leopard gecko.  I do not know how old he is; I bought him as a retired breeder 5 years ago come November.  He was not healthy when I bought him, but put on weight and started acting normally. I moved a year ago and he started having problems.  

1)Monster is not shedding well.  The skin comes off his body, but not his tail, feet, or head.  I soak him in shed ease every time he sheds, but that only seems to help his tail.  I also bought repti-shedding aid to spray on him.  However, he still doesn't get the skin off and needs help getting it off.  Usually after a soaking it can get rolled off with a wet paper towel.  The main problem is his eyes usually stayed covered until the skin gets rolled off his head. How can I get him to shed normally again?  How can I get the dead skin off his toes?  I know if it stays on it can cut circulation and he can lose his toes.  I am going to put some chamomile in the warm water to see if that helps.

2)This time he started shedding, his eye got really swollen.  I woke up and it was yellow all around it.  I immediately got him in a warm bath with shed ease and started saline drop treatments in his eyes.  His eye is looking better, they are both still covered and a little swollen.  I am worried he has an eye infection, and I read these can cause blindness or be fatal.  Is there something I can do?  I called to inquire at a vet hospital, they referred me to their sister hospital for gecko treatment. I was going to call tomorrow morning, but found your website and am hoping to get help instead of an hour plus car ride as car rides stress him out.

3) He is shedding all the time...  It seems as soon as he finishes shedding he dulls and gets ready to shed again.  As a result he hasn't really eaten in over a month.  I read about the chicken baby food and am going to get some of that tomorrow.  I don't know how to get him to eat when he is shedding all of the time.

I know this is a lot of questions and information, but I am feeling very overwhelmed and panicky about the situation.
-Danae

ANSWER: Hello Danae,

I am sorry your gecko is having trouble.  Do you have any pictures of him?  
Do you have a moist humid  hide/cave for him?
What are the temperatures in his tank?

You can try the chamomile baths, that could help with shedding.  You can also try using some shea butter on his skin to help with retained shed.  That is usually very helpful with skin issues.

It sounds like his tank doesn't have quite enough humidity to help with shedding.  Yes, that is correct, when the eyes have retained shed it can cause blindness due to a bacterial infection which normally follows.  
You can use an herbal tea bag on his eyes too just to help with swelling.  I sell terramycin for eye infections if you want to try that.  Also, sterile saline solution for his eyes can help with washing & cleaning them out.

The baby food is great for getting nutrition into them, so definitely try that.  You will have to use a plastic dropper or syringe to get food into him.  

Let me know how he is doing.

Tracie

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Picture 1  

Picture 2   QUESTION: Tracie,

Thank you so much for your quick response.

I will get some shea butter for him, any kind of shea butter?  I was surprised this morning to find his front two feet had actually shed.

I would like to try terramycin.  Where do I go to get it from you?  Should it get here quickly?

His temperatures in his tank are in the low 80's.  I do not have a moist humid cave for him.  I've tried the moisture caves and he won't use them.  I have bought them and made them...I've only put moss in them however. He just has his two hide caves. Would it be better if I used the carpet flooring again instead of the calci-sand?

He's really cranky today.  But was is up and walking around his tank going from cave to cave.

Thank you so much for your help.
Danae

Answer
Hello Danae,


Poor thing, how is he doing?  
Yes, I would use a carpet instead of calcium sand.  
He wont use a moist humid cave/hide
Any type of shea butter without a lot of chemicals in it.  At least his feet began shedding.  

Sure, you can get some terramycin at my store.  It is:

www.bug-de-lite.com

I ship out quickly, too.  


How is he doing today?  Did he eat anything today?


Tracie