Expert: Tracie Kretzschmar - 7/5/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have noticed over the last two weeks my Leopard Gecko has not been feeding and a lump had started to form on the side of his eye. This lump has now got bigger and this morning i noticed his throat has swollen up his other eye (not the one with the lump) is slightly glazed and half shut.

ANSWER: Hello Gillian,

Can you post a picture of your gecko, with the lump so I can see it?
Did something bite him like a cricket possibly?  Do you leave crickets in the tank with him overnight?
What type of setup do you have for him?  Do you use an undertank heater along with a basking light on one end?  
Could he have scratched his eye trying to shed & it has gotten infected?
What type of substrate do you use sand, paper towels, tiles?
What type of foods has he eaten?  Do you have anything toxic in his tank, wood items, etc?  Cedar or Pine items?

Tracie



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

QUESTION: Hello Tracy.
Thank you for your quick response.
Unfortunatly i don't have a camera or the equipment to put photo's on my computer. However the lump is a bit smaller than a pea and is slightly red, more so on the top of the lump. His throat looks like a frogs when it inflates it's throat before making a sound.
Because he wasn't eating i thought i would try him on some smaller crickets thinking the last one's i give him maybe have ben too big and i put three small one's in about three days ago. i did leave them in overnight but took them out the following afternoon and tried him with a wax worm which he usually eats straight away but has not touched it.
He has a heat mat with a basking light. He did shred his skin at the beginning of the week and he ate it straight after. he did have wood chippings down which is what i have used since i got him two years ago. He has a woodern tree and a wood tunnel which he lies under. This could of scratched him as it is quite gaggered however he has had this since i got him and hasn't bothered him before. I do feel guilty i can't take him to the vets but i'm a single mum and simply can't afford it.

ANSWER: Hello Gillian,

Your setup sounds pretty good.  As long as he is not ingesting the wood chippings you can leave them in.  They can be an impaction risk though, so be careful with that.
The crickets could have bitten or chewed on him which would cause an infection of some sort.  He could have eaten too large of a feeder.  
How do his stools look, has he gone to the bathroom lately?
I doubt that his tree or tunnel hurt him, if it never has before.  
Is he eating anything yet?
If he is not eating, then you will need to start giving him some babyfood with a plastic syringe or plastic dropper.
Let me know how he is doing.
Is the lump hard or soft?  Is anything draining from it?

Tracie

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

QUESTION: Lat night his stools are black with white bits in. Some of which are larger than others.
The lump is hard but his throat feels just like jelly.
I've tried to intice him with a wax worm but he wont take it. Do you think i should try some silk worm as i don't want to put any crickets in at the moment and i know wax worms are just treats???

Answer
Hello Gillian,


How is his eye looking?  Well, that lump on top of the head since it is hard is most likely a cyst or a tumor.  That will need to be looked at because if it gets any larger it will affect his eye.  
The throat being puffy could be a respiratory infection, possibly.  Have you tried to look inside of his mouth to see if something is stuck in his throat perhaps?
You can try some silk worms he might like that.  Though they are pretty large, I would try the smallest ones you can find.  Or maybe the phoenix worms or butterworms which are smaller.
Or you could still try some babyfood also, they tend to really like that also.  
Do you have a vet you could take him into?

Tracie