AboutTracie Kretzschmar Expertise I can answer questions pertaining to health, UVB specifics, overall husbandry care & supplementation, analysis of blood test results, and behavioral problems & handling. I can answer questions pertaining to bearded dragons, leopard geckos, iguanas, uromastyx & ball pythons.
I can answer adeno virus related questions in bearded dragons, & then specifically about the testing methods as well. I am beginning an Pogona Adeno Testing Society in 2008 which will help to begin to start some standardization within the bearded dragon colonies of the breeders who choose to test.
Experience I have been working with bearded dragons for over 5 years now, as well as leopard geckos, too. I am currently doing rescues, as well. I hope to be able to educate people prior to them purchasing an exotic pet in order to avoid any health crisis with them.
Education/Credentials I have a master's degree in sports medicine & physiology, & 1 year of vet tech schooling, & am currently working on a reptile certification through the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council.
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
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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?
