Gecko in really bad shape...

[ferretinmyshoes]

Haha thanks all! But I'm kind of in love with living in Colorado. You should all move here!

Good news on the little girl! With this shed she has had some major improvements! She's needed some help with it but the shed on her foot got the last remaining retained shed fragments off her toes. And when I peeled it from her head (because it was pulling on her soft jaw and making it so she couldn't close her mouth) when her bad eye shed it pulled out this whole hunk of dried retained shed that was causing the problems! I didn't know that geckos shed their eyes like snakes. I had tried to flush her eye daily in case something like that was at play but it took this shed to be able to get it out. Now she's holding it open and normal like nothing was wrong! I'm very happy to see that little eyeball.

So far I like Miri or Hope for possible names...although sometimes she looks like a Francine to me for some reason.

 

[Lathelia]

Great story. Thank you for sharing and giving her proper care and love she deserves

 

[absolutbill]

Great to hear the progress she's making. The first time one of my leopards shed their eyes I nearly freaked out - I had no idea either! Hope she continues to improve.

 

[camimom]

She could be that awesome gecko with two names.

Miri Francine.

Glacier, my nosey whatever panther i took on that had coccidia, his full name is Glacier Nigel Murray.



Im so glad her eye is better and she can keep it open.

Looks like she came to the right hands!

Is the arm still broken, or did it break and then heal? Could it be set? ive heard of people using plastic straws as sort of a cast for them.. maybe you could do the same..

just a suggestion.

I hope she continuest to thrive for you and keep us posted with new pics!

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

The arm is still broken. The problem with applying any type of splint or cast is that the bones are so weak and fragile, which is what caused the break in the first place, that anything put on the leg to try to stabilize it just becomes a point of leverage at the end of the cast. That point of leverage is too much for already such fragile bones to bear. It's like trying to make a raw spaghetti noodle not break when you hold one end on the counter and you bend the other end upward. You get breaks at both ends of the splint, plus the break in the middle. She needs more time for her bones to rebuild strength before they can withstand a splint or cast unfortunately.

 

[camimom]

The arm is still broken. The problem with applying any type of splint or cast is that the bones are so weak and fragile, which is what caused the break in the first place, that anything put on the leg to try to stabilize it just becomes a point of leverage at the end of the cast. That point of leverage is too much for already such fragile bones to bear. It's like trying to make a raw spaghetti noodle not break when you hold one end on the counter and you bend the other end upward. You get breaks at both ends of the splint, plus the break in the middle. She needs more time for her bones to rebuild strength before they can withstand a splint or cast unfortunately.

makes sense.

Would you try a splint later?

I know MBD cant be reversed, but is there a way to straighten the arm at some point later on when shes got more calcium and is healthier?

 

[MelissaB]

I'm happy that her eye is all better. I hope she keeps getting better every day.

 

[Texas Ranger]

Wow that is horrible but I am glad you took her in and she is doing better. I love Leo's and she is very pretty. Keep us updated on her and I am glad there are good peeps out there like you that care I would have done the same you are doing and yeah I have hade Leo's for a while and my buddy told me they shed there eyes like snakes I still have yet to see it but it must be true. I vote hope for her name that matches her perfect. Oh and as for the Colorado comment lol you know texas is better lol :b

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

makes sense.

Would you try a splint later?

I know MBD cant be reversed, but is there a way to straighten the arm at some point later on when shes got more calcium and is healthier?

If it doesn't start straightening on its own I will probably splint it in a few weeks when the bones are stronger. Usually though as the calcium levels get back to normal the bones remodel themselves to straighten on their own. They may not get back to completely normal, but pretty close. Miraculous little critters!

 

[Trillian]

Yeah, we're gonna need some new pics there, Missy...

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Yeah, we're gonna need some new pics there, Missy...

Ok! Here's her fancy new eye:

She's now a lot more active! She comes out and stalks crickets and will watch what's going on outside her cage. She still can't keep crickets in her mouth but she's trying.

She still needs to put a lot of meat on her little bones but she's doing better.

 

[kinyonga]

Her tail still shows some meat to it...which is good.

 

[laurie]

I am glad you are working with her. You really are the only chance she had. I hope things just get better and Berger for the little girl.

 

[camimom]

Shes so pretty!

She sorta looks like an old woman with no teeth in that first picture.

You are doing an amazing job!

 

[MelissaB]

She looks like a completely different girl than her 1st picture. I'm so happy that you saved her.

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

Thanks! She's doing really well so far. She's shed twice already because she's finally getting some nutrition in her. Her little front leg is still a bit mangled. I tried to splint it but it just stressed her out too much and made her hold it weird, which made it worse. So we'll just have to see how it ends up.

I named her Phoenix.

 

[MelissaB]

I love her name, it's perfect!

 

[reptilover]

Wow wat a great story! And a great job your doing! That little girly doesnt know how good she's gonna have it!. Are u keeping her or adopting out?

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

I'll be keeping her......and her new friend!
The same Petco had another leopard gecko in very similar shape dropped off again today! And of course they remembered me. This gecko came with a whole setup, which didn't look terrible except that it was all wrong for a leopard gecko. I'm really thinking these geckos were actually from the same person and they dropped off the worst one first to see what would happen and then the other one with the whole cage since they didn't need it anymore. The new one lost much more of the toes with the retained shed stuck on them, and her right front leg is fractured too. At least her jaw is the normal shape. She (I think it's a she?) was so thirsty that she was trying to drink the moist paper towels I put her with to soak the retained skin. I named her(?) Tucson, to go with Phoenix.

Hopefully this is the last for a while of little reptiles in need. I almost got leopard geckos a few years ago and at the last minute decided on more pygmy chameleons instead. So I'm happy to have them. Poor little things just need some TLC!

I dropped a cricket in Phoenix's cage this morning and she came running out of her hide and chased it down but couldn't grab it before it ducked behind her water dish. But I'm glad to see her trying!

 

[sandrachameleon]

great story!