Hello all. I am very concerned for my leopard gecko, Kaminari.
He is about 2 and a half years old.
He is surprisingly friendly for a leopard gecko.
But recently I’ve had a concern. I have had an issue with his left eye for a while, but after I flush it out, he goes back to normal. It usually is just a bit of his substrate (coco fiber) and I’m able to get it out. I started misting the coco fiber so that It doesn’t get too dusty and so it doesn’t bother his eyes again.
This time, when I was flushing his eye and I noticed it was bothering him more than usual. Flushing his eye didn’t seem to work this time. And he has been not as friendly as usual (lower activity level. Not aggression). Which concerns me. The eye concerns me more than the less friendly behavior.
He is kept in a 40 gallon terrarium style tank.
I’m currently working on getting ahold of a vet that can see him. I was wondering if there was anything else I can do, or if a vet would be necessary.
I don’t have any pictures of his eyes at the moment but I will be getting them later.
Pictures are necessary so post them as soon as possible. As close up as possible.
You need to get him off the loose surface immediately until the cause of the problem can be determined. The eye may be scratched. I use paper towels in my leo’s enclosure. I personally do not recommend loose substrate for leopard geckos.
Hopefully you will be able to locate a reptile vet soon……
It is good that you’ve been flushing the eye but a vet appointment is still necessary.
Like @caron said the best thing you can do in the mean time is get him completely off loose substrate. There could be a few things going on here, Leos as far as I’m aware are pretty prone to eye infections and other conditions relating to the eyes… I’ve seen them get pretty bad. There could also be some type of injury to the eye which, if thats the case, will definitely need an antibiotic just to be safe and only a vet can provide that.
You might end up getting a few types of ointments/gels that will need to be applied directly to the affected eye, this can be done with a gloved finger or a q-tip.
I like to keep my Leo’s on coco fiber too when I do use a substrate with them… But big agree he should be off substrate at least until this is figured out. Misting the coco could actually lead to more problems since Leo’s are more of an aris species as well. If everything is humid they can’t regulate between a hose and other areas and that can cause things like respiratory issues as well.
Is he also getting vitamin supplement and not just calcium? In my own experience, Albino leos especially seem to be prone to vitamin deficiency that can affect the eyes.
Sometimes during a shed cycle they can get some extra skin left in that area that can irritate them, but I have seen prey items also go for the eyelids as well which can cause some irritation.
Good on you for being able to notice something like this before it can become a bigger issue! Hope he can get a check and maybe some answers from a vet soon.
I just got home and got a few pictures of his eye.
I’m about to call the vet and I have some other things to do and then I’ll change out his substrate. Btw I don’t mist it too much, just enough so that the coco doesn’t get super dusty.
Also worried of possible mouth rot? He doesn’t show any symptoms other than the gap between his mouth.
He does look like he has something going on with the mouth too. I really think it’s a shedding issue, but depending what the vet sees they may suggest using an antibiotic eye treatment. The mouth can be affecting the eye more than we think as well.
For the mouth, sometimes they can easily remove the crusty buildup where the skin has gotten between the lip and gum line and let it heal on its own, but depends on the severity of it and the condition the animal is in. They may do an oral antibiotic treatment if the infection has gone too deep
Edit: also shedding issues can be a sign of other problems as well like stress or MBD, if it seems like he’s been shedding more than usual that is definitely something to let the vet know as well.
Improper heat and humidity levels will cause shedding issues as well……
He seems to be shedding normally and his tank is at 92-94 warm side and 70-74 cold side. I know I said I mist his tank but I really don’t do it too much.
He is eating just fine as well.
birth defects likely, you have an underbite present, no telling if eyes formed properly and at a certain age just went kaput. The other option is that it fell and seriously hurt itself, how long have you owned? Cutie though!
I’ve owned Leos for about two 1/2 years. :3 I’m calling the vet today since they were closed last night.
I found a vet!!
But. They can’t fit us in for 4 months, we have a vet hospital near us that takes emergencies but my mother thinks that this isn’t an emergency. is it okay to wait that long? or should I try and convince my mom to take me sooner?
Yes you should definitely convince your mother that your little one needs help. His eyes are closed in all the pictures which bothers me more. He might be in pain as well.
I can’t believe you have to wait 4 months for an appointment. That’s ludicrous! And yes imho 4 months is too long to wait. He needs to be seen by somebody before his eye gets any worse.
You may want to see if there are any other vets around. The Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians has a handy search tool you can use. Best results are US but it does have the ability to search by country if you are elsewhere: Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians
@noodlehaus Do you think maybe a regular vet could at least look at the? I would think that if there is something going on it would not be that difficult to determine by a regular vet? If of course if that vet agreed to see the little guy……
Only if another reptile vet cannot be found with the information you provided…….
@caron This honestly really depends on the training of the individual small animal vet, but for proper diagnosis and treatment you’d really want someone with exotics experience. If you get lucky you might find a regular vet who knows what they’re doing, if not, it’s possible you just end up paying more and having to treat the animal longer because the original diagnosis/treatment wasn’t appropriate.
As for whether or not this is an emergency, that’s hard to determine not knowing the exact ailment, but it is at the very least it’s an urgent situation that cannot wait four months. The longer an eye issue goes untreated, the larger the chance of complications such as scarring and vision loss. Eye issues are also known to be quite painful.
In this case, I’d really recommend maybe looking to travel a bit further versus seeing a non-exotics, or at the very least call any non-exotics places to see if they have any leo experience first to gauge whether or not it’s worth it. Otherwise if the vet with a four month wait is the only option, see if they have a cancellations waitlist if your mom is willing/capable of being able to do a last minute appointment.
Thanks for all of your advice and suggestions! I found someone who would take him. I got his antibiotic and he is doing much much better now. His eye is open from time to time on its own now. He likely needs 1-2 more doses (a drop once-twice a day) and he will be finished with it.
I appreciate all of the responses I got on this issue.
Hey this is great news! So it sounds like he has an infection of some sort. Kudos to you for doing right by him! Hopefully 
the antibiotic will clear everything up! 
Thats wonderful news to hear!
Just remember to keep up with the antibiotic dosage even if the symptoms seem to be resolved unless told otherwise by the prescriber/vet. There can be a very small chance for a reoccurring infection if the eye does have some damage so just remember to keep an eye on your little Leo buddy’s eyes and get back to that vet as soon as you notice any returning symptoms, these poor little geckos have pretty sensitive eyes.
@alistar I would start using paper towels or something similar from now on for the substrate just to make sure your little guy doesn’t get any of in his eye again. I know other people use the coconut bedding with no issues but imho your little one is kind of a special needs little one now with sensitive eyes, or just pretend he has sensitive eyes. I would just be very cautious…….