# Gecko won't open her eyes



## cassy123 (Nov 12, 2013)

hello, i signed up here in the hope that someone could give me advice about my gecko (banded), i have had her since the summer and just recently she had a problem shedding, it seemed to get stuck around her eyes and it got the point where we had to take her to a vet. the vet removed a build up of skin from under her eyelids and she hasn't really opened her eyes properly since then ( or for a while before she was seen by the vet) so she hasn't eaten much for a while. With here eyes being sensitive to light i wonder if it because the vet used a light to look at her eyes that she isn't opening them, The vet said there was no infection, but i am worried she will lose more weight as a result of not being able to see. Can anyone please give me advice as to how her help her or is she best left alone as it seems people say stress can cause hem the keep their eyes shut?! Thanks very much


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## Dracoth (Dec 20, 2010)

*Moisture hide*

Along time ago now i kept a couple of leoped geckos to help them shed i kept a cricket tub with moist vermiculite in there (kept in 24 / 7 with regular topping up). This is essential for most geckos as the humidity in there viv is not high enough to help with there shed. 

Some other people may recomend a differnt type of hide but the essantial thing is to have some where in ther viv with high humidity to help the shed.

Hope this helps

PS also temps size of viv and any other info you can will always help.


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## cassy123 (Nov 12, 2013)

thanks, yes we started doing that on friday as we read its is good for them, just worried is her eyes will recover  thank you


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## Dracoth (Dec 20, 2010)

*Try lizard section aswell*

Try lizard section aswell


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## amazing_gecko (Sep 3, 2009)

Hi, sorry to hear that your gecko is poorly.

First of all, it's true that some lizard species will shut their eyes when stressed. However, this normally only lasts a short while - seconds or minutes. My concern is that your gecko isn't opening her eyes at all. As a test, have a small pen type torch and wait til dark then shine the torch near her (but not on her) just enough to illuminate her enclosure and see if she has her eyes open. This at least will establish if it is stress or if there is a physical problem.

Second, you didn't mention if the vet was a specialist in treating exotics or not. I know not everyone has one nearby but it might be worth trying to find one and travelling to get the very best treatment. Either way, if you decide that it is a physical problem you need to take her back to a vet. It's quite serious as if she loses her sight then she will be completely dependent on you for the rest of her life and even then she might not make it due to the stress on her system.

I wish you the best. If we can be of any further help please let us know.

James


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## Madhouse5 (Jun 6, 2011)

hi there just to let you know that vermiculite is poison to geckos if digested and is not recommended to use in a moist hide i use eco earth, can i ask what morph your gecko is and do you use a day light or uv in its viv


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## cassy123 (Nov 12, 2013)

Thanks for the replies, they have been helpful.
I should have noticed the problem sooner but with her being nocturnal, we bought lamps to have on so they could come out and it wouldn't be too bright with the main lights on, usually squinting when they first come out. So the eyes part closed seemed normal for a while, i have a strong feeling she was blinded by the vet visit, I wasn't there but my boyfriend told me he shone a light at her eyes to see the problem  
And i think her being unable to see was the reason she wasn't eating and she died earlier today. I feel like a bad owner, i know what to look out for now though, thanks very much to all for the help.

And no, i dont think he was a specialized vet, he did treat reptiles though. Was a 40 minute drive to the nearest reptile vet from where we are.


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## amazing_gecko (Sep 3, 2009)

I'm truly sorry to hear that she died today but sounds like you did the best you could. 

You're not a bad owner, as you put it. If you were you wouldn't have come on to the forum asking for help. Try not to beat yourself up over it. No matter what anyone says we've all lost animals and often it's something that we overlooked that contributed to it. Definitely learn from it and provide a good moist hide for your reptile to escape to when they need it.

From the little information you gave it sounds to me like the vet possibly made the situation worse, not by shining the light in her eyes as they can tolerate light quite well despite being nocturnal, but probably when the shed was removed. The whole situation was probably too stressful for her weakened body to carry on.

Hope the experience hasn't put you off the reptile hobby and if you need any future help don't forget the forum here.

Take care

James


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## cassy123 (Nov 12, 2013)

Thanks James  yes i will continue to read this forum for info


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## Madhouse5 (Jun 6, 2011)

hi really sorry to hear of your loss , can i ask were your based if you close to me and you like another gecko i would like to offer you one, if you like to pm me and were sort out you having a look 

Paul


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## cassy123 (Nov 12, 2013)

Nowhere near you i'm afraid, living in Ireland. I know this is a UK forum but it seems I get the better advice than from irish pet shop owners  however do you know if introducing new females would be safe if left more than a couple of weeks? :/


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## amazing_gecko (Sep 3, 2009)

Madhouse5 said:


> hi really sorry to hear of your loss , can i ask were your based if you close to me and you like another gecko i would like to offer you one, if you like to pm me and were sort out you having a look
> 
> Paul


What a nice offer!

Just to clarify something I said earlier, that leopard geckos are nocturnal. Well, actually they're considered to be crepuscular which basically means that they will emerge throughout the day often as the sun is going down and return to their hide as the sun is rising. There is anecdotal evidence from soldiers in Pakistan/Afghanistan that have witnessed them out during the day which supports this.

I thought I'd just say that to show that they are not repelled by light but can tolerate a certain amount. Didn't want to mislead anyone!

Hope things work out for you if and when you get another 

James


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## amazing_gecko (Sep 3, 2009)

I think we'd need more information on your setup. Is it leopard geckos that you're keeping? What sexes? How many? How big is the enclosure? That sort of information is really useful.


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## cassy123 (Nov 12, 2013)

amazing_gecko said:


> I think we'd need more information on your setup. Is it leopard geckos that you're keeping? What sexes? How many? How big is the enclosure? That sort of information is really useful.


Central american banded geckos (coleonyx mitratus), had one female which is the one that died, and the other is male, looking very healthy 




female before she was ill

will post pics of enclosure soon


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## cassy123 (Nov 12, 2013)

*gecko viv*


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## amazing_gecko (Sep 3, 2009)

Nice photos, they're a lovely species.

Ok, I have a few suggestions on your setup - nothing major! 

First, of all an observation. Your tank is quite big which means there's a large space to keep humid. In fact the more air space you have the quicker the substrate will dry out. I couldn't see what kind of ventilation you have but it looks ok as you have a large canopy that will close off some ventilation and help to keep the humidity in the tank. 

I would also suggest you mix in half a bag of bark substrate with the eco earth that you already have in there. Go for the coarse grade as it's larger and will be harder for them to get in their mouths. I've used it for years and it's great for holding moisture in and helps to raise the humidity. Another thing you could try is to create a humidity gradient. Just as you would have a cool end and a hot end for a temperature gradient try and do the same for humidity. Probably best to make the cooler end the humid end as the moisture would evaporate too quickly at the hot end.

Looks like you have a moist hide in there so well done. Keep it in there on the humid end of the tank.

Another thing I would try to keep their stress levels down is to cover the back and sides of the tank, not completely, but enough for them to feel really safe. They won't realise that the glass is a solid wall. Reptiles always relax when there's some kind of bark or plastic plants hanging from the glass. It gives them an added dimension to explore and hide in. In the wild they won't venture into big wide open spaces. They stay close to areas that have plenty of places to escape to and hide in.

Regarding adding a female, it shouldn't be an issue as long as you keep them separate for the first month (quarantine in a separate tank) and as long as they are similar in size to discourage any bullying.

Hope that helps. Anything that didn't make sense just shout!

James


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## cassy123 (Nov 12, 2013)

That's great, thank you so much for all the advice  :notworthy:


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