# I rescued a really sick Leopard Gecko today... ***Shocking pic warning***



## Bakerton (Dec 26, 2009)

We went into a Garden centre today and saw a leopard gecko who had been removed from sale as he was sick.

I've never ever seen one so ill looking and frail in my life!

He was just laid there and to be honest... I thought he might have passed on.

After asking about him, they admited they'd tried as much as they knew but he wasn't improving. 

After then speaking to the superviser I asked if i could take him, they gladly handed him over. Admitting that they knew they couldn't look after him. Which although i'm appauled at the state he's in, I sort of admired them for admitting defeat.

Anyway I popped him on the scales and he weighed in a whole.....6g!!!

His tail is left with no fat, he has bones protruding everywhere, his spine is really visable. They've been force feeding him crickets. But I've just made a paste of morio guts with CCF to feed him.

How much should i give him and how often?

He's remarkably active moving about and opening his eyes to say just how small he is. The only thing i've noticed is his eyes are red, like albino coloured, don't know if this is normal from a small leopard at all?

I'm not very experienced at all on leopard gecko's, I have a female adult who's perefectly healthy, so don't know what to expect from a sick one, but couldn't walk away without at least bringing him home to try. As in the shop he was just laid out, see pics.

I've had to put him in a 4 litre rub for now, as i don't have a set up free with a heat mat underneath, he's on paper towels with a hide at each end.

What else can I do to help him?

Thankyou so much for anyone who can offer any advice...


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## Bakerton (Dec 26, 2009)




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## sazzle (Jun 3, 2008)

i'd take him to a vets and get a fecal check as with the poor mite being that skinny it could be crypto or worms and you could really do with knowing if there are any underlying illnesses incase they pass on to your other reptiles. do you have the new leo in the same room ? x


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## Bakerton (Dec 26, 2009)




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## Bakerton (Dec 26, 2009)

I have him in the same room as my 2 bearded dragons and a chameleon. I could move him/her elsewhere if needed though. It just I thought my living room was the best place as I could keep an eye on him/her.


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## sazzle (Jun 3, 2008)

i'd keep seperate to be honest, if its crypto it could infect your whole collection x


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## eddygecko (Feb 14, 2007)

Hi, 
If hes not eating on his own you can try a couple of things. Get some natural probiotic yoghurt from tesco or somewhere and put a drop of this on the end of his nose as frequently as u can but you dont want him ignoring it. He should naturally lick it off and the enzymes in it are good to start the ball rolling in his stomach again. Also it is a food so itll give him a little more energy too. 
Another better alternative is the verark reptoboost, from the same people who make nutrobal. This is a good pick me up for reps who havn't eaten enough and provides glucose, electrolytes and probiotics. It keeps them going long enough for you to find out what the problem is and also works as an appetite stimulant. You can either add it to their drinking water in small doses or give them a bath in it which is what i prefer. 
Either of those options or both will give him a better chance. One of my leos randomly stopped eating in january when she was full healthy. Her temps, housing ect ect was all fine and i couldnt find the problem. But after a few baths in this last week and several weeks of yoghurt i finally managed to tempt her to take a couple of crickets. Im hoping shes turned a corner now and ive been trying crickets each day since. 
I know what u mean tho mine is rediculously skinny and i dont think she would have lasted much longer without it. She still has absolutely no fat on her and it will be a long way to get her back to full health but im hoping that shes improving now.

Goodluck with yours


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## Bakerton (Dec 26, 2009)

I've got some reptiboost, I bought some for my bearded dragon for a boost after laying.

I'll nip to a tesco express down the road and see if they have some prebiotic yoghurt to try for him.

Thankyou to everyone for your advice


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## 53bird (Sep 30, 2009)

im really shocked by those pics, ive never seen a leo that skinny :gasp::gasp::gasp: as above vets asap, good luck with the little, it needs all the help it can get, keep us posted


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## GlasgowGecko (Feb 23, 2008)

Firstly, it is my sincere opinion that this animal will likely be suffering from the latter symptoms of starvation, which include muscle and organ at atrophy, which is likely to be irreversible. For this reason I consider the best option to be euthanasia. It is likely that food will be rejected by the body, and at this stage is likely to as much harm as good (controversial perhaps, but overloading a non-functional digestive system will result in death).
This may be hard for you to hear, but it is perhaps the real solution to the problem.



> Get some natural probiotic yoghurt from tesco or somewhere and put a drop of this on the end of his nose as frequently as u can but you dont want him ignoring it


Please do NOT give any reptile products containing Lactose. They are completely unable to break it down and only has the potential for harm. As for probiotics in general... there is NO evidence to suggest they have any benefit to any animal.

Andy


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## chelseanlee (Feb 9, 2009)

hi there, good for you for taking it in. 

id put her on paper towel substrate with a moist hide in the middle and a hide at each end. 
do you have the mat on a stat?
def needs to see a vet and have a fecal.
she will need food little and often, id try her every couple of hours with a small amount of ccf. 


good luck and keep us updated


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## McQuillanX2 (Oct 29, 2009)

now i dont usually swear but OMFG How could someone let this get this bad Thats f*cking shocking:censor: :censor: :censor: :censor: :devil:

Thanks you for rescuing it:flrt:


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

Bakerton said:


> I've got some reptiboost, I bought some for my bearded dragon for a boost after laying.
> 
> I'll nip to a tesco express down the road and see if they have some prebiotic yoghurt to try for him.


as said by others I would get him to the vets asap and practise strict quarentine especially as you have other reps.
Use the reptiboost by all means but I personally would not use yoghurt ~ reptiboost is a probiotic formulated for reptiles ... yoghurt isn't. While waiting for the vets you could try dribbling mashed up livefood round his mouth but I think the important thing is to find out if possible what is wrong with him and what treatment can be prescribed.
good luck


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## eddygecko (Feb 14, 2007)

GlasgowGecko said:


> Please do NOT give any reptile products containing Lactose. They are completely unable to break it down and only has the potential for harm. As for probiotics in general... there is NO evidence to suggest they have any benefit to any animal.
> 
> Andy


I got advice from cold blooded in rainham and they have always been an amazingly reliable source of information. They frequently use it with females at the end of the breeding season if they dont have much of an appetite. Paul is THE MAN with this sort of stuff normally.


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## Bakerton (Dec 26, 2009)

Just tried him with some mushed up morio with CCF, I dropped it on his nose and he licked it off.

I'll see if I can get an appointment with the vet today as my local emergency vets has a reptile vet. Though what would I do about a fecal? is there any other way to test for crypto?


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## GlasgowGecko (Feb 23, 2008)

eddygecko said:


> I got advice from cold blooded in rainham and they have always been an amazingly reliable source of information. They frequently use it with females at the end of the breeding season if they dont have much of an appetite. Paul is THE MAN with this sort of stuff normally.


Well baring in mind that reptiles do not produce the enzyme lactase, it is physiologically impossible for them to break lactose down. Further to this, there is NO scientific evidence for any of the claims of "beneficial properties" of probiotics. It is all marketing.

I don't know the guy you refer too, and to me this is unimportant. This is very poor advice.

Andy


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## SleepyD (Feb 13, 2008)

eddygecko said:


> I got advice from cold blooded in rainham and they have always been an amazingly reliable source of information. They frequently use it with females at the end of the breeding season if they dont have much of an appetite. Paul is THE MAN with this sort of stuff normally.


sorry but I agree with Andy ~ reptiles cannot break down dairy products/lactose and they do not have/or produce the Lactase in their intestines to do so further it can cause stomach/digestion problems


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

GlasgowGecko said:


> Well baring in mind that reptiles do not produce the enzyme lactase, it is physiologically impossible for them to break lactose down. Further to this, there is NO scientific evidence for any of the claims of "beneficial properties" of probiotics. It is all marketing.
> 
> I don't know the guy you refer too, and to me this is unimportant. This is very poor advice.
> 
> Andy


I agree... i'd never give any lactose product to a reptile....


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## freekygeeky (May 25, 2007)

GlasgowGecko said:


> Firstly, it is my sincere opinion that this animal will likely be suffering from the latter symptoms of starvation, which include muscle and organ at atrophy, which is likely to be irreversible. For this reason I consider the best option to be euthanasia. It is likely that food will be rejected by the body, and at this stage is likely to as much harm as good (controversial perhaps, but overloading a non-functional digestive system will result in death).
> This may be hard for you to hear, but it is perhaps the real solution to the problem.
> 
> y


im sorry but i have to agree with this


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## shell buckley (Mar 7, 2010)

this garden centre wernt in the midlands by any chance as i saw same and they was bad as this one worse i went and complained about being left on show and in tank saying they was for sale even when they told me they knew they was sick.


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## bluemetalvampire (Jan 12, 2010)

*report them ???*

please speak to the garden centre involved and find out if they sought vetinary care. if they did not this is a case of neglect as they knew he was ill and clearly suffering.you may wish to report them but please make sure you have all your information correct before doing so. 

GOOD LUCK with your lil friend.:gasp:


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

thats a shockingly sad thing to find in any petshop, good on you for rescuing it, it looks like a bell enigma to me and may benefit from being away from light sources, make sure you add some extra calcium to whatever you feed to it, enigma's seem to need extra calcium to do well in my experience, there is a recepe for a slurry that can be found here Gecko Soup Recipe - GeckoForums.net people seem to swear by it


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## H3nry (Nov 11, 2009)

Omg poor little thing

I rescued two like that but i fed them up and there as good as gold now :2thumb:

Good luck!:2thumb:


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## _Birdeater_WM_ (Jan 2, 2010)

congrats on recueing him , i had a beardie like him a few mnths ago , quiet , not moving , lazy ,and now ive had him 3 mnths hes got orange and all patterns on him now and all jumping around , so it can be done , keep us updated and my love to the lizard :flrt:


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## nuttybabez (Jul 21, 2007)

Definately vets and faecal testing. Sorry but I am really not sure that this little one will pull through - having taken in various rescues I know that they seem to get to a certain point and after that their body shuts down and you are fighting a losing battle. Your leo is past that point. I may be wrong and I would love for him to recover but I just don't think he will.


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## NBLADE (Apr 11, 2007)

nuttybabez said:


> Definately vets and faecal testing. Sorry but I am really not sure that this little one will pull through - having taken in various rescues I know that they seem to get to a certain point and after that their body shuts down and you are fighting a losing battle. Your leo is past that point. I may be wrong and I would love for him to recover but I just don't think he will.


 
i agree, to me it looks like the vets will consider putting it down, i've never seen one come back from that far gone, 
also anyone else notice its a red eye enigma and wonder if the shop was just throwing food in for it, but it had the enigma syndrome and circled and couldn't focus to catch food, didn't get a chance to eat, then by the time the shop noticed and tried to do something it was too late.


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## Mal (Jul 22, 2007)

It could be one of any number of reasons for the poor thing to be in such dreadful condition. In the photo from the shop its on chippings so impaction, it may be Enigma Syndrome, it could be cryptosporidium. The cause is really academic as (imo) that little gecko is past the point of recovery. The outward appearance is bad enough but as Andy says, the internal damage will be catastrophic. The efforts of trying to get nutrition into it are more likely to cause the gecko distress. 

It may sound brutal, harsh but certainly not uncaring to say the kindest thing for the gecko would probably be for a vet to euthanise it. Seeing a gecko in this state does pull at the heart strings and makes the caring amongst us want to do the best we can to save it. Sadly the reality is that geckos in this dreadful state are usually beyond saving.

Crypto has been mentioned as a possible cause for its problem. Please treat any reptile in this condition as if it had Crypto until it has been scientifically excluded. The strictest of quarantine away from your other reps is essential. It may sound OTT but I would wash and change my clothes before going amongst my collection after dealing with such a sick reptile.

The poor thing deserves a bit of peace, dignity and alleviation of its suffering. Sadly thats a trip to the vets. Please dont let this slip by unchecked though. The shop knew this animal was sick and subjected it to prolonged suffering. Too many places regard a sick gecko like this as little more value than the life of a goldfish, another 'disposable' pet. (I dont mean this as a derogatory statement about fish) The only way that we will stop seeing animals in this state in some of these shops is to have them warned and in cases like this prosecuted. Please contact the RSPCA and your local Councel (they grant petshop licences) and let them see the photographic evidence. If the shop had truly been making an educated effort to save the gecko you wouldnt have seen it. It wouldnt have been lying on a bed of chippings in public view whilst its life slowly and eventually agonisingly slipped away.


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

Any news on a vets visit?


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## GothGirl (Apr 9, 2008)

Was this in a garden centre in Leeds, or doncaster?


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## bwrcleo (Mar 12, 2010)

Report this to the RSPCA or whoever issues licenses for this type of shop. Disgusting. If this was a dog they would get reported. It might be a one off and they might have been trying everything they could - however you could go behind the scenes and see suffering so soemthing needs to be done.


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## purple-vixen (Feb 4, 2009)

Unfortunately, you may have to have the leopard gecko euthanised.

I had a leopard gecko that was not as thin, but not very well. Eating made her worse and it turned out she had a liver infection. I had her 8 weeks, and she lost 2g a week. I thought it to be crypto, and seperated her from my other animals. Unfortunately, she was in pain, and no amount of antibiotics would "fix her" if you like. It was more friendly to let her go.

I also agree with Andy, and SleepyD.

Most of all, do not put any food on it's nose!

I am getting a little fed up with hearing this advice, you can block the nostrils and therefore cause other problems. It may well not kill it, or in fact harm it, but it is very distressing when you get something on your nose. The only reason they "naturally" lick it off is because it is a disturbance. There are better methods of force feeding, which is what this is and these methods should only ever be practiced under medical advice sought from the vet.

If it likes the smell, it will lick at it.

Final word, go to the vet. Seek their advice, they will know what to advise you.

Jac


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## suez (Jul 8, 2007)

poor little mite the best thing as has been said already is to have the poor gecko pts to end its suffering .I agree with MAL Andy sleepy d Nblade nuttbabez purpel -vixen all are on the same thought path as myself.well done for rescuing from an itolerable positon for the poor thing now you can really help by doing the right thing.please keep us updated.


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## Bakerton (Dec 26, 2009)

Well time to update on the little fella....

We had an appointment booked for tomoro as of vets only has a reptile vet certain days of the week, and gets booked up really fast.

However this evening he took a turn for the worst and we took him to the emergency vets to be euthanised. I just couldn't bear to leave him overnight, so I had to get my daughter out of bed to take him. Even though he wasn't my pet, I'm still gutted about it all, and cried as I drove him to the vets. :-(

The vet was saw couldn't have been more helpful, she's going to save his body and write a report up of his appearence, findings etc.

I'm going to contact the council and the RSPCA to take things further. I'd hate for another animal to suffer like he did. So if any one knows how to do this, or has any advice them please let me know.

Thankyou for everyone who offered kind advice on him, I'm just glad he's free from any pain and suffering now.


R.I.P. little guy. sweet dreams xx xx xx


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## GothGirl (Apr 9, 2008)

Would you PM me with where he came from, think I know.


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## jools (Apr 4, 2009)

You did the right thing. I know it is upsetting but very, very few will survive once they get this thin. Well done for having the poor things misery ended. I am sorry it had to turn out this way for you.


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## Tink&Chaos (Mar 20, 2010)

I'm so sorry you had the awful heartbreak.....but thank goodness someone like you, could set this little one free from all it's pain & suffering. He/she is now somewhere beautiful, because of you.
*Hugs* xxeace:


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## xautomaticflowersx (Sep 7, 2009)

I cried when I saw those photos. I'm usually made of stronger stuff, but that really got to me.
It's desperately sad that this gecko has had such an awful existence. However, having him euthanised was by far the best thing you could have done for him. Even though he didn't survive you still rescued him and saved him from further suffering. x


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## swift_wraith (Jan 4, 2009)

If you're going to contact the authorities then I'd personally not bother with the RSPCA, they have little knowledge of reptiles and have absolutely no power to close a shop. Plus, they dont see reptiles as cute and cuddly so they wont make good advertising for them.

Contact the council, ask for whoever issues the petshop licenses. Explain the situation and your concerns. If it is crypto that the little un had, their whole stock could be infected.

Good luck and rip little angel.


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## CapnCJ (Apr 11, 2010)

Bloody hell, i've never seen a gecko that thin..

You did the right thing, as painful as it is. Poor little guy.


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## Mal (Jul 22, 2007)

Firstly, I am sorry to hear that you have had such a heartbreaking experience with this poor leo. At least in its last couple of days it was with someone who cared and looked after it with compassion and dignity. You did everything that could have been done for it, things that the shop should have done a long time back. The little leo is free from its suffering now. 

As others have said, it would be worth contacting your local councel and asking for the department that issues petshop licences. Explain what has happened and tell them you will have a veterinary report to support your observations. Please dont let them fob you off, this really does need following up. 

I would still ask you to consider speaking to the RSPCA. I agree their attitude towards reptiles leave a lot to be desired. However in this instance you have sufficient evidence to make them sit up and pay attention. They are able to bring such cases up for prosecution. They may also put the shop down for a regular visits. As the shop is open to the public they can easily enter the premises to make their inspection. If everyone keeps the attitude of 'not bothering' with the RSPCA their responses to such situations wont change. The more they are pointed towards such blatant cruelty to reptiles the more they will see that reptile owners do care about their animals. The RSPCA is seen in a very negative light amongst reptile keepers, myself included. However in situations like this, particularly when supported by such damming evidence, they could be useful in bringing the owners of the shop in question to justice. 

Whatever the outcomes of this, you should know you did everything that could possibly have been done. It is a sad outcome but please console yourself with the knowledge that you really did care for the little thing. Without your intervention it may still be gasping its last breaths amongst the woodchip and poop, all in the public eye.


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## xvickyx (Jul 21, 2009)

Oh my thats shocking, I have never seen a gecko so skinny, well done for rescuing him, I do hope that you manage to nurse him back to health.

Poor little man


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

xvickyx said:


> Oh my thats shocking, I have never seen a gecko so skinny, well done for rescuing him, I do hope that you manage to nurse him back to health.
> 
> Poor little man


Sorry hun it's already been put down, it was too far gone  R.I.P little gecko


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