# HELP!!!baby leo gecko impaction???black spot on belly??



## jayne1988 (Nov 6, 2012)

hi i previously did a thread regarding the leopard gecko i bought 3weeks ago stopping eating after around 10days...he WAS kept on the beech chips, in a exo terra glass viv 45x45x45 with mesh top, heat mat with thermostat set to around 35 (advice from petshop purchased from to encourage him to eat after he stopped eating) originally at 30...air temp was around 22c ish, with a hide on each the hot and cold side a plastic plant on each, a water dish and was eating well on locusts then it just stopped!!!! all reccomended from where i got him

now after receiving advise from various people he is on paper towel....heatmat is under the viv now only covering around 40% as it was inside covering around 60-70% plants and hide still one on warm spot one on cool....a moist hide incase of shedding due....heat mat is set by thermostat at 31c

problem is when hubby was holding the gecko lastnight (he got wedged behind the polystyrene rock backing god knows how) i saw i dark/black spot around half the size of a 5p and after speaking to a mum at the school after her asking my son how the leopard gecko was she said to me it sounds like impaction and there probably isnt very much i can do apart from get a heatlamp to try and help him to pass it and try syringe baby food consisting of fruit to him and see if he will take it....hes poo yesterday was like a yellow jelly with white tip :s unlike the normal black poos we was getting up until the weekend....he hasnt eaten now for around 11days despite trying mini mealworms, small locusts and even a wax worm...and the last 2 days has done pretty much nothing but cling to the back rock or hide amongst the plants with the rock....

she also said the petshop i purchased him from should of weighed him before selling him to me which they didnt and probably shouldnt of sold him being so young and small especially not to a owner who has never kept lizards before which they knew as i had been there previously a few times asking questions and preparing the set up etc...

has anyone got ANY ideas as to what i can do?????


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## Ophexis (Feb 19, 2010)

A pic of the underbelly would help...


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## yellrat (Jun 13, 2008)

I posted this on your other thread not sure if you saw it i would make sure you have all the basics covered before worrying that impaction is the casue of your leopard gecko not eating.

Hello 
It is common for leopard geckos to suffer from relocation stress which can put them off eating this can last any where from a week to in extreme cases a month or more.
During the settling in period it is best not to handle and disturb your leopard gecko as little as possible this will give them the time they need to feel safe and more confident in their new home.
Juveniles tend to settle in faster than adults offering a variety of gut loaded and supplemented live food is your best bet suitably sized crickets , meal worms , locusts , roaches etc this will give more chance of triggering a feeding response.
Offer a different live food every other day and remember to remove any un eaten live food from the previous days.

Heres a link to our basic setup guide and care sheet this will help you be confident that you have all the basics covered.

Basic leopard gecko set up guide

Basic leopard gecko care sheet

I know you explained your set up a bit but a picture of the set up and the leopard gecko in question would help us to spot any problems with your set up and see the condition of your leopard gecko.

If your leopard gecko is losing weight then i would suggest a visit to qualified reptile vet who can carry out fecal sample testing for parasites worms etc as well as other tests to determine if there is anything wrong with your leopard gecko.

Impaction is a possibility but is not as common as most people think an x ray while you were at the vets would help determine if a foreign object had been swallowed.

Hope this helps 

Edited to add 
i read through your thread again and you seem to be worried about kitchen roll catching on fire from your heat mat or your leopard gecko getting burned this is impossible if your thermostat and thermometer probes are in correct position and are set at the correct temperature remeber that 32 -33.c is about the same temperature as the palm of your hand.
it would take a very faulty un statted heat mat to cause a fire.


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## clumsyoaf (Oct 23, 2012)

Have you googled what impaction spots look like, from a quick search its clear it could not be confused with a skin marking


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## jayne1988 (Nov 6, 2012)

it did look like it was....but then like i said i dont handle him as i am afraid of them and is my partner and sons responsibility although im the one doing it all they take him in and out the cage so it wasnt a very clear look it was about halfway between the neck and base of tail


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## jayne1988 (Nov 6, 2012)

went to try go get a pic to post regarding the spot on belly and he has only managed to climb up to the top of the polystyrene backing and between that and the mesh down the back of the viv and is again wedged between the viv and the polystyrene!!! strange lil thing


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## clumsyoaf (Oct 23, 2012)

How is he doing today?


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## sheena is a gecko (Apr 22, 2011)

Sorry I haven't seen your other thread but how old and what weight is the leo? When they are young the skin on their belly is very thin and you can often see the internal organs through it. The liver can sometimes be seen as a small purple/black spot on the abdomen just under where you would expect the rib cage to end. If it were a piece of beech chip he had swallowed I would expect the black patch to be bigger than half the size of a 5p if it is a very young leo. Coarse grade beech chip would be quite difficult for a baby leo to swallow however you could always ask a vet for an x-ray as yellrat said. 

Yellow/green jelly like faeces can sometimes be a sign of a parasite load which can be a problem for the health of a young leo especially as they are often kept in the same viv as several other leos in pet shops it gets passed round easily. Many leos live with a small amount of parasites/worms and it causes no symptoms but sometimes if the leo is stressed -like when moving to a new home- they can multiply and begin causing illness. You would be best off taking the little one to a reptile vet for a general check up and a faecal test for parasites etc so they can prescribe the best treatment.


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## jayne1988 (Nov 6, 2012)

well today he seems a little better after wedging himself behind the polystyrene again somehow we got him out and left a wax worm (would meal worms eat a wax worm) and locust in the cage lastnight...and today i cant see them....i havent had a poke about as i dont want to disturb him until feed time tonight and i change hes water, mealworms and any food that may be in there....i dont know the weight of the leo as the petshop didnt weigh him when we took him and he was 6-8weeks old so im now guessing 9-11weeks so he is very tiny....he is currently hiding in hes warm hide which is an improvement and more *normal* for him as thats where he would spend most of hes days to start with between the warm and cold hide rather than up on the polystyrene like the last few days trying to escape down the back away from veiw, food and water


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## clumsyoaf (Oct 23, 2012)

Thats good news then! Sounds like he probably just needs to be left alone for a few days


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