# Leopard Gecko Abnormal Breathing



## nocterum (Apr 21, 2016)

Hey guys im new here. My gecko who is a ten year old male is having abnormal breathing. His inhales and exhales are not even and they seem to be strained. Hes not wheezing or anything else. Hes also been shedding once every five or six days as has a hard time with getting the skin off, which i have spray for. 

My question is if hes not having any other symptoms, other than seeming out of it when we feed him sometimes, the abnormal breathing, his back twitches under the skin, do you guys think he needs medical assistance. We always keep his tank with a reptile black light for heat, eniugh water, food, shelter, etc.

Just concerned cuz hes getting older. Any advice, supplements, etc. Hes on a staple diet of small mealies. Appetite is fine. Thanks.


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## Azastral (Jun 6, 2015)

I think you should get the earliest appointment you can with a reptile vet.


Sounds like he's in proper trouble.

I would also look at changing how you are providing heat and lighitng, Leopard Geckos absorb heat not through basking in light, but by resting on warm surfaces. i would think the black light is a bad idea, and to look at using a proper halogen to heat something like a slate basking area during daylight hours and maybe a heat mat on a low setting to maintain nightime temps.

Although i dont specifically know about leopard gecko vision, i do know they are tetrachromatic (they can see UV wavelengths) if its a true black light bulb it will be emitting UV and it will also mean that the viv is lit up like a christmas tree to the gecko, not a good thing for night time. Many many people seem to think reptiles cant see red light, or blacklights dont give out light just heat, its simply not true. 
Its completely dependent on the species as to if they are capable of seeing those wavelengths.
Id recommend looking at this:
http://www.arcadia-reptile.com/files/2012/04/leopard_gecko_info.pdf It explains about what lighting you should have in there and a bit about their setup.

Its very possible that he is showing symptoms as a result of how he's being kept, this is often the case with reptiles and it can take a LONG time before its apparent theres something wrong.
Try to get as much advice as you can about a good Leo setup and look at what you can do to improve yours. I would also look at trying to improve its diet, living mainly off mealworms is not a balanced intake, variety really is key and nutrition plays a huge, huge part in their long term health.


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## Debbie1962 (Dec 5, 2008)

As above you need to see a vet. 10 is not that old really, I have gecko still going strong at 16 who has never been ill all her life.


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