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12-05-2007, 01:29 AM
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#1
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Blind Leopard gecko
Well I have a blind leopard gecko. He was given to my by a friend who got it from some lady who couldnt take care of her two leos. They both had infected eye sockets, horrible mouth rot and the one mail had a regrown tail. With my friends help the mouth rot was healed and when I got the two of hem I continued treatment for both. The one male's eyes actually came back once the infection was cleared, but the second male is completely blind. He was nothin but skin and bones when we got him and I've been hand feeding him with baby food.
He's now gaining weight, sheding every 2 weeks but the thing I'm wondering is, will he ever be able to eat on his own and have a normal life?
Does anyone have any experience like this?
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12-05-2007, 02:29 AM
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#2
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The hard part with Leos is, well....they need their sight to hunt their food. Have you tried feeding him mealies or something like that by hand?
This one would be a tough call for me....if you (and he) would be OK with hand-feeding all of the time, he may end up just fine. On the other hand, if he does not take to hand feeding, or you are not able or willing to ensure that he will get the nutrition that he needs, euthanasia may be the kinder option in the long run. I honestly don't know that a complete diet of baby food would be healthy for him in the long term, but perhaps someone with more Leo experience than I could answer that better.
Very tough one.....but kudos to you for taking the poor souls in and giving them some proper TLC.
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12-05-2007, 03:01 AM
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#3
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I havent tried mealies by hand due to them being hard to digest, I wanted to get him fattened up a bit more first. Poor thing only weighs 27 grams and I believe he should be an adult since I figure the two males to be the same age. the other male is 46 grams and this is after feeding him about 2 months, when I got him he was in the low teens.
I wouldnt mind feeding him like this, I dont think I'd have the heart to put him down, he's fighting so hard right now, though if he takes a turn and gives up, I'd put him out of his pain.
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12-05-2007, 03:57 PM
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#4
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I feel ya, Alisyn....I have a few of those critters hanging out here myself.
Maybe silkworms would be a good option for him to try, or even try a few waxies? I'm just not certain what the long term effects, if any, there would be from feeding him baby food for a length of time. Is he getting calcium supplementation?
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12-05-2007, 11:52 PM
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#5
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Yeah, I mix calcium in the baby food. I'll have to try wax worms, but last I tried he just spit the mealies back out, but he eats the baby food so I donno
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12-06-2007, 09:20 AM
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#6
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I cant imagine a staple diet of baby food being good for a leo. Its really best used only as "emergency rations" for sick geckoes until they can feed on their own. Its not really good for putting weight on a rehabbing leo either. I have kept blind leos for extended periods of time by hand (tweezer) feeding them the proper diet. I would recommend a couple of waxworms or silkies. They are soft bodied, and high in fat. Waxworms are not to be used as a staple however, it will lead to liver failure long term. If he is spitting out mealies, I'd be concerned that his mouth issues are not completely cleared up. Does he have enough teeth to eat hard shelled prey like mealies?
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12-06-2007, 10:26 AM
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#7
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Now when I had these guys years ago, I actually got mine to reconize a dish for food, and they woul eat anything in it dead or alive, so movement isnt always key. But obviously being blind he will not be able to see and reconize a dish as food. Besides silkies, you can try phoenix worms, which are a soft bodied grub that is the highest calcium feeder insect that I know of. Mealworms are OK, but they lack good nutritional content, basiclylittle protien, some fat, and hard to digest chiton. You could also use small feeder roaches, like lobsters, these guys are a good feeder. Or you could pre-kill crickets for him. But I question the long term feeding of baby food as the protiens are not the same of that for insects. If you do go that route, I would consier looking into mazuri insectavor diet, you have to get it online, or if you have a vet office like mine, we carry it there.
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12-07-2007, 09:07 AM
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#8
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I would like to suggest switching from baby food to Marcia's slurry (GoldenGateGeckos) or Flukers Rept-A-Aid (insectivore/carnivore formula) or alternating between the 3 foods
I have an adult Leo that was given to me to care for that is partially or totally blind-I have no idea if she can see or not
I hand fed her for quite a while and while feeding everyone one night I accidentally put a few superworms into her tank and decided to leave them in there and see if she would eat them
Well-much to my surprise they were gone the next morning-maybe she hunts by smell??
Don't give up on your him and I wish you the best of luck
I am sure that both of the Leos will become much loved pets
Here's a few pics of LemonDrop-she has the craziest eyes that I have ever seen on a Leo and she is one of the sweetest Leos that I have
Sandy
As you can see from this pic-she does have a sensitivity to bright lights
older pic
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12-08-2007, 11:05 PM
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#9
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Those eyes are awsome!
I'll have to try some other slurries or worms, and training him to a bowl. That is a good question though, do geckos hunt by smell or only by sight?
Anyway, here's a pic of him. If you think he looks bad now, this is after he's doubled the weight I got him at under my care. He used to be 14g and now he's up to 27
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12-08-2007, 11:08 PM
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#10
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I wonder too.....was thinking, perhaps they hear the sound of the superworms little legs scritching around in the bowl, and that would attract them? From there, the scent could guide them, or maybe they just recognize the sound, and aim for it and hope, lol.
It's a thought.
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