Blindness?

[Th3HiddenGecko]

Are there any accurate methods to determine whether a gecko is blind? It's starting to drive me crazy!

 

[Geckogardener]

You can test the vision a few different ways. First of all, can you see the pupils and do they react to light? Are they eyes cloudy or sunken? If you walk around with her, does she move her head in a way that indicates that she is at least sensing light? (even my nearly blind gecko will turn it’s head like this when I walk it around)
If you have the tank in a dark room and then turn the light on, does she react in any way? maybe run and hide?
Does she bump into things when she walks? Does she catch her food at all? (mine cannot and must be hand fed - though she can now detect light)

What makes you suspect your gecko is blind? Some have rediculously bad aim when trying to catch prey, but as long as they are trying they must be seeing it. Is it holding it's eyes shut? That can occur after a bad shed, an eye irritation from sand or an infection.

 

[Th3HiddenGecko]

The gecko is a hatchling albino and his pupils react to light just fine. They don't look cloudy or sunken in any way. When I walk around him, he just sits there like nothings happening or he'll turn and go to the back of the tub. I'm pretty sure he reacts to the light because if he's in a dark room and I turn the light on his eyes shut like he's just been hit with a really bright light. He doesn't choose to run though. He usually walks along the edge of the tub.

The only suspicion I have that he is blind is because he will not feed himself. I have to touch a baby mealy to his lips in order for him to become interested, and then touch his lips again for him to eat it. Then he just continues to walk around until I tap his lips again. I have a bowl full of small mealies along the edges of the tub but he just walks completely over it. Thanks for your help.

 

[Geckogardener]

I hate to say this, but that's exactly the way my partially blind gecko acts. Mine can perceive light, but has to be tapped on the mouth to eat her mealies. She's a good eater, and is turning into a nice pet anyway. I am hoping some vision will come back to her better eye, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

It sounds like you may have a "special needs" gecko there who might need to be hand fed it's whole life. Is there any chance it can see better in a dark room? Maybe it just can't see in normal room light.

I wish you luck with it!

Sue

 

[Jeremy Letkey]

Have you tried crickets as a prey item? I find that some hatchlings never really get the mealies in the bowl concept.

 

[Th3HiddenGecko]

Is there any chance it can see better in a dark room? Maybe it just can't see in normal room light.

I originally had him in normal room light for the first three days of his life. I moved him downstairs where it is a little darker and he's been there for five days now and at least he's eating down there.

Have you tried crickets as a prey item? I find that some hatchlings never really get the mealies in the bowl concept.

I have tried crickets two days ago and he completely ignored them. I'm going to try again tonight and see what happens.

I thank both of you very much for your help. I'll keep you updated if anything changes.

 

[Th3HiddenGecko]

One more question. Pictures were taken of him with the flash on while he was hatching. Could this be a cause of blindness in an albino?

 

[Geckogardener]

One more question. Pictures were taken of him with the flash on while he was hatching. Could this be a cause of blindness in an albino?

I wouldn't think it could do more than cause temporary blindness - and the flash would not likely have hit both eyes straight on, so it really couldn't cause both eyes to be damaged. It seems like it would be more of an annoyance to him than anything... I wouldn't go feeling guilty about it. Sometime s**t just happens.

 

[saltwaterreptiles]

Have you tried crickets as a prey item? I find that some hatchlings never really get the mealies in the bowl concept.

Yeah, I don't even put my mealies in a bowl until they are a couple of weeks old or so, I let them roam free in the tub, the hatchlings seem to track movement laterally better than when it is just a sqiurming motion in a bowl. Once they get the taste for mealies and recognize that shape as being a food item I never have and issue with them taking mealies from a bowl....

As for the blindness.... albino hatchling in my limited experience really behave blindy for a long time...

 

[Th3HiddenGecko]

I wouldn't think it could do more than cause temporary blindness - and the flash would not likely have hit both eyes straight on, so it really couldn't cause both eyes to be damaged. It seems like it would be more of an annoyance to him than anything... I wouldn't go feeling guilty about it. Sometime s**t just happens.

The flash was my worst worry but now I'm glad that probably wasn't the case.

As for the blindness.... albino hatchling in my limited experience really behave blindy for a long time...

Maybe that is just the case and he just wants me to baby him by handfeeding him. I guess now only time will tell.