Leopard Gecko -- help

[Armand's Mom]

Not a BTS question but I'm hoping someone out there can help.

My son's leopard gecko's tail just came off. I can't look. Betty (gecko) must be stressed but we don't know why.

A few days ago she showed signs of wiggling her tail when my son and his friend went to look at her. They may have startled her.

If you can direct us, please do.

We're really not in a position to take her to a vet.
Thanks.

Armand's mom

[SailleSkinklover]

First, don't panic.
Leos drop their tails for loads of reasons, and they do grow back.
She was probably very stressed, they usually only drop due to rough handling. You should never ever grab a lizard by the tail to pick them up.

Keep her on paper towel substrate. Absolutely NO SAND! If there is sand, please get rid of it. Paper towel is very easy to clean, and there is no risk of impaction or getting bits of substrate in the woulnd while it heals.

Make sure she has access to fresh water, and that her temps are warm enough. she'll need the warmer temps to heal and keep her immune system up.

Make absolutely sure she has a hide where she can feel safe. She sounds very stressed out, and she has just lost her main fat reserves, so she will need extra care and attention.
Make sure you are offering food all the time so she can build herself back up, mealworms might be better than crickets as they are slower moving and won't chew on her if she doesn't eat them right away.

I'll try and hunt down some caresheets for you, so I'll be back in a few minutes!

[SailleSkinklover]

Also, make sure she has access to calcium without d3 at all times.

check out these sites for good solid caresheets.

http://www.thegeckospot.com/leocareindex.html

http://www.sundialreptile.com/care%20sheet--leopard.htm

http://www.leopardgecko.com/emcare.html

PM me if you have questions, just keep her warm, dark and quiet. She should be fine soon.

[KyleWeiss]

I'd hate to say it, but this *is* a blue tongue skink forum. The off-topic area might be the best way to ask this question, because we don't want other users mislead into thinking that all forms of reptile questions can and should be answered here.

http://www.geckochat.net/

http://www.leopardgeckocare.net/

I'm not a leo expert, but tails do fall off, and care for them includes very clean substrate (paper towels, for example) and up the protein and fat in the diet a little because their tails are their "reserves."

Please, direct any specific questions to links above or in off-topic chat.

Thanks!

Forgot to ask... why aren't you in the position to take her to a vet? If money is an issue, perhaps you should consider alternate options for homes?

KW

[Armand's Mom]

Thanks all for the links! I'm going to go change her tank now to toweling.

[SailleSkinklover]

Sorry Kyle!
Didn't want anyone to panic. . . thats why I told her she could PM me.
Is there a way to put Off Topic in the title after the fact?

[Blotch]

yeah, the original post needs to be edited.

[Fatal_S]

First off, I can't say I have much knowledge about geckos. However, keep it clean, keep the temperatures up, and keep an eye out for anything going downhill. Good luck with the little one.

Second, I have to say, this thread says Leopard Gecko right on it. It's obviously off topic right there. And even in the rules I believe it says we're not going to yell at people for an OT thread if it's important. If someone is about to kill themselves, you really going to tell them to put it in the OT Thread?

It's a BTS forum, but to me it feels like a big family. While we talk of BTS mostly, we shouldn't get upset if someone talks about something else when they need help. Would it really be better for people in cases like this to put it in the OT Thread, get ignored, and end up with the animal dying?

And it's not really this thread I'm worried about, it's been happening a while, and I'm just getting tired of it. I like my BTS.net family, but some of you guys can be pretty rigid. I'm getting sick of seeing people's requests for information and help ignored, while members are willing to post instead about "Go to the Off Topic Thread". And just to drive it home:

2) Some serious off-topic threads are fine.
• Special vacations, a newly acquired reptile, or even a serious family issue such as an illness...if a member needs encouragement or a helping hand, we don't turn our backs. We aren't strangers. A new thread can be dedicated if a person is in need. No one has to read it if they wish not to.

-BTS.NET Forum History, Hints & Guidelines Page

[Zach]

Mostly, Fatal is correct. Those rules pertain mostly to regular members however -- this is no offense to any individual, but in the past, we did have trouble with random users or people who barely posted coming on and posting many questions about every reptile EXCEPT blueys! Even back then, we got complaints about it so that's the reason behind the guidelines. Plus, it's Kyle's job to watch the OT threads.

It's not a big deal, but there is an off topic thread where any question like this can be asked.

I know, it's hard to please everybody!

[daftskink101]

We have two leopard geckos at the biology club at my school, named Larry and Gerty. Larry's tail fell off once. Don't worry, it will grow back, but it may not be as long as it once was and it may grow back in an irregular shape. I have biology club on Thursdays, so I'll see if I can grab a few pics of Larry's tail for you!

[Blotch]

Zach - Me senses a bit of "Blotch" attitude in Fatal. Could it be that we have a little fire cracker amongst us?

[thesilverbeast]

Mostly, Fatal is correct. Those rules pertain mostly to regular members however -- this is no offense to any individual, but in the past, we did have trouble with random users or people who barely posted coming on and posting many questions about every reptile EXCEPT blueys! Even back then, we got complaints about it so that's the reason behind the guidelines. Plus, it's Kyle's job to watch the OT threads.

It's not a big deal, but there is an off topic thread where any question like this can be asked.

I know, it's hard to please everybody!

perhaps an off topic animal help thread might be a good idea?

if i had a problem i wouldnt post it in the off topic thread because the thread moves too fast and it would probably get one or two comments with people struggling to answer previous posts. if you look in there now theres a few posts that are unanswered while the very next post is a previous posts quote and answer to that.

in a separate thread they're getting at least the double amount of replies than they would get in there and if it were my animal, i wouldnt care if i started 100 threads i would still do it because i love my animal more than a flaming for making threads on a forum. if those threads get me banned but one post in those threads saves my animals life i wouldn't have any regrets. i dont think any of you would too.


as i said, maybe an "Off topic animal help" thread where people can post problems and get answers might be the way to go. it would move slower as there are less people needing answers and people would get there answers they need.

[Blotch]

IT's A REVOLT!!!

ZACH, THE COMMONERS ARE REVOLTING!!! Ewwww

hehe sorry - good idea though. But then again I reckon a seperate forum for each type of bluey would be cool and then have a main one for general chit chat.
I've found that i've lost track of a thread cuz i may have been offline for a cpl of days. By the time I get back it's like 3 pages back and everyones forgotten it existed.

plus it's like a treasure hunt for blueys.

[Tattoo]

Forgot to ask... why aren't you in the position to take her to a vet? If money is an issue, perhaps you should consider alternate options for homes?

KW

Thanks to Kyle for stating the obvious. Taking a pet to the vet is part of responsible pet ownership. If you can't afford the vet you can't afford the pet.

[NomadOfTheHills]

That is hard to justify in my opinion. How much should you have saved up? A few hundred? A few thousand?


Most vets don't know what they are doing. Most doctors of people don't know what they are doing. Some are great. Most are not.


A leopard gecko does not need to see a vet for a dropped tail...

[Fatal_S]

A revolt?! Let me grab my torch and pitchfork!!

[Herptiles.net]

That is hard to justify in my opinion. How much should you have saved up? A few hundred? A few thousand?
Most vets don't know what they are doing. Most doctors of people don't know what they are doing. Some are great. Most are not.
A leopard gecko does not need to see a vet for a dropped tail...

I agree- dropped tails don't need a vet visit unless it's an incomplete break and you are not experienced enough (or not comfortable with) completing the break, or if an infection starts (which is rare unless the animal is in a really dirty environment or is immunocompromised).

Inexperienced vets often think that a broken tail needs sutures- big no-no! Sutures will interfere with tail regrowth for sure. I remember seeing on that show "Vets in Practice" they sutured a leo tail... mistake!

Standard protocol for dealing with autotomized tails:
-Ensure that the reason the animal dropped its tail is no longer a threat (ex: cagemate, annoying kid... etc...)

-Remove any debris from the wound if contaminated, a warm water flush is usually fine, but if you're paranoid you can use 1% Betadine (povidone-iodone) or 0.02% chlorhexidine

-Switch to a sterile substrate (paper towels) until wound is closed

-Monitor for infection (swelling, discoloured discharge), and feed the lizard with yummy-tasty foods to promote tail regrowth... this is a big strain on their bodies, the animal will not grow significantly while regenerating the tail, and should not be bred if female