Question about my first hatchling

[shannoneve]

I'm very new to this so I'm sorry if this is a silly question. I've moved him to a new home with paper towel, food and water dishes and a small hide, he seems quite active and playful already but my only concern is that when I found him he had a small cut on his back, just above his tail and I have literally no clue how he could have gotten it ( looks quite similar to a bite my female had after mating) My question is, should I be cleaning the wound or just leave him to get used to his surroundings for a couple of days? any advice is welcome.

Very new to this and I had no intention of breeding but long story short the pet shop sold me 2 females back in October and now I have an incubator full of eggs

 

[CharmedMom]

Anyway you could post a picture?

 

[shannoneve]

This was it this morning, I think there was still a few small bits of vermiculite stuck to it at the time because it looks slightly cleaner around it now

 

[CharmedMom]

He needs to go the vet ASAP.
It's not normal for a hatchling to have a cut or open sore like that.
If left untreated it could get infected and lead to death.

 

[shannoneve]

oh my, trying my best to find a vet nearby that deals with reptiles but it could prove difficult =[ Its midnight here so any advice for until I find somewhere to bring him?

 

[CharmedMom]

Personally I've never had to deal with an open sore like that so I'm not sure I can help. Hopefully someone with more experience can comment.
Otherwise your best bet would be to probably search the net for info on treating an open sore on a hatchling. Sorry I wish I could be more help.
Good luck to you and please keep us updated.

 

[shannoneve]

Thank you for replying and for the concern! When my female had a similar wound I basically just made sure to clean around it with a wet cotton bud everyday and after she shed the wound was still visible but basically healed up, but of course this is a much tinier gecko. Theres not much i can do tonight but maybe try clean it up a bit more. I'll definitely make sure to keep you updated =]

 

[acpart]

I have had a few instances where in the course of running around the incubator after it hatched, a newly hatched gecko somehow got a cut above the tail (I use the SIM's and they have plastic dividers that may cause the problem). Usually the gecko ends up dropping the tail. The question is whether it's a cut that occurred in the egg container, or some kind of deformity. Since the gecko has use of its hind legs I doubt it's something like the reptile equivalent of spina bifida (where the bottom of the spinal cord doesn't close). I don't think it makes sense to stess it by taking it to the vet. I would recommend continuing to keep it on a non-particle substrate (paper towel is fine) and if possible trying to remove the bits of vermiculite if they're still there. Most likely, the wound will close and the gecko will be fine. There's a possibility it will end up dropping its tail. If the wound continues to grow and get worse, I would imagine there may be something wrong with the gecko and it probably won't make it, but that's one of the risks associated with hatchlings.

Aliza

 

[shannoneve]

Thank you for replying! I had a look around the egg container to find that the wee temperature probe seems to have a bit of a frayed edge to it that felt slightly sharp to the touch s.o that may be what caused it, I plan on filing it down this afternoon when I get home from my exam to avoid this happening again.

He is able to run around just fine so nothing wrong with his legs and he wags his little tail around anytime I put my hand in to change substrate or water so nothing wrong there either

 

[CharmedMom]

I'm glad to hear that his back legs and tail are working fine. Hopefully he keeps improving because he sure is a cute little guy.

 

[shannoneve]

Figured I would leave an update on the little dude =] 2 and a half weeks old now and no signs of the cut whatsoever!



Plus before I left for work yesterday I checked the incubator to find another little guy hatching, it was great to be able to see it first hand =]

 

[CharmedMom]

Glad to hear the first one is doing so well.
Watching the little ones hatch is always my favorite, I'm always bummed if I miss it.