URGENT: Rescued leopard gecko with signs of MBD and malnutrition

[HelpPinky]

Hello,

I rescued a leopard gecko from a family member who was severely neglecting her. She's 10 months old. My cousin asked me for advice when his gecko was refusing to eat. I asked him for a picture and the attached photos are what he sent me. I told him to give me the gecko immediately so I could rehabilitate her.

I need advice because I have not taken care of sick/diseased/disabled leopard geckos before, but I have successfully taken care of healthy ones, and currently have a very healthy and happy boy with me now.
I will not be homing them in the same tank.

She's clearly in need of calcium as far as I can tell. Maybe D3 too. But I don't know what the best options would be because I know very little of her previous care. Any help on telling me the best options for her would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much

 

[HelpPinky]

Update: just got her home. It's bad.... I'm worried she won't make it. Here are the pictures.

She does not walk on her front feet anymore, just her elbows. She isn't able to bring herself upwards. She's struggling shedding (I'd love to have some advice when it comes to helping get it off of her. It's old and crispy...) She will most definitely lose at least one toes because of her skin wrapping around and amputating it...

I gave her a plate of water so she could access it better. I put liquid calcium in it and gave her a cap full of calcium with d3. She won't touch any food as much as I entice her. I'm sure she's stressed from the move so I'm not trying to force her.

Please give me advice to save this baby if possible...!

 

[HelpPinky]

Update:

I will be taking her to an exotic pet specialist asap. For the mean time :

Pinky has entered her water with liquid calcium in it and is staying there. She is reacting to lights movement on the wall, I think she's hungry and maybe ready to eat finally...? I only have the adult meal worms not the baby meal worms, I don't think she can handle them because they're quite big and she's quite small... Should I try feeding her? The temperature in her tank is around 90. I'm getting her a better thermometer tomorrow just to be safe. Geckos usually stay in the water because they're too hot... Do you think she may be having a hard time with the temperature? My cousin kept the tank in the 80s... Maybe she is feeling relief from her stuck shed? Any advice? Should I take her out of the water?

Please! I am desperate for help!

 

[Onelifegecs]

its hard to answer because of her condition and we can’t really see what exactly whats going on. I think you are doing everything right so far. I would say let them stay in the water because she is probably trying to rehydrate herself. I run my geckos at 90 and if she has a cool side I wouldn’t say and give them a warm soak if possible. Just try to gently work off some of that shed. You can also try cutting the mealies in half and feeding them to her that way. All in all the vet is the best answer for her

 

[acpart]

Squish some of the mealworms and rub the guts on her nose so she can lick it off. Dip your finger in water, dip it in calcium with vitamin D3 and put some on her nose so she can lick it off and get some calcium. Do that maybe every other day until you get her to a vet.
Since she's soaking in the water bowl, she's probably loosened the shed somewhat. Work at it gradually. You will probably need to use tweezers and/or your fingernails. Aim to eventually get it all off.
Good luck with her.

Aliza

 

[lindseyk22]

oh my goodness! thank you for helping this poor baby. it sounds like you’re doing everything really good. keep offering food and try to gently work the shed off with a q tip to give her some relief. your temps sound fine as long as she has a cool side if she starts overheating. try and put some calcium on her nose so she licks it off, hopefully that will help a bit. best of luck and i’m rooting for Pinky!!!

 

[newolf]

You should try giving her some flukers Repta Boost! When I was rehabilitating the severely malnourished leo that I adopted I would give him a little bit in a syringe every night because he wasn’t able to eat solid food yet. I noticed a big difference after only a week or two of using it. If you do use it though, make sure not to give her too much and shock her system.

 

[JRankin]

Update: just got her home. It's bad.... I'm worried she won't make it. Here are the pictures.

She does not walk on her front feet anymore, just her elbows. She isn't able to bring herself upwards. She's struggling shedding (I'd love to have some advice when it comes to helping get it off of her. It's old and crispy...) She will most definitely lose at least one toes because of her skin wrapping around and amputating it...

I gave her a plate of water so she could access it better. I put liquid calcium in it and gave her a cap full of calcium with d3. She won't touch any food as much as I entice her. I'm sure she's stressed from the move so I'm not trying to force her.

Please give me advice to save this baby if possible...!

The water will definitely help her loosen the skin, periodic see if any is loose enough for you to gently remove. Also repti-cal is a calorie supplement, it's a plate so if so won't eat you can get her to kick it off or if you can gently open her mouth place small amounts. My albino went through a phase when I first got her where she wouldn't hunt and only taking food if I Habs feed her, but not enough, she was losing weight and a baby, not growing. The calorie boost helped tremendously and gradually I got her to eat on her own. She's now full grown and fat lol (had to actually reduce her worms because she was overweight). Patience and lots of love she'll learn to trust you more and stress less after that she'll slowly come around. I hour is not too late for your scale baby. Sounds like you're on the right track and she's in good hands now. Best of luck!

-jen
(Pic of my fat girl with my doodle attached)

 

[happygeckos3]

You can try warm baths. I used oxbow critical care (carnivore) when my leopard gecko was ill and made a slurry out of it. I used a small feeding syringe as well. He's been well ever since. I almost thought I'd lose him, but the oxbow really helped him get the nutrition he needed. I've tried other slurries but this one worked better than the rest. It took a few weeks and with lots of patience, he got better. Good luck and I hope your gecko recovers!