So, I'm a sucker, lol. The vet hospital I work at has a contract with Pet Smart, and they brought in a baby leopard gecko (wt=8 grams @ approx 6-8 weeks old) with a very obviously broken leg. The left hind leg was completly facing backwards- meaning the foot was facing up- from mid-femur to ankle. The leg was very red and swollen, though he did have feeling in the foot and was trying to use it. Pet Smart brought him in the morning after it happened- when he (or she) stopped eating. Before this, he was housed in a 20L with 7 other babies his size, and they were all fed 200 small crickets each day. The clerk said that she had seen him eating up until the day after the incident, when he stopped eating and became very lethargic. They don't know exactly what happened to him- but the injury looks like a bad bite from a cage mate. So, Pet Smart surrendered him to the hospital b/c they couldn't pay to amputate the leg (over $2000), and they didn't want to euthanize, and I took him. I have to say- they really do try to take care of the animals as best as corporate will allow them. So, we put him on antibiotics (and morphine for pain) for 48 hours, and amputated the leg easily Friday afternoon (it is now Monday morning). Saturday he began using the stump very well, actively exploring his enclosure. He's taking a pain medication and an antibiotic each evening, and his bandage is changed twice daily, so I have no choice but to handle him. He's in a 20L with an Under Tank Heater, basking light, aspen shavings, moist hide (on cool side), rock hide on warm side, a driftwood cave in the middle, and 3 artificial plants that he loves to hide under. He also has a 5% UVB bulb, a H2O dish, and a dish of clacium powder. The temps during the day are 88 (warm)- 77(cool), and at night: 81 (w) - 74 (cool). He shed on Saturday without any problems. The problem I'm having is- I can't get him to eat on his own. I've been hand-feeding him Oxbow's Carnivore Critical Care diet each evening, but I am offering dusted crickets and wax worms prior to attempting hand feeding. He ignores them, and if they come near him, he runs away. He licks the hand-feeding formula and his meds from a pipette easily. Any suggestions? Thanks! I'll post pix as soon as the babdage if off- his stump is so little and cute! He stole my heart.

You can try mashing up some of the crickets to add to the other stuff you are feeding. It may take a few days for him to get his full appetite back and eating on his own.

Cant wait to see pics. Good job for taking s/he in.

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MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!

aw poor thing. at least it sounds like he's doing alright and is eating something. hopefully he'll continue to improve and eventually eat on his own when he feels up to it. good luck.

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Its great that you have taken him in, but I am perplexed as to why you are using aspen shavings. Not only is that 100% unnatural, but it poses a greater chance of getting the wound dirty. I would suggest revamping the enclosure so it has paper towel as a substrate and discard the aspen all together.

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Hope to see some pics soon.

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He was on paper towels originally, but the vet actually rec the change to keep the humidity a little higher while he's healing. The wound is completly covered with a bandage, so nothing is getting into it. I can switch back to paper towels though if you think it'll help. Vets know medicine, they don't always know husbandry, lol

I dont understand what the humidity has to do with healing. Basically the only time geckos need humidity it when they are shedding. I would switch back to papertowels just for the cleanliness and easier to monitor his recovery, ie eating, pooping etc. Just make sure he has a humid hide or two.

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MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!

Hello,

Keeping the humidity up can be accomplished with the paper towel. The aspen, if it were to remain wet for humidity purposes, will begin to smell and possibly mold wherever the leo defecates.

I also suggest going back to paper towel. I am thinking that the vet suggested a higher humidity to possibly help with keeping the leo hydrated.

Has the leo been drinking water?

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.:: Rich ::.

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The increase in humidity was to help keep him hyrdated, beacuse he wouldn't eat or drink on his own. He'll take a drop or 2 of water from a pipette, but he spits a lot of it out. He loves the Carnivore Critical Care Diet so I've been adding extra water to that. The dampened aspen wasn't smelly of mouldy, because as he's healing, I'm disinfecting the entire enclosure each day. He hates the taste of the antibiotics, so I'm not taking any chances and I want to keep everything as clean as possible. I did switch back to paper towls, as per your advice (thank you), though I didn't tell the doc that! He's doind ok now, and last night, he took 1 mealworm all by himself! It's a small improvement, but it sure made my day! Thank you all for the help. Watson and I sure do appreciate it! I still need to post pics, I know, he's just still so sketched out about everything, and I think a flash will really freak him out right now. He runs for the hills whenever the phone rings! Poor baby's scared of everyhting. I covered all sides of the enclosure with a background, so he can feel more secure, and the day after that, he took the worm. We'll see how it goes from here. Thanks!

Thats good to hear, hope he continues to improve...keep us posted

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MARSHA
A man without a woman is a bachelor, A woman without a man is a genius!.

We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart!