hi,

can anyone tell me what a leopard gecko's throat and chin is like? like, this may seem like a stupid question, but I need to know how one breathes.

ok, i will be much more specific, now, so I might make some sense.

last night there was a fight between 2 geckos, a male and a female. i heard some commotion coming from the cage and she was trying to get away from him...he had ahold of her from the side of the neck. i immediately removed her and moved her to a solo sterile environment.

her bottom right jaw skin was torn open, exposing the muscle underneath. the lesion is about half an inch long and a bit of it seems to go close to the edge of the soft flabby skin on her chin.

i have dealt with small reptile injuries before, with no adverse consequence. i was, and am, hoping that this can be handled the same way but I am afraid. this is why I want to know how they breathe...

she is getting an air bubble in her chin skin, it will fill up a little and then kinda 'bubble' out where the skin is torn. i want to know if it is getting in there somehow by some kind of hole in her windpipe, or if they need that skin membrane there to be able to breathe normal, or if this is happening because of some other reason, like maybe the skin pulls away a tiny bit when she breathes in and it sucks air in there...like when you are in the pool and you pull your bathing suit away from your body and all that air gets in there...

i still don't know if that makes any sense, and I guess I can take a picture if I need to but I don't want to disturb her more than I need to. she is moving around just fine for the most part.

i did put a little neosporin on there last night. i thought about trying to bandage it somehow so the bubble thing would stop happening, but who am I kidding? i don't know how to do that!!! should I rinse it with some saline or would she drown? will it heal on it's own if I can keep infection away?

sorry so lengthy...please please help!

thanks,

lola

Egads, this is where we all yell to see a vet. So far it sounds like it is not life threatening, if the windpipe was torn it would be over already, the loos skin was probably just pulled away, the male could have been trying to mate and got carried away. A stitch or two would speed up healing and an antibiotic wouldn't hurt. Neosporin is a good thing, and a saline rinse would clean out the wound, but infection is always a worry. And everyone knows how much I worry!

Keep us informed

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Answers are great. But I prefer questions!

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Poor gecko! It does sound like a vet would be a good idea. It also sounds like these two need separate housing on an ongoing basis.

Lola, I hope your little girl is better soon!

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Amy

Absolutely! this sounds like a major injury for a lizard that size! A vet trip is needed!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Agree on the vet trip Lola ...Keep us posted.

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Yes, I agree, vet trip for you!

Thats sad. I hope she turns out OK. Definitely keep us posted! I have my fingers crossed for you.

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One nation under Dog
RIP Chameleo Extevez
Dog is my copilot.

hope everything works out and she'll be okay. good luck and will check back for any updates.

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