I have a gecko and I believe he is blind. he refuses to eat…

Thank you for waiting. The skin over the eye is left from the last time Jack shed his skin. It's called a retained eye cap. It's fairly common, however, the problem should be dealt with right away. when the eye caps are retained for too long, there is likely to be infection behind them. Don't use any force to pull off the eye cap. That can result in damage to the cornea.

Here is one thing you can try: Soak Jack for 15-20 minutes in a warm bath consisting of 1/2 Pedilayte (yes, the kind made for human infants) and 1/2 water. Then, use a Q-tip to dab some mineral oil (available in any drug store) on the eye cap. Leave it over night. If the eye cap is still retained after this treatment, try VERY GENTLY brushing your finger across the eye. That may cause the eye cap to move partially off the eye. If you can get an edge to come off, you can just take hold of it and remove it. Never use tweezers or other instruments to try to remove the cap: it's too easy to damage the eye. Here is a page where you can read more about retained eye caps:

http://www.anapsid.org/eyeshed.html

If you manage to get the eye caps off using the tips above, rinse both your gecko's eyes with some saline solution (the kind made for contact lenses). If the eyes look normal at that point, just watch carefully for any discharge or other signs of problems. If the eyes don't look normal after removing the eye caps, or if the eye caps won't come off, you'll need to see a reptile vet. This link will take you to a directory of them:

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlist

Because Jack hasn't been eating and has getting thinner, it would be a good idea to see a vet regardless of what happens with his eyes. In the meantime, you can help by repeating the Pedialyte/water soaks twice a day. Be sure to supervise closely, and soak him for 20 to 30 minutes each time. I'll give you an easier way to feed him until he eats on his own again. Get some plain chicken baby food. Drop a small dollop right on the end of his snout. Most of the time, they will lick it off. You can give him as much as he'll eat each time.

If you use sand or other loose matter on the cage floor, it would be best to remove it. Something solid, such as reptile carpet or ceramic tile is better because particles can't irritate the eyes.

When a lizard has shedding problems such as retained eye caps, it often means there is an underlying health problem, so you may want to take Jack in for an exam to find out what's going on even if everything seems normal after you take the above steps. Something not quite right in the habitat can also result in shedding problems. I’m sending along a care sheet, courtesy of Joan, another of our experts. You can use it as a checklist to make sure all the conditions are right. If you have more questions, just let me know by clicking on REPLY. I hope your Jack will be fine.

Anna

(The above answer is intended for informational purposes only. If your pet is ill, you should consult a veterinarian. )

Leopard Gecko Care Sheet

The Leopard Gecko is originally from Pakistan, India, and a few other countries in Asia. They actually live on hard rocky outcrops and they are nocturnal (active at night). They prefer temperatures between 82 and 88 degrees (28* to 31*C) all day and night. They grow to between 8 to 11 inches. Leopard Geckos are available in a wide range of colors and patterns which are the result of selective captive breeding. These include albino, ghost, striped, jungle, Leucistic and high yellow. These colors have been made possible through selective captive breeding. Leopard Geckos make wonderful pets for almost any age person. Leopard Geckos also make good long term pets. They can live over twenty years. Never grab by tail it will break off.

Leopard Gecko Housing: A male Leopard Gecko should never be housed in the same cage as another male leopard gecko because they will fight and possibly kill one another. A male can be housed with several females without any problems. I do not advise housing leopard geckos in the same cage with any other reptiles. A single Leopard Gecko can be kept in a ten gallon tank. For a male and a few females a twenty gallon tank or larger should be used. The cage should have a screen lid on top of it to prevent any escapes. Leopard geckos need places to hide and sleep during the day so you must provide a couple of hiding spots. They need a warm hiding spot and a cold humid hiding spot. Just put one hide box on the side with the heat light and put the humid hide box on the side that does not have the heat light. I actually prefer an under the tank heater for heat source rather than a light since the geckos are Nocturnal. For the humid hide box, Paper Towels work well and easily replaced inside a hide box. You can make your own humid hide box from a small plastic shoe box or from a margarine container. Cut a hole in one end of the container and place moist paper towel inside it. The humid box should be cleaned out every week and re moistened. A humid hide box is needed so that the gecko can go in it when it needs to shed. The humidity helps the old skin come off.

Substrate: There is an abundance of products on the market that claim to be safe substrates. All Loose Substrates (Please note the link above) however are not safe to use. A substrate is what you put on the bottom of the cage for the lizard to walk around on. If a Leopard Gecko ingests any of the substrate accidentally, the substrate must pass through the digestive system. Trust me they will ingest substrate, sometimes on purpose. If it does not easily pass through the digestive system compaction will occur. Compaction is an extreme blockage of the digestive tract and is often fatal. Some substrates that I consider unsafe because they can cause compaction are: sand, bark, Calci sand, crushed walnut shells, lizard litter, gravel, aquarium gravel, and coconut fiber. The safest substrate is using paper towels or plain newspaper, non-stick shelf liner , cage carpet or ceramic tile. For any leopard geckos that are younger than six months I advise using paper towels or plain newspaper until they are at least six months old. Calcium sand is not fully digested no matter what it claims. The stuff just does not break down completely. . Leopard

Gecko Heating and Temperature: The cage should be between 82 to 88 degrees (28*C to 31*C)all day and night. There is two basic ways to heat the cage. One is to use a under tank heater like heat tape. The other is to use a black, or blue night incandescent heat light. I prefer to use a heat light. For a 10 gallon tank a 60 watt bulb should work depending on room temperature. Place the heat light on one end of the cage. By putting the heat light on one end of the cage it keeps that side warmest and allows the gecko to move to the warmer side with the light or to the colder side without the light as needed to regulate body temperature.

NEVER EVER USE A HOT ROCK, HEAT ROCK, OR ANY SIMILAR PRODUCT. Hot rocks heat unevenly and are notorious for causing terrible thermal burns. Do not buy a hot rock and if you know anyone who uses one, tell them to throw it away.

Leopard Gecko Feeding: Leopard Geckos will do very well on a diet of mealworms and crickets. I like to provide some variety in feeder insects to create a more balanced diet. Feeder insects I use are silkworms, mealworms, roaches and crickets with the legs on one side of the body pulled off. Crickets will bite your geckos while they sleep, these bites are prone to infection, so if you pull off one side of their legs then they cannot move around the cage and get to the gecko and also this prevents the crickets from climbing out of the cage. Gut load feeder insects for at least a day before putting them in with the gecko. Feed geckos insects that are not larger than the width of the head of the gecko.
Adults can be fed superworms, though I advise only feeding a couple superworms at a time. Leopard Gecko Vitamin/Mineral Supplement: For young geckos dust the feeder insects every other feeding or place a small feeder dish with supplement in it and some mealworms in the cage. For adults and babies place a shallow dish or a plastic lid in the cage with a teaspoon of calcium powder on it. The gecko will lick the calcium powder as needed. You still need to dust feeder insects every other feeding though with a vitamin supplement for young geckos. Adults use vitamin supplement once a week. Leopard Gecko Water: Use a shallow water bowl, fill with water as needed. Remove bowl from cage and clean out weekly.

Do Not Feed Pinkies