Hemidactylus turcicus paralysis

[Alex]

I know I haven't posted all that much lately, but I'm really in need of some help. I have a WC Mediterranean House Gecko (Hemidactylus turcicus), who has recently developed complete paralysis of her hind legs and partial paralysis of her tail. I noticed this while helping her shed. She also has a slight bump or curve in her spine, by her front legs (shoulder area). I'm not sure if this is a symptom, or just because she kept flipping on her back. Her appetite is still very strong, but she's having a lot of trouble catching crickets. She managed to bite a few legs off of a cricket yesterday. Tonight, I'm trying a small mealworm to see if that'll be easier to catch.
Is there a chance she can still be kept alive provided I can keep her eating and hydrated? Also, is there anything else I can do to help her?

[spike06]

sounds like MBD to me. do you have a UVB light on it? do you supplement with calcium when feeding?

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[Alex]

Yes and occasionally. Like once every other week.

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[spike06]

what uvb bulb do you use and how old is it?
also what substrate do you have it on?

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[Alex]

It's a Zilla 50 uvb 20watt. I believe it is nearing it's 1yr. After seeing this, though, I will change it out on my next day off.
I have her on paper towels.

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[spike06]

thats probably what the problem is. uvb bulbs should be replaced every 6 months. i would recommend the Reptisun 10.0.it has a higher uvb output than zilla because the bulb is so old, im assuming that your gecko does have mvb. it doesnt sound too severe so you should be able to reverse it within a couple months. what kind of calcium do you use? the best stuff is Repcal calcium phosphorus free plus d3 (pink label)

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[John_White]

Hemidactylus turcicus is a nocturnal gecko and does not require UVB. Is it still passing waste? If the answer is "no" or the lizard is causing injury to itself due to the paralysis, then I would suggest that you put it out of its misery.

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[Alex]

Ooh I always thought it was 12 months. I think it said it on the packaging or something.. Anyways, I only have a clamp lamp, so the Reptisun won't work. I'm still going to try to go out and find the highest uvb bulb I can tomorrow. I've been switching between two brands: Zoo Med's Repti Calcium w/ D3 and Tetrafauna's ReptoCal w/ D3. It's the same stuff I've been using with my other geckos and skinks.

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[Alex]

Originally Posted by John_White

Hemidactylus turcicus is a nocturnal gecko and does not require UVB. Is it still passing waste? If the answer is "no" or the lizard is causing injury to itself due to the paralysis, then I would suggest that you put it out of its misery.

She is still defecating on a regular basis. I haven't see her hurt herself, other than flipping onto her back. I checked on her this morning, and saw her flip over on her own.

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[Keri]

I had a leopard gecko that did this, partial paralysis except to flip herself over onto her back repeatedly. This leo had MBD when I got her over 10 years ago and has never been what I would consider a normal leo, she has to be handfed, but takes it eagerly, even if her aim is terrible... I don't mind.

Anyhow, 2.5 years ago she did the flipping over thing and was getting sand in her eyes, I thought she was a goner. I brought her into work for euthanasia but the trip seemed to have perked her up a little so...I took an xray, no obvious blockage, and I know it's old school but... as a last resort "nothing should die without the benefit of steroids" so I gave her a shot of dex, bacitracin, neomycin, and polymyxin B eyedrops 3 times a day for 2 weeks (just in case the sand caused an infection) and switched her over to paper towel substrate and I still have her today.

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[Alex]

Thanks for the reply, but I lost her last night. She got a lot worse since I originally posted; stopped eating (even slurry), and stopped drinking. It wasn't fair to keep her alive like that.

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[TammyJamaica]

Alex I am very sorry you lost your little Gecko. I can see that you tried to do your best for her.

As John said, some Geckos are nocturnal, they do not need UV light at all. All the ones in our house come out to feed on insects on the walls at night and crawl back into their dark little corners/holes as day breaks.

Where did you get your "wild caught" Mediterranean House Gecko, if I may ask? Are they found in Texas? Just curious.

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[Alex]

Thanks, Tammy.

I found her in the break room where I work. They're not native, but not considered invasive because they don't harm..well, anything really.

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[Keri]

I'm sorry Alex.

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