Sores on Leopard gecko

[Kabalizzy]

I discovered these sores on my leopard gecko’s back today, that weren’t there yesterday. Can anyone help me understand what has caused them and how they seem to have appeared so suddenly? I applied some ointment to them, but that seemed to irritate my lizard as they started scratching at them and I’m worried they will get worse.

HELP!! 😫

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[ABMoore22]

Id keep putting antibiotic on them at least. Are you using a heat lamp for him? Or have you left crickets in his tank? So far that’s the only thing coming to mind for me. It looks like burn to me, though.

[Kabalizzy]

Thank you for your response. I will continue to put the antibiotic ointment on. We use a ceramic heat lamp and a UV lamp.

[Zoodulcis]

I agree that they look like burns. Neosporin may help healing. In the meantime, have you changed the height of the lamp recently or rearranged the furniture at all? Have you changed bulbs recently? New bulbs can sometimes be so much more intense than the old ones that they cause injury. They weaken after about 30 days, but at first are more intense, even though they seem about the same to the owners.

[Kabalizzy]

Thank you for your input. That’s what I feared, that they were burns. We did recently replace the UV lamp and they had an abnormal kind of “double shed” afterwards; where they had a sort of mild shed that they had difficulty clearing all of the dead skin and then quickly after (within a week) shed again, but didn’t have such difficulty that time. And then these sores surfaced within a few days of that last shed. I did slightly rearrange the furniture in their enclosure, so I will switch it back and hopefully that will help. I thought that the way I changed it would help with the difficulty with shedding, but these burns are worse than that problem, so I’d rather prevent that than worry about the difficulty shedding. Also, perhaps that has more to do with the intensity of the UV bulb as well? Any suggestion on how to lessen that intensity until it weakens? Thanks again for your help!

[Zoodulcis]

A few ways to lessen the intensity of the effect, not the bulb.

1. Place a light screening material that is heatproof over the top of the enclosure, like a light metal window screen, and do nothing else. Remove after 2 weeks.

2. Raise the bulb up 18 inches if possible and then lower it a few inches at a time once a week back to it’s old position. Be sure to do this whenever you replace the bulb.

3. Lower the basking spots.

You have already done #3, so steps 1 and 2 are options. Honestly, with corrective measures, his skin will heal. It’s damage to his eyes that you need to be concerned with now. He seems a light morph, so option #1 may be the best course of action for now.

In the meantime, research bulbs and determine if you really, really have to have the one that is there now. A weaker one may be better.

[Kabalizzy]

I actually had a UV bulb with a lower amp, so I changed it out and hopefully that will help; as well as moving the furniture back to where it was. I’ll continue to apply the ointment, as well and hopefully it will clear up soon. Thank you again for all of your input and suggestions!

[Zoodulcis]

Definitely glad to help. Please let us know if this course of action worked. Myself and other members would definitely benefit from the follow-up!

[Kabalizzy]

So, this morning Lizzy was having another one of those “mild sheds” that I mentioned before. You can see in the attached picture that it’s not a complete shed like you’d normally see. It’s only in patchy areas that the skin has lifted and it’s still quite attached in some places. I gave them a warm soak and did what I could to clear some of the loose bits, and tried to clear the toes, though I wasn’t totally successful at that. I’ll try another soak tomorrow to clear what remains. I’m still applying the ointment on the sores and they seem to be healing up. The other concern is that they don’t seem to have much of an appetite due to the stress of it all, I’m assuming. I’ve tried offering meal worms and crickets consistently, but they’ve only eaten a couple of times through this whole ordeal. I’m feeling pretty inadequate at this and considering re-homing them… if anyone is interested LMK.😓

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[Zoodulcis]

This sounds so frustrating and discouraging. One suggestion to make your life easier is to cease applying the ointment. At this point, the healing sores need access to the air to scab over properly.

I reviewed the thread and could not see that we had discussed humidity or moist hides. Could you please describe your enclosure set up with regards to that? Then my answer may be more helpful.

[Kabalizzy]

Okay. I did give the ointment a rest for a day to let it scab over a bit but reapplied last night and it seems it may be peeling with this shed.

I have a pretty large tank for them and I have the right side set for the warm side and the left for the cool side. There’s a warming pad under the far right corner with a few stacked rocks for baking on, and a ceramic heat lamp and UV lamp above. The heat lamp clamps to the side and can be moved around and up and down, but the UV lamp just rests on the corner edge because I have no other way to prop it. The UV lamp is on a timer and turns on and off automatically at 9AM and 9PM, respectively. I have the moist hide set up partially over the heat pad with moss inside that I spray with a spray bottle daily. I have the water dish in the right front corner with moss surrounding that I also spray daily.

On the left/cool side is a dish with calcium powder and a rock that I call the poop rock, cause they go up there to poop off the side of it, Lol. The temp on the cool side is about 72F, (because that’s the temp that we keep our house at,) and about 67% humidity. (I know that the humidity overall is higher than ideal, but we live on Florida, so there’s not much I can do about that.) On the warm side it’s about 90F and 45% humidity.

I hope this description along with the photo makes sense. I look forward to hearing any other suggestions you might have. Thank you so much!

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[ABMoore22]

Id still wait for Zoo to reply, but for me, most of that sounds and looks pretty good. Id stop any ointment for a few days at least, only soak them after they shed and have some stuck on and definitely add a hide under the heat lamp (and maybe one on the cool side too). That way not only can they hide and choose the temp they want (and not have to bake under the heat lamp if they just want extra warmth), they aren’t forced to only hide in the moist hide. Too high humidity, too often can cause respiratory issues and skin-related infections (though i think your initial sores were caused by the new heat source, humidity could be why your having healing issues). Here are ways to reduce humidity: https://thepetenthusiast.com/leopard-gecko-humidity-too-high/ Im confused why they are having stuck shed on places where there arent sores with humidity that high though. High humidity prevents stuck shed.

[ABMoore22]

Have they healed up? Leopard Geckos absorb most of their heat from their bellies also. So id get a heat mat and move the lamps up higher or place a flat rock or tile under the lamp so it can be heated for them to lay on.

[Kabalizzy]

There is a heat mat on the warm side and we were able to find a way to raise the UV lamp. The original sores have healed, but there’s still the issue with the shed and now they have scratched a new sores on their neck and chewed some on the backs of their hind legs. I’ve applied a bit of ointment on those new sores and they seem to be feeling a bit better since they have eaten. They just look a hot mess and I feel really bad.☹️ I’m hoping they will have a more complete shed soon and it will all clear up.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Kabalizzy.

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[ABMoore22]

Ooh. Poor babies. Definitely make sure the humidity is above or no lower than 40%. That should help with shedding while healing. I know you raised the lamps, keep it that way but if it were me, Id probably also remove all heat lamps until healed (as long as the heat mat gets to about 90 degrees). That way there is nothing at all to reduce humidity or dry out the skin. Offer juicy bugs more than you normally would to increase hydration also. (Like hormworms, wax worms, ect.)

[Zoodulcis]

I agree with AB’s recommendations. I would do this for the next 5 days and see if you notice any improvement.

[Kabalizzy]

Ok, so last night I did another warm soak and cleared away most of the loose bits of shed and they were at least looking a bit better. They ate a big juicy earthworm yesterday as well. This morning they started shedding again and by this evening they’ve cleared almost all of that shed. There’s a bit stuck around the first original sore and on the toes, so I’m going to soak again and see if I can’t get it all cleared and then apply some ointment to any remaining sore spots. Other than the latest scratches on their neck I’d say they’re looking much better and even seem more alert and in better spirits than they have in a while. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼 they’re pulling through and there’s no more issues!

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[ABMoore22]

Glad to hear its seeming a little better. I wouldn’t do the ointment more than once a day and maybe skip a day or two so it can scab over. But that has helped keep off infection. Im sure the soaking will improve shedding more normally. If you need links to cheaper Hygrometer and Thermometer combo and surface Thermometer’s just lmk. I always use the same kinds from amazon and they work well. About $5 each. Havent failed me yet.

[Kabalizzy]

Yeah, I’ve been doing the ointment every other or third day at most.

Thanks again for all your help and guidance through this. I’ll keep updating until they’re all better. ☺️

[ABMoore22]

Ok. We appreciate the update. Its good to see an owner doing something and not just letting it get worse. Im rooting for ya!

[Zoodulcis]

I agree with AB that once per day is enough and I would go further to say wait for a bit. And if it was me, I would remove all shed clinging to toes, but leave the skin around the sores totally alone. Unsightly, I know, but you don’t want to aggravate that area in any way.

[Kabalizzy]

Lizzy is doing MUCH better. The sores are healing up nicely and they are much more active and eating as normal. Thanks again everyone for the support and advice! I’m so glad I joined critter fam! 🥰

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[Munchie93]

I’m a little late, but about 2 months ago my bearded dragon had these sores on him also. I found out that it was do to him shedding. He started shedding and couldn’t get it all off. So he would take his back feet and start scratching like a dog til it came off, then I noticed that when he was done he had these sores on his back. He must have ripped a piece of skin off or something. I don’t know if those are the same as the ones pictured but it does look like it.

[ABMoore22]

Thats great to hear! Keep doing what youre doing. Theyre starting to scab up.

[Zoodulcis]

So glad for the good news! Thanks for sharing and thanks for being a part of Critter Fam. And Happy Holidays. Stay safe and well joyful.

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