Sick Leopard Gecko

[beautysdeath]

Alrighty guys, need some help here. This is my first post, so I’m not really sure how to use this site. About a year ago, I gave away a perfectly healthy leopard gecko to my younger cousin, who was eight at the time. His mom said she would be the one taking care of it. Yesterday, I get a text asking me to come out and look at him. Then I get a picture. I’ll put the picture up so you can see, but of course I immediately came out. He had no water or food or heat, is very skinny, and has a large bump behind his left eye, which I’m assuming is a cyst, along with the left eye not opening and having stuck shed everywhere. I was immediately heartbroken and hated on myself so hard. I told her I would be taking him immediately and that she needed to set up a vet appointment when she told me she wanted him back for her son. She did not, so I set one up myself before letting her know the time. She asked me to push it back, so I did, to 3:30. 3:30 comes and goes with no answer to my texts or return phone calls. So I gave him another soak, gently removed his stuck shed, and had him drinking water. He refused food all day, but the night before he had tried to strike at a mealworm with no luck, considering he can only use one eye. So tonight, I crushed the mealworm’s heads and fed him with tweezers. He ate 9 smaller mealworms which she had given me, before deciding he was done. I’ve soaked him twice today in pedialyte to try and get him a little more hydrated. If she flakes on me tomorrow, which I’m assuming she will, I’ll have to wait until next week to get him to the vet, as money is pretty tight right now. I understand that he needs to be seen by a vet, but is there anything I can do to make him feel better, or possibly get the cyst to pop on it’s own? He has a UVB light fixture set up now, and has access to food and water. I’m picking up calcium and crickets tomorrow, but is there anything else I should get? Sorry for the long paragraph, just wanted to provide as much info as possible for the best help I can.

[dangernoodles]

Oh no! :( I am not sure there is much you can do until you take him to the vet, but i am sure you are doing the best you can and clearly care. You are already making progress by removing the stuck shed and getting him hydrated and fed, but I think the vet can pop the cyst. Continue to help him and bring him back to health, do anything you can. Keep us updated and good luck!

[chairman]

Betadine can be used as a topical to help treat the cyst. Technically, so could chlorhexidine, but you're not supposed to get that in an animal's eyes. I would not recommend draining the cyst yourself. Reptile puss is not generally liquid, it is a solid mass, it won't "drain." There's no telling what damage you could do the lizard trying to put pressure on a solid mass near the eye or brain.

Keep environmental conditions where they need to be and keep getting food/water in to the gecko until you can see a vet.