Hello! Having only seen mammals so far in my vet career I would be immensely gra

admin

Hello! Having only seen mammals so far in my vet career I would be immensely grateful for any help or guidance to help out this little leopard Gecko with suspected tail necrosis.
- Presumed 1 year old, female, unclear previous husbandry history unclear but the owner has a high suspicion it was far from ideal, apparently was kept in a large terrarium with lots of other geckos, another gecko from this source reportedly also developed a necrotic tail lesion
- Been in owner’s possession for 1 month, husbandry conditions suboptimal (around 80x40x60cm terrarium, heat mat, paper substrate, no UVB lamp, no heat lamp, no thermostat monitoring), fed live mealworms with calcium/vitD supplement. Eating, urinating and defecating normally, bright and active in general.
- Developed dark area tip of tail 2 weeks ago, progressively worsening

- Clinical exam appears bright, normal mobility, no other skin lesions, respiration normal, suspect underweight, 15mm distal tail appears dried, dark and necrotic as can be seen on the photos
Am I right in thinking this is tail necrosis? The owners need to address the husbandry issues, but if these can be rectified, what is the prognosis? Would amputation be indicated? I have found conflicting advice on sharp dissection vs. manual technique and whether to close the wound afterwards. Is there an alternative option to surgery? And if amputation is a viable option I would really appreciate any tips or resources on anaesthesia and the procedure! Thank you in advance!

admin

Poor gecko. The tail is necrotic and will probably fall off. That’s her least problem. These need UV, (yes, they do!), day rhythm, temperature gradient, hiding places and gut loaded prey. I’d do radiography, the toes look bent, so do the extremities, but difficult to assess from picture.