Help, Leopard Gecko born premature

Hello All !
My best friends leopard gecko was born premature yesterday! It still appears to even be in a the same position as if she were still inside the egg. This is her first time breeding geckos so I told her to bring it over to my place. The best thing I could think to do was to try to imitate the same environment as if she were still inside the egg. (warm and moist). I woke up this morning and thankfully she made it through the night!
Is there any advise I can get on babies born premature? She also cannot walk properly because her body is still in a circular position.

 

Poor baby. =( How premature are we talking? A week? More? Does she still have the egg yolk atttached? Are there any physical deformities that you can see (aside from the curled body)?

Unfortunately, premature reptiles have a high mortality rate...hence, there is not much information out there that could help you. The major problem is if the gecko is very premature, vital organs will not have been able to mature properly...

I would keep the gecko in her current conditions and just see if she makes it past the 24 hour mark. Honestly, don't get your hopes too high. I'm not trying to be harsh, but I want you to be prepared. If she survives 24 hours, I'd say a vet visit is in order. Even then, there may not be much they can do, depending on how early she hatched. At the very least, they will be able to perform a humane euthanasia if they determine she cannot live a healthy life.

I'm very sorry you have to experience this. I will pray that she is developed enough that she can survive with some specialized care. As always, keep us updated, and good luck!

 

The egg yolk was attached but it came off. She is just under 30 days i believe. And there does seem to be a deformity with her leg as you can see in the picture. I hope she isn't suffering. And I would understand if she doesn't pull through.

 

Well, the fact that she is just under the 30 day mark is good, but...the fact the egg yolk fell off is not good, since hatchlings rely on that for their first few days instead of eating...I'd still go with the original plan: See if she makes it to the 24 hour mark and go from there. She is definitely experiencing some deformities with the back legs, but she doesn't seem completely curled up. Has she tried to move at all yet? If so, is she able to do so (even if it is with difficulty)?

 

She was actually a lot more curled up yesterday, I snapped this picture this morning before work. And she is able to move around. Yesterday it looked really bad because when she moved sometimes she would fall back. But today she hasn't fell backwards and her breathing seems better (my friend said yesterday she was experiencing delayed breathing). I wish the yolk didn't fall off either
I did try to offer her food (mainly to see her response to it) and she licked the little meal worm a few times but then turned away from it.
I am not trying to stress her so I just removed it immediately and will check on her tonight.

 

If she is moving around without flipping on her back, stopping to open her mouth, or shaking and breathing heavily while doing so (all indications of pain), that really is a good sign. It may seem insignificant, but movement without pain is far from that. So is she actually able to move her back legs or is she just using her front legs?

I read through a few posts on other forums where the baby leo didn't fully absorb their yolk. Some made it, others didn't. A few people said keeping them warm and on moist paper towels seemed to help, which you're already doing. =) Like I said, the first day is critical, but just keep doing what you are doing. I agree that avoiding stressing her is important. If she makes it through the 24 hour stretch, you may want to try offering a slurry or mash food from your finger tip...even if you can just smoosh the guts from a mealie or waxworm. (I know it's gross but I've done it before and you get over it pretty quickly when there's an animal in need.) Don't force her to eat it and don't push the issue. Just see if she is willing to lap a little bit up. If she shows any interest in it and she survives through the day, a slurry is definitely something I would look into. (Melissa Kaplan carnivore slurry: http://www.anapsid.org/emaciation.html; Golden Gate Gecko slurry: http://www.goldengategeckos.com/info.html; either will work just fine. Maybe something to bring up with the vet since you sometimes need a prescription for the a/d dog food.) Just on a side note...a "normal" case (where the baby was born prematurely, without absorbing the yolk sac, but with no deformities), I'd say leave her alone and see if she makes it through the first shed before offering food...but I don't know how her first shed is going to go with the disfigurement...If she makes it through today and you can get her to a vet, hopefully they can offer some insight. BUT I know a vet will be more willing to try anything and everything if they know the gecko is eating, even if it's just licking up mashed food. Appetite is a huge indication of a reptile's health...

Anyways, like I said, keep up what you are doing. I'll continue to keep her in my thoughts. Let us know how she is doing whenever you can. =)

 

Woah, this is pretty intense. I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed for her. You are doing a great job though. Good luck and keep us updated.

 

Thanks for all the info Cammy! I like what the goldengate gecko site said on the bottom *NEVER tell anyone you put mealworms in the blender*, that made me "lol" . I'm going to make her a "slurry" tonight. She is still alive by the way. So far she been alive sine 9:30am yesterday. Thank you electrofelt. I will for sure keep you guys updated whether the news is good or bad.

 

Oh and I just realized I didn't answer your Question about her leg moving. I took a look at her last night around 11pm and she (still alive) was moving around when I looked at her and she does use both her legs but the one you CANT see in the picture is actually REALLY SMALL in comparison to her other limbs. so is her right arm so it appears to be her whole right side with the deformities. and her back is shaped more like a hunch back which makes it appear more circular in pictures. None of this sounds good . I couldn't even imagine she can live a normal life with the extent of the abnormalities.

 

Give her more time and keep doing everything you can (your doing a great job) and see if she improves at all over the next couple of days. If you truly feel her quality of life is going to be jeopardized even if she would manage to pull through - she should be culled. I hate to say it, and I believe everything should at least have a chance to live a normal, happy life. But its possible to survive and be in pain or need constant assistance just to thrive... this isn't a life worth living.

The good news is from your descriptions she does not appear to be in pain (as Cammy pointed out). This gives a glimmer of hope having lasted so long and still trying her best to thrive. The least we can do is provide the best care possible to help her battle it out. Keep giving it your all, we know she is!

 

She definitely will never live a "normal" life, but the real question is, will she be able to live a "good" life? That's something you'll have to wait and find out for yourself. I agree with Jeff; even deformed animals deserve to be given a chance, BUT if they are in pain and/or will be unable to perform basic functions such as moving and eating on their own, it would be best to have them humanely put down. Again, the fact that she has made it this far is a good start. The fact that she is moving around on her own impresses me. Still, while I'm hoping for the best, I still don't want to get anyone's hopes up. Things are very touch-and-go with young critters. But you are definitely following the best action plan so far.

How did the slurry go? Did she take any at all?

 

This girl is a fighter, and if she has a will to live, I will take care of her the best that I can. I just made a slurry and at first she attacked the wooden popsicle I had it on with a mighty bite! She lapped up very little after that, but i'd call that a success! Shes moving around a lot more now, but I still know everything is not certain. Shes about to go into shed also. Lets see how this goes. And thank you for all the kind words .

 

Wow - I don't want to get my hopes up but that sounds simply phenominal. The fact that she made a commitment to eat is definitely a HUGE deal. Keep us posted on her! = )

 

This is great! I have my fingers crossed for her first shed to go smoothly. And thank you for keeping us updated!

 

I also keep telling myself not to get my hopes up, but reading about her striking at the popsicle gives me a case of the grins...And that's great about her going into shed, since the shed skin is usually the first solid meal for the geckos. If she gets through that okay, maybe you can try hand feeding or tong feeding her a small cricket...Fingers majorly crossed and sending happy thoughts your guys' way!

 

Well guys, she did shed but she wouldn't eat it or take it off. I left her there for a day to see if she would but she didn't so I had to peel it off today.
She did drink some water and this evening i'm going to have to make her another Slurry. But shes still alive and moving around.

 

Keep up the good work; its unfortunate that mother nature works against us sometimes... but I'm very pleased to see that she is still alive and kickin'! If she can make it past this deilicate stage she may still have a chance at a normal life.

 

the fact that she is still alive is just amazing!

 

Hey guys, so I made a little video of her this morning for anyone who is wondering about how my little lady is doing.

 

Squeee! That's so awesome! She's definitely getting the hang of moving around, and she doesn't seem to be in pain. I think if you can figure out a way to get her to eat something on a regular basis (whether it's slurry or actual food) she may just have a shot at a good life. I continue to keep my fingers crossed for the little girl!