Reptile First Aid Kit | What Do You Need? What To Use? What's Safe?

Today I'm going to go through all the things I have around the house that I can use with my Leopard Geckos in case of an emergency. Most of these can be used with a range of Reptiles too.

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[Lewisiaisoutofcontext]

Great video! As a vet tech, I'm quite used to cleaning wounds and doing first aid (I'm part of the trauma and emergency unit in my hospital) and here's what I have in my box at home:
*Sterile sodium chloride solution* - or saline solution, as mentioned in the video. Great for essentially everything when it comes to cleaning an animals body. I prefer to do a lot with saline solutions and a small amount of antiseptic if it can be helped. I keep a couple of bottles of 250 ml each, which were the equivalent of £1.5 each. You can get individual bottles of 30 ml each but that's sooo expensive compared to one single larger one. Downside is you shouldn't keep an opened bottle for long, preferably no longer than 24 hours.
*Wound healing cream*, such as Sudocrem, which mainly contains zinc oxide as an antiseptic. Use after thorough rinsing and cleaning of wound. Can also be left on underneath a bandage. Also, I would not recommend Neosporin as that is an antibiotic and increases the risk of antibiotic resistant bacteria in both your animal and overall. Go for something containing an antiseptic instead.
*Betadine* - or other brand of Povidone-iodine/iodopovidone. Concentrated, broad spectrum antiseptic used on skin and wounds. You dilute the liquid in water until it looks like tea, then either give the animal a shallow bath to soak or apply it directly on the skin. If the animal happens to digest some, it is fine. Avoid eyes. Please note that it is a strong antiseptic and should only be used sparingly. It also stains both skin and surfaces so be prepared for that.
*Chlorhexidine* - Concentrated antiseptic and disinfectant. Unlike Betadine, it will not kill spores. It should only be used sparingly in very diluted forms when used directly on an animal and never in the eyes. Great for killing bacteria, though it can be irritating and burn and should not be ingested, unlike Betadine. Also safe to use (in diluted form, of course) as a surface disinfectant before doing any first aid.
*Small blunt pair of tweezers* - Self explanatory I think!
*Cotton buds/q-tips* - Good for cleaning small areas and applying stuff on those areas. I use damp cotton buds to remove tiny patches of stuck shed.
*Box of nonwoven swabs* - Small squares of gauze. Good for cleaning larger areas. Can also be used as a bandage or compress in emergencies as it doesn't stick to wounds. Often high grade clean (best thing after sterile). It's just abrasive enough to be a gentle way of removing stuck shed in larger places or when you need to grip it slightly, like stuck toes.
*Box of sterile 5 ml and 10 ml syringes* - Only the plastic part with chamber and plunger, no needle. Amazing for just about anything. I use them all the time together with saline to flush out eyes and wounds. Surprisingly easy to get hold on (Amazon is your friend in this case). A properly packaged syringe will stay sterile for up to 4-5 years.
*Gauze and self adhesive bandage* - self explanatory! I clip some of mine into smaller strips to be ready to use with my small animals.
*Wound tape* - to keep that gauze in place if needed, or emergency closing of a wound if nothing else is available.
*Small wooden/plastic sticks* - like the ones cotton buds come on, or a lollipop stick. Used together with a bandage and/or tape to stabilize a broken bone. It's better to damage a leg/arm slightly when stabilizing it than to let the animal walk and move about with it broken and damage it even more while you rush to the hospital.
*Styptic powder* - Antihemorrhagic powder which can be applied to stop bleeding. It contracts vessels to stop blood flow. Most often used when clipping nails and the vein is scratched. Wet a cotton bud, dip into the powder and apply to wound. It will form a paste which can be spread directly on to the wound. Only for emergency blood stopping though, as it can be damaging to healthy skin.
*Dawn dish soap and baby oil* - Can be used to drown/suffocate individual snake mites. Apply a small amount of dish soap or baby oil onto the mite. It successful, the mite will suffocate and fall off within a couple of hours. Rinse off any soap thoroughly. If there are more than a few mites, please contact a vet for a stronger solution as blood draining mites can be very damaging to snakes.
*Powdered or gelatinous nutrition* - If an animal for some reason shouldn't or can't eat normally and needs to be assist fed, I have stuff that can be mixed into a paste and used with one of the aforementioned wonderful syringes! I have Repashy grub pie as well as their savory stew. You won't need this if you have a strong stomach, feeder insects, and a blender, though...
*Disinfected critter keeper with soft, clean towel* - Transportation box for emergency vet trips.
*Hand warmer with USB charger* - My favourite for reptiles in colder weather! I keep mine in a sock so that it won't be too hot. Can be charged in any outlet with USB adapter.

Wow I realise I might have gone overboard with my explanations but oh well, I get excited when talking first aid. If it can also help anyone that's great. If I remember anything else I'll add another comment beneath this one. Remember to always call a knowledgeable vet if you're uncertain about something regarding your animals well-being! Much love! <3

[jedskywalker]

I’m sorry for your loss of Ziggy. She was such a beautiful gecko

[meganpinnington]

My lizard loves going inside those pockets on jumpers that is two ways, and she likes getting a blanket and pulling it over her so she becomes a lizard burrito 😂

[viastank]

Oh my gosh!! I was already planning to make a first aid kit for Mango and you posted this! Thank you so much!! I have a 4 year old female Leo named Mango and we both want to say thank you for all these amazing years of information, been watching you for about 3 years now, I hope you’re doing well and congrats on your new baby leo! He/She looks just like mine but young!

[courtneyyoung]

Thank you for helping me understand geckos ❤

[reptilelovercg]

If you're here in the US and you use neosporin make sure it doesn't have medication in it. I use it for my 19 year old leopard gecko

[natalieschelling]

Thank you for making this video! I had to break out the handwarmers during a power outage just last week. Definitely a good thing to have on hand!

[jamesescalante]

You have so much information of caring for leopard geckos and more reptiles that you should make a book. by the way I love your videos

[Aaren]

As informative and helpful as always! Thanks for being there for the reptile community!

[jedskywalker]

You see, I am just 14 years old and I don’t have a lot saved up but I have been a fan of your channel and of your leopard geckos for a while now so I was just trying to do more research.

[danieltaylor]

My gecko is so target-trained to her feeding tongs, I can't use tweezers to get stuck shed off, because she just attacks them before I can get them anywhere close to the stuck shed. 🤣

[marshenne]

Youre my favorite reptile YouTuber, my gecko zuko and I love you!

[meganhenly]

I just wanted to say thank you so much for your videos you are the reason i got my first leopard gecko today!! been a fan since 2019 ❤️

[Dragonemperess]

Thank you! This was reassuring to watch!

[galactic_worm]

huh 6-7 hours ago cool, i was looking for a video about this yesterday.

[FirstNameLastName-czjs]

Can you do a video about how to take leopard geckos to the vet?

[noaraquel]

Just want to give a huge thank you! You have helped me so much with my leopard geckos and you have taught me a lot! ❤️❤️❤️

[jj]

I use 5 out of the seven items work great

[Bnewton]

I’m glad to know this I will have to remember this

[rowismyname]

I used those same hand warmers that I wrapped in a paper towel when I first got my gecko because he was too cold. Thank goodness