The importance of supplementation

Calcium and D3 are needed to grow healthy bones and cell membranes. Extra calcium is needed during the lay season for females laying eggs. Sometimes female leos will lay even if they have never been with a male.

Vitamins and other minerals are important supplements to include in your regular supplementation and gut-loading practices.

Biosecurity

Handling reptiles and safety considerations

Salmonella and E. coli; bites and scratches; adult supervision. Never let a child handle a reptile without adult supervision- these are tiny fragile animals that can be easily hurt, or scared, which could lead to a bad experience for either the child or gecko.

Common Health Issues and Problems

ALWAYS defer to your veterinarian! Our geckos are small and it is too easy to overdose with medication or supplements. Additionally, they can be injured by overzealous handling, even if well-intentioned. For example, trying to help an animal with MBD shed- their bones can be easily broken if you pull on sheds that might be stuck to their toes. Each situation should be assessed by a professional to determine the best course of care for your animals. Make sure to establish yourself and your animals with your locale reptile vet before anyone gets injured or sick. If there is no local reptile vet, contact your nearest small animal vet; many have resources and can help point you in the right direction for care. Never try to treat your gecko for an illness when you do not know what is causing it. And never use a product on a reptile unless it is specifically made for them, or recommended by your vet.

Quarantine

Sick and new animals should be isolated from healthy animals as soon as possible. When isolating a sick gecko, make sure to .

Stuck Shed

can happen when ambient humidity drops too low and geckos do not have access to a moist hide. It can also sometimes happen as a comorbid condition with animals suffering from MBD, vitamin A deficiency, and so on. Sauna with warm water and vegetable glycerin

Calcium/D3 deficiencies and Metabolic Bone Disease

MBD

Vitamin A deficiencies and shedding/eye problems

do not use over the counter Vitamin A drops in gecko eyes. Vitamin A deficiency is avoided by properly gut-loading feeder insects before they are offered as food. We gut-load our feeders with fresh veggies (mostly collard or mustard greens and carrots), fish flakes, bee pollen, chicken feed, and Superload by Repashy. We do add apples and potatoes occasionally, but these are mostly for hydration. We also use a vitamin supplement when dusting our feeders every 3rd feeding.

Infections

Can be caused by injury, sub-par feeder insects and bad enclosure hygiene. In general infections are rare, but they can occur. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian when treating any infection. They can present differently in reptiles and form a had infected kernel of bacteria and pus that may need removal by your vet.

Mouth rot is a type of infection that can be caused by injury, stuck food particles (like a cricket leg between the teeth), and a dirty enclosure. Bacteria and fungi present in the environment and/or on/in feeders can cause infection, especially if introduced to tissues through a wound or stuck shed that is not removed and builds up on scales (can also cause lip curling, which is treatable with proper humidity). Mouth rot can lead to necrotic tissue loss, loss of teeth and palate, loss of appetite and lethargy and loss bone within the jaw and skull. Mouth rot can become systemic and eventually death if left untreated.

Weird poops!

what’s a normal poop look like?

Parasites

most reptiles have low levels of parasites, but that can get out of control quickly if animals become stressed. This is another reason why getting their environment right is so important. A stressed gecko can get sick as internal parasites and/or bacteria cause infections. Most parasite infestations presents as decreased appetite, diarrhea, regurgitating food.

Cryptosporidium (Crypto/Stick Tail)

Pinworms

Coccidia often

Wounds and first aid

Injuries can occur even in the most controlled environments.

Egg Binding and follicular stasis in female geckos

Not all leopard gecko females will lay eggs.