Gecko Health

The importance of supplementation

Calcium and D3

Both Calcium and vitamin D3 are needed to not just to grow healthy bones and teeth, but also for muscle function, cell membrane and nerve function, and of course breeding success. Vitamin D3 helps with calcium absorption, and is synthesized by a hormone in the body when exposed to to UVB lighting. D3 should be provided to geckos not exposed to UVB lighting, and can be purchased in combination with calcium. See What You Need to Know About Reptile Calcium & Vitamins for an excellent article on the topic from Reptifiles.

Extra calcium is needed during the lay season for females that are laying eggs, as their bodies will use calcium stored within their bones if they do not get enough. Young females can even become stunted without this extra calcium supplementation if bred too young. We provide a small dish of calcium (without D3) and dust all feeders with Calcium + D3. Sometimes female geckos will lay even if they have never been with a male, so ensure to provide calcium (w/D3 if no UVB) even after geckos are fully grown. A note on UV lamps - make sure to replace UVB bulbs at least annually (twice a year is even better), as they do loose their effectiveness over time.

Calcium crashes can sometimes occur when a gecko does not get enough calcium to support their growth and daily bodily functions. Severe calcium crashes can cause seizures and muscle tremors. Calcium crashes are considered a potential emergency, especially for young and/or female animals that are gravid/laying eggs. Check out a great video by Flawless Crested Geckos here on calcium: Avoid Deadly Mistakes! The Role of Calcium in Crested Gecko Care. How to check you crested gecko for calcium

Thin eggshells/spots on eggshells can sometimes occur due to not enough calcium in breeding females and could be a symptom of a calcium crash. As a first aid you can add a drop or two of liquid calcium glubionate directly into your gecko’s mouth up to once a week until improvement is seen in the next clutch of eggs. A great source for calcium glubionate: Liquid Calcium Glubionate

Vitamins and other minerals are important supplements to include in your regular supplementation and when gut-loading insects. Make sure to feed greens with high Calcium to Phosphorus ratios and that are low in oxalate acids, such as kale, mustard and collard greens.

Biosecurity & Handling Geckos Safely

Biosecurity describes the things we do to protect our animals’ (and our) health from the spread of disease and disease-causing organisms. There are not many zoonotic diseases passed between reptiles and people thankfully. However, it can be easy to spread bacteria and parasites throughout an entire collection without the use of effective biosecurity protocols. Proper hand hygiene and quarantine of any new (or ill) animals goes a very long way to do both. Always always always wash your hands before and especially after working with your animals. You can use gloves as an alternative, but I still recommend changing gloves between groups of animals, when handling babies and of course sick or injured animals. Quarantine helps ensure animals are not exposed to anything that could be brought in. It’s best practice to quarantine animals in a separate room if possible, and I recommend working with new, sick or young animals after healthy animals, and always with a fresh pair of gloves/thorough hand washing.

Salmonella is the most common bacteria in reptiles that can potentially cause disease in humans (salmonellosis). However, it is relatively easy to control with consistent, routine handwashing and regular cleaning of your gecko’s enclosure. Always wash your hands before and after handling your reptiles. Washing before helps protect your reptiles from whatever germs, lotions, scents or other stuff you might transfer to them. For more information on Salmonella and reptiles see Salmonella in reptiles: a review of occurrence, interactions, shedding and risk factors for human infections and Domestic reptiles as source of zoonotic bacteria: A mini review

Sanitation methods are also part of biosecurity. In the end it’s up to you and the schedule you keep to ensure your gecko’s health, but this is what we do: We spot clean daily, change paper towels out every 2 days in tubs, and replace bioactive substrates once a year (or sooner if needed). We also disinfect water bowls every 2 days and feeder dishes every time we feed. We also rotate our disinfectants (70% isopropyl alcohol and F10 veterinary disinfectant) as a way to discourage microbial resistance, and we spray down hard surfaces of enclosures and tubs once a week, and spray down the work table daily. These sanitation practices have worked very well for us so far. If you are using a substrate that is not bioactive, you will have to change it out much more frequently, at least every 1-2 weeks depending on the size of the enclosure and how much you spot clean.

Bites and scratches can occur with any animal that has a mouth and claws, including geckos. However, geckos typically only bite for 4 reasons: 1. they think you are food, 2. they think you are a potential mate (or rival), 3. when threatened/in self defense, and 4. to protect their territory. The keeper is always at fault when bitten, even when it doesn’t make sense why your gecko bit you. Geckos are still wild animals at heart and will react if they feel they need to. To avoid getting bit, work with your gecko regularly to get it used to handling. This takes time and consistency on your part, and may require extra precautions while your gecko is still learning to tolerate handling. Such precautions include not taking it outside where it could potentially fall onto the hard ground and get hurt, or bolt into the neighbor’s backyard and get gobbled up by their dog or lost down a drain. Other precautions to take include holding it only a few inches above a soft surface such as a couch, bed or your lap, in case it does fall. And only handling for a few minutes at a time

As a general rule I do not recommend touching your gecko on its head, especially on the sides of the mouth. This often can cause the gecko to bite out of defense. They are prey creatures and their instinct is to get away or defend, and when touching (or worse grabbing) them by the head, they may rightly think they are in danger and bite to protect themselves. Wash any reptile bite immediatly with soap and water immediately. Gargoyle, crested and leopard gecko bites are typically not serious or a matter that needs medical attention, but do use your best judgement of course. I’ve been bitten a few times and never once have had an infection or needed stitches. Most bites don’t even break the skin.

It’s best not to let children 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

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 gum, lip and palate tissue loss, loss of teeth, lethargy and loss of appetite and weight loss. Mouth rot can become systemic and eventually cause death if left untreated.

Weird poops!

what’s a normal poop look like? What’s a concerning one look like? When to see the vet

Parasites

Most reptiles kept in captivity have very low levels of parasites that do not cause any clinical signs in otherwise healthy animals. However, that can of course get out of hand quickly if animals become sick or stressed and their immune system cannot keep everything in check. This is another reason why getting their environment right is so important. A stressed gecko can get sick as internal parasite load increases and strains the gecko’s body and resources. Most parasite infestations presents as decreased appetite, diarrhea or other irregular feces, regurgitating food, and listlessness. It’s important to have your vet do regular fecal examinations at your gecko’s annual check up so that you can monitor parasite load and quickly treat it with the appropriate medications.

Cryptosporidium (Crypto/Stick Tail)

Pinworms are the most common reptile parasite, and are mostly species-specific. I.e. you cannot get pinworms form your reptile

Coccidia

Tapeworms

Roundworms

Hookworms

Mites

Wounds and First Aid

Injuries can occur even in the most controlled environments. To help prevent injury animals should be housed by themselves and their environment should be safe without sharp edges or long distances they can fall (especially for babies and chunky gargoyle geckos that don’t stick so well to smooth vertical surfaces).

Cloacal prolapse occurs when tissue protrudes from the cloaca. Immediately take your gecko to the vet if is having a cloacal prolapse. This cannot be treated with at home remedies.

Reproductive System Issues - yes they can happen without breeding!

Hemipenis Prolapse is where a hemipenis does not retract back into the cloaca and remains outside the body. This can sometimes happen during breeding or even during defecation. This can become an emergency situation that requires surgery, so should be treated as soon as it is noticed. If left untreated, the organ will get necrotic and open the body to infection and death. First Aid for If the hemipenis is injured, bleeding, or necrotic, take to the vet immediately.

Egg Binding and follicular stasis in female geckos are both potential emergency situations that can lead to eventual death, and must be treated by your vet. As a first aid for egg binding, daily warm water baths and increasing calcium supplementation can help until you can get your gecko to the vet. Your vet will have the medications and procedures necessary to help a gecko pass eggs.

Follicular stasis