will someone PLEASE help me out with my baby gecko -.-

both hatchlings were born 8/13. their first meal was 3 days after that and the little crickets were dusted with stickytongue farms indoor formula (calcium with d3). since, i have not dusted, but there is a cap full of the outdoor formula at all times (calcium without d3). one of the hatchlings falls over when it runs, almost like its head is getting in the way. ive asked this on gecko forums, but one person said it might be mbd, and then wouldnt tell me how to fix it, seeing as i am dusting and they have calcium. could it be psychological?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6oBSNz-cS0&feature=plcp

Yeah that does look a bit neurological. Does it always fall to one side or does it fall sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right?

ferretinmyshoes said:

Yeah that does look a bit neurological. Does it always fall to one side or does it fall sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right?

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it normally falls to one specific side, once in awhile it will fall to the other, and its always throwing its head around...think it will grow out of it? what are the signs of mbd in hatchlings? all its limbs are straight and its joints are fine...

With reptiles anything is possible.I agree with ferret, It does look neurological. You never know if it was because that certain one hatched out a little to early and didnt fully develop yet, genetics or what but when breeding you get odd cases from time to time. From my experiences its a good possibility it will grow out of it. If it is barrel rolling it typically wont. If the animal has a good appetite, Keep giving the animal light dusting every other feeding. If the animal doesnt have the greatest appetite, then dust every feeding.

ataraxia said:

With reptiles anything is possible.I agree with ferret, It does look neurological. You never know if it was because that certain one hatched out a little to early and didnt fully develop yet, genetics or what but when breeding you get odd cases from time to time. From my experiences its a good possibility it will grow out of it. If it is barrel rolling then you have a very, very slim chance it will. If the animal has a good appetite, Keep giving the animal light dusting every other feeding. If the animal doesnt have the greatest appetite, then dust every feeding.

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well, its not barrel rolling, just losing its balance all the time, so thats a good sign. ill be separating them when the other baby's new owner comes and picks him up, ill be keeping this little guy until im sure things are okay..

What was the pairing to make these babies? Meaning morph of mom and dad.... Looks like he or she my be enigma...... Also what was your temp when incubating? If there were temp swings Leo eggs can't handle that well and end up with problems like deformities and nerv problems...... Also how long did the eggs incubate for?.

Texas Ranger said:

What was the pairing to make these babies? Meaning morph of mom and dad.... Looks like he or she my be enigma...... Also what was your temp when incubating? If there were temp swings Leo eggs can't handle that well and end up with problems like deformities and nerv problems...... Also how long did the eggs incubate for?.

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mom is normal, dad is either a sunglow or aptor. they incubated between 86 and 90 degrees for 34 days. the other baby is perfectly fine :/

mom


dad


the baby with problems (was eating something in second pic, have no idea what, got worried, so took pics, and he swallowed it -.-)



sibling, normal baby

also, i did not breed them, they were housed together before i got them, i had seperated them when i got them, but venus must have been already pregnant and layed about 3 weeks after..and mars has gained quite a hefty amount of weight since ive gotten him! he was very underweight at first...

Ok dad carries a lot of genetics in his blood the baby could have expressed the enigma gene/ morph....... Also that is way to big of a swing in temp for incubation of leos.... You also temp sex incubat leos 82 to 84 makes females 85 to 89 makes males..... You will set one of those temps and only allow for a 1 degree swing in temp really no swing in temp is better....

Texas Ranger said:

Ok dad carries a lot of genetics in his blood the baby could have expressed the enigma gene/ morph....... Also that is way to big of a swing in temp for incubation of leos.... You also temp sex incubat leos 82 to 84 makes females 85 to 89 makes males..... You will set one of those temps and only allow for a 1 degree swing in temp really no swing in temp is better....

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nobody ever told me that! they always gave the range for the sexes, but never said the 1 degree thing. i appreciate it and will deff change that for any future clutches. like i said, this clutch was accidental and it was my first, now i know what to fix for future clutches to ensure healthy babies. in the meantime, this baby will remain with me <3 he will be my special ed baby and ill give him the best life ever! im just glad its not mbd..those people on the gecko forums are dumber than rocks sometimes -.-

i appreciate all the help from everyone here, 100% better advice than that of gecko specific forums...

Amanda, in a roundabout way I stumbled across a reference to 'Enigma Syndrome' in leopard geckos. I don't know enough about them to send you somewhere definitive, but when I Googled it there were loads of hits and a few studies that are being done into it, and some videos of symptoms. It looks like it would be well worth a look in this case, and I'm guessing is what Texas Ranger was referring to.