found a leopard gecko in need of care

[threelilkids]

My brother told me, I could have a dog kennel 12x12 at his house if I take it down and bring it home. I was doing just that when I saw something move in one of the dog houses he had in the kennel. Inside the dog house was a 10 gal. aquarium with a leopard gecko in it. It was shedding, had NO water, about 15 crickets(all dead) in it and full of ants. I was so mad. I took him home. he is showing signs of calcium problems. I have been misting him, and that seems to help with the shedding. He would not eat for the first 2 days, on day 3 I got him to eat 1 dusted cricket. He is pretty, but mean. Being a vet tech. I called my brother, and let him have it but good. All he could say is he is dead right? I could just ring his neck, we were taught to take care of animals. How many crickets should he be eating a day? I have a veiled cham so I'm winging it on this guy or gal. Anyone want it after I put it back on the road to good health? All input will be great.

 

[Matt1851]

since i dont give my guy uvb (i dont think they really need it cause they are nocturnal) i give him the same dusting scedual as my chams, i give him 10 crickets every other day, and i make sure he has fresh water every day. Also i clean his terrarium every week.

 

[threelilkids]

My veiled eats 8 crickets daily (5 months) so this guy needs to eat up!!!

 

[Olimpia]

Let me give you all the info I can off the top of my head!

- Ok if he's got stuck shed you want to take a tupperwear, fill it like a finger width or so with warm water (if you have a thermometer, it can be between 80-90* which is within their range of heat preference) and leave him in there for about 30 minutes (either make holes in the lid or leave the lid ajar a little, depending on how big the container is. Just don't let him get out, but you want it to be sauna-like). The retained shed should come off in the bath, or at least soften it so he can pull it off himself. Repeat several times daily if he's got bad toe shed that poses a risk.

- Leos can eat about 8-12 crickets every other day, but if he's thin you might want to feed him fewer, but every day. Always with calcium if he's showing signs of deficiency.

- In his tank he's going to need a humid hide. Get a tupperwear, cut a hole at the top for him to crawl through and fill the tupperwear with moist moss or ecoearth (it's a coconut dirt-like substance. It's fantastic for retaining humidity and is recommended for humi hides). Place this over or halfway over the heat pad to keep it warm and humid. It'll greatly improve his condition to have that available all the time. He is not really going to need misting with this and fresh water available.

- the heat pad should be on one end of the tank, so he has a temp gradient.

- You can also put a little soda cap full of calcium in there with him, and he'll lick it on his own as he sees fit. Some breeders don't even dust the food, they just let the geckos take care of that themselves, since they know how much they need.

That's all I can think to suggest at this point, but I'll add something if I remember or if you have specific questions. Just provide the above and one or two other hides across his tank and he should recover!

 

[jamncristian]

silkworms and phoenix worms will help build up protein and calcium levels

 

[Carlton]

My brother told me, I could have a dog kennel 12x12 at his house if I take it down and bring it home. I was doing just that when I saw something move in one of the dog houses he had in the kennel. Inside the dog house was a 10 gal. aquarium with a leopard gecko in it. It was shedding, had NO water, about 15 crickets(all dead) in it and full of ants. I was so mad. I took him home. he is showing signs of calcium problems. I have been misting him, and that seems to help with the shedding. He would not eat for the first 2 days, on day 3 I got him to eat 1 dusted cricket. He is pretty, but mean. Being a vet tech. I called my brother, and let him have it but good. All he could say is he is dead right? I could just ring his neck, we were taught to take care of animals. How many crickets should he be eating a day? I have a veiled cham so I'm winging it on this guy or gal. Anyone want it after I put it back on the road to good health? All input will be great.

Your brother should be very glad that I am a VERY LONG WAY from him!

 

[chams1]

Your brother should be very glad that I am a VERY LONG WAY from him!

Me too. Behavior like this is certainly NOT acceptable. But, kudos for you for taking repsonsibility for this poor thing and helping him get back to health!!

 

[Chameleon Loco]

Leopard Gecko

I have a female leopard gecko Mary Jane she was my first reptile and it is sad that since leopard geckos are inexpensive expect for the higher end morphs they often end up mistreated if you have any questions about them dont hesitate to pm me I just wish I had more room for it.