HELP! Is my crestie sick?

flashg0rdon · #1 10-11-2011, 11:35 PM

I've had my gecko for about a month and a half now. He's roughly eight months old, and has been active up until around two weeks ago. I haven't seen him climbing at all. He's always on the ground on top of his heating pad, which confuses me considering the room is kept at a stable temperature, definitely not too cold for him. I've never been able to get him to eat crickets, so I always make sure that CGD is readily available for him. I'm accustomed to finding a healthy amount of poop scattered around the tank (which is cleaned weekly), but as of late I've found poop stuck on him right at the base of tail, which I clean off with a tiny bit of warm water. I also have no idea how much he weighs, so I don't know if the problem is that he's somehow too fat too climb? He's currently undergoing a shed, but would that contribute to any of the problems he's having? When I handle him and place him back in the tank, he's able to quickly scoot right back to the heating pad, so I don't know if weight is an issue. His enclosure is nice and big and he's the only one in there... I would just really appreciate any help! I'm really worried! Is impaction a possibility? The pet store told me to keep him on a substrate of reptibark, and I've never seen him ingest any of it. Any help
at all would be much appreciated!

lauraleellbp · #2 10-11-2011, 11:54 PM

Could you post a picture of him and his enclosure?

What temperature is your home? Crested geckos should not need heating pads- and are very prone to overheating and dehydration. You most likely need to remove the heating pad, I'd personally remove the reptibark just to be on the safe side, and give him a sauna like this to try and help with his shed:

Crested Gecko "Bath" - YouTube

*NOTE* Do NOT use warm water, just room temperature water.

What do the humidity levels run through the day? How often are you misting him?

flashg0rdon · #3 10-12-2011, 09:04 PM

Here are some pictures! It's a 20 gallon tank turned on its side so that there's room to climb upward. The bottom of the tank measure 12.5 by 12.5 inches, and it's 30 inches tall. I'll be sure to try this sauna!
He looks a little more pale than usual because of the shed. He is moving around a little more today. CGD with calcium supplement was put out for him.
Sorry that the pictures aren't great! The only camera I have on me is my phone.
... And for some reason the pictures are sideways. I don't know how to fix that. Sorry!

lauraleellbp · #4 10-12-2011, 10:39 PM

He looks to me like he might have MBD- tail has some slight kinks and his legs look swollen. It would take a vet to confirm the diagnosis, but the fact that he's spending most of his time around the ground rather than climbing also would fit- MBD can affect a gecko's strength and ability to climb.

I'd probably go ahead and turn the tank up (like it was designed) to give him some more floorspace to wander around. If he's too weak to climb the height isn't helping anyways. Be sure to give him places to hide.

You didn't answer about the humidity, and also- what's the temperature inside the viv?

What brand CGD are you feeding? Which calcium supplement are you putting in his food?

flashg0rdon · #5 10-13-2011, 06:45 AM

Oops, sorry. I'm unsure of what the temperature is inside of his enclosure, but the room that he's kept in remains between 65 and 75 degrees. I'm also unsure of the exact humidity level, but I lightly mist the viv once a night. I'm feeding him Repashy CGD, and I have a sprayable calcium supplement by Zilla.

Are you sure that MBD is the most likely cause of all of this? Pardon my skepticism, I really don't mean to be rude. I've just heard of countless cases of misdiagnosis when it comes to MBD.

Also, I found poop in the tank this morning!

lauraleellbp · #6 10-13-2011, 12:19 PM

I'm not in the least bit sure it's MBD, it will take a vet to confirm that and I'm certainly not one, but he is showing some of the "classic" symptoms, and what I see and what you're describing remind me quite a bit of my own little MBD girl.

IMO you really need to get a good digital hygrometer and thermometer so that you can more accurately monitor both the temperature and humidity actually inside the viv, and if those are your room temps year round I'd remove the heating pad. You should not need to heat a crestie as long as temps do not fall below the 60sF, and it's very easy to overheat a crestie (which dehydrates them) if temps climb over 85F. The 70s F are ideal.

I suspect your humidity is running too low. Poor sheds are most often linked to issues with the humidity cycle (though issues with temperature, parasites, and other health issues also can cause them). Cresties need 80-90% humidity at night, drying down no lower than 40-50% during the day. I get away with spraying once at night as my ambient humidity runs 40% pretty much year round (I live near the ocean), but most people find they need to mist 2x and some even 3x a day to achieve the right humidity cycle.

Kristy · #7 10-13-2011, 08:21 PM

Ditto to Laurlee's advice. I wonder about blockage or partial blockage or parasites being that his belly is big and then he is thin below that. The heating pad is not needed, do take it out. Mist him at night and a small amount for drinking in the morning. I got a repti fogger on ebay for $38. I really think it was a good thing to get. It mists for 10 min in the morning and 25 at night. My crestie loves it. I know alot of people dont take anything but dogs and cats to the vet, but I think maybe a vet could help your crestie. If it is MBD, he will be happy in a horizontal space with some easy things to climb over. Good luck, Im sure he is happy he has you now!
kristy

flashg0rdon · #8 10-13-2011, 11:52 PM

First off, I'd like to thank you both so much for your help. Secondly, I tried the gecko bath today! It worked wonders! With a small bit of assistance, almost all remaining skin came off (except a teensy bit right on the bottoms of a couple of his toes, which can't be too comfortable for him so I'm thinking of another bath in the near future?). He's practically a new gecko. He was incredibly active when I handled him post bath.
I'll be sure to look into all of the equipment that you guys are suggesting! While I'm at it, should I go for something to measure his weight with? I have no idea how heavy the little guy is.
I was sure to mist his viv far better than usual this evening so that he's nice and comfy.
The only reasons why I'm hesistant to remove the heating pad are (1) he really seems to gravitate toward it when he's on the ground, and (2) it can get VERY cold during the winter (I live in western new england), and I'm worried that it'll get too cold for him to handle. What do you guys think?
Honestly, the possibility of MBD is absolutely terrifying to me. If he does indeed have it, I can't even tell you how guilty I'll feel. I don't want to fail his as his owner. I conveniently work at a veterinary hospital, so I'll see if I can bring him in to work! If he does have MBD, are there ways to manage it? How will I keep him happy and comfortable?

lauraleellbp · #9 10-14-2011, 12:15 AM

I'm glad the bath worked! Yes- getting shed off of toes always is an excerise in immese patience (especially with squirmy hatchlings LOL) Sometimes blunt-nosed tweezers are necessary- very carefully work an edge of skin loose and then just hang on as the crestie yanks away their foot.

If you've had your crestie for less than two months and he DOES in fact have MBD, there's no way it's your fault. MBD can't show up in a male that quickly (possibly a laying female).

I think a vet visit would be a good idea. A fresh stool sample to test for parasites would probably also be good to rule out.

Yes, the progression of MBD can often be halted with proper supplementation. I personally have my girl on Repashy SuperCal HyD and liquid calcium glubionate mixed in her food (per vet advice). Some people supplement extra calcium without D3 and use UV light intead. My girl (Noumea) is kept in an aquarium turned normally (not vertically) and her decor is kept low to minimize the risk of falls and bone breaks (she's shaky when she walks, not very coordinated/not good muscle tone). Since your guy is male, I think he has a much better long term prognosis than my female- I'm very worried that if she ever starts laying infertile eggs that these could strip her calcium further and also there's some risk of her becoming eggbound as she has quite bad FTS.

Get a good thermometer before deciding what to do with the heating pad. You may or may not need it in order to keep your guy's enclosure in the range needed.

And yes, I'd invest in a good digital scale (to a tenth of a gram)- weighing reptiles regularlly and keeping good records is one of the best ways to monitor their health.

Kristy · #10 10-14-2011, 03:37 PM

I would have to think if he has MBD it started before he was with you. About the heating pad, I am in Maryland. We keep our house damn cold in the winter because heating oil is terribly expensive. So I have started using, as needed, a blue moonglo 50 or 75 watt light bulb in a Flukers light fixture. It is on the top of the cage on the screen. I only use it a little so far but plan to have a timer set to it in real winter during the night. Maybe you could to that. They dont see the blue color light and it wont keep you up. Or maybe try one of those zoo med stick on heat pads for the bottom or side of the tank. You could put that on a timer. I am still considering that instead of the heat light. I think your little one will turn out fine one your vet gets you on the right track. I work at a vet hospital too! Just dogs and cats though!! Post a pic in a month or so and lets see how he is doing!!
kristy