[mbhorslev]

So I have been having a problem keeping the humidity up in my vittatus terrarium, but it got fixed very fast. Unfortunatly this did, that my female vittatus (think it is a female, but still a little unsure) had trouble shedding "She" couldnt get it of the feet, so I had to handle her, to get the last shed of. It was especially the toes that were effected She just layed there, didnt try to get away from me. After I got it of, I put her back in the terrarium. But now it has been a week, and shes still just laying there.. She wont eat (have offered cricket,mealworms,wax worms, dubias and so on). The other one is eating well, and are wuite active at night, and still yells at me, when I look at them at night. She just layes there, on a rock at the bottom of the enclosure, and gets thinner and thinner. She hardly ever moves. When she do, it looks funny, like she cant get her legs and feet to do what they are supposed to. If it wasnt because I dust there food in minerals, D3, and calcium, I would swear she had metabolic disease.. I have tried to "force" her to at least drink a little (elektrolytes mixture we used to offer to the abused animals we took in over there years), but I stopped, cause I dont wan to stress her even more. I´ve been thinking about either moving her, to a qurantine enclosure, and hope for the best, or putting her down now, to end any suffering she might be having. But I´m not sure what to do right now.
Off course I would want her to live and be healthy again, but not at any cost. And I know she is really sick, and I feel for her.

Do any of you have a suggestion to what it might be? And do you have a treatment you could recommend, without putting so much stress to her? Or should I just accept she´s too sick and needs to move on to another world?

Facts about the environment:

The terrarium is big, very big, for just one pair. 110high,80 wide and 50 deep. So a 440 Litres terrarium.
Light (a normal 60w) 12 hours a day, temp at day is 23C in the cold end, and 28 under the lamp. At night 21 all around. Humidity is at 75% all day, and at night at 57%. I mist several times a day, until I can get an automatic rainsystem up and running. The substrate is unfertilized sphagnum, plants are all of the bromelia family. They get fed 3 times a week for the moment. I use a variety of insects, I catch some in my garden (all ecological). All insects gets dusted with calcium, Nekton Rep and Nekton MSA.

Please help me...

[Riverside Reptiles]

Since you're feeding her wild insects, you may want to have a fecal done to check for parasites. Also, perhaps you pulled a little too much skin from her feet and her feet are sore? It's really hard to say. If you're going to move anyone to a new enclosure, I would move the other one so as to not increase the stress on the sick one. Keep misting. Water is important. Keep stress to the lowest levels possible. If she's not climbing, perhaps give her a hide on the ground that she can get into.

[mbhorslev]

Originally Posted by Riverside Reptiles

Since you're feeding her wild insects, you may want to have a fecal done to check for parasites. Also, perhaps you pulled a little too much skin from her feet and her feet are sore? It's really hard to say. If you're going to move anyone to a new enclosure, I would move the other one so as to not increase the stress on the sick one. Keep misting. Water is important. Keep stress to the lowest levels possible. If she's not climbing, perhaps give her a hide on the ground that she can get into.

Shes already had a fecal done, forgot to write it, so sorry. Had it done friday, with no parasites/worms found. Dont really have a lot of those anyway here in Denmark, but it happens. I usually get a fecal done, if any of my animals are losing weight, just in case.

I dont think I pulled to much, cause I didnt tear it of, just let her stay in a container with wet tp for a few minutes and gently massaged it of. No force used what so ever. Have done on wuite a few animals, through the years, without trouble. We used to have a "rekreation/rescue" home for abused and neglected reptiles. But since I havent had any experience with vittatus, before these two, I am reaching out here.

She is not climbing at all, but has a few hiding spots on ground too. She never uses them, just lays in the open.
She has no sign of infection in her feet, they look normal, except when she moves, then it seems like she cant grab on with the toes.. There is no more old skin, and the coloring is good, no sign of gangrene in the toes. The lamels looks fine too.
Its not good, she is staying on the ground, I know, but if she atleast would eat something, I would be less worried.. I am not liking this at all.. Inactive and on eatingstrike.. not two good combinations

[MauricesExoticPets]

First I'd like to say that I'm very sorry this is happening, it is unfortunate for both you and the white-lined gecko.

Next thing I have to point out is that your choice of vitamin and mineral supplements is not optimal and very well could be a factor in this problem. The Nekton products you mentioned are very potent supplements that should be used in ultra low quantities if at all.

White-lined geckos are typically very hardy geckos and have little to no issues being fed crickets and superworms daily with only a slight dusting of calcium with vitamin D3.

While I have experienced no issues with hypervitamosis, I suspect this is your geckos issue. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

See a vet for a good reptile assist feeding diet (hills a/d 50:50 with electrolyte fluids) and the equipment needed to administer it. Blood work would be nice but likely difficult on a gecko that's both dehydrated and losing weight.

Your temps and humidity seem a bit low to me as well.

Best of luck to you and your gecko,

Maurice Pudlo

[mbhorslev]

Originally Posted by MauricesExoticPets

First I'd like to say that I'm very sorry this is happening, it is unfortunate for both you and the white-lined gecko.

Next thing I have to point out is that your choice of vitamin and mineral supplements is not optimal and very well could be a factor in this problem. The Nekton products you mentioned are very potent supplements that should be used in ultra low quantities if at all.

White-lined geckos are typically very hardy geckos and have little to no issues being fed crickets and superworms daily with only a slight dusting of calcium with vitamin D3.

While I have experienced no issues with hypervitamosis, I suspect this is your geckos issue. There is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

See a vet for a good reptile assist feeding diet (hills a/d 50:50 with electrolyte fluids) and the equipment needed to administer it. Blood work would be nice but likely difficult on a gecko that's both dehydrated and losing weight.

Your temps and humidity seem a bit low to me as well.

Best of luck to you and your gecko,

Maurice Pudlo

Thank you for your help
So I´ve been to the vet again..
Shes getting hills a/d and electrolytes. The vet also injected her with fluids/electrolytes directly. I am using a glove used for welding(spelled?), when handling her. She gets the mixture 3 times a day, directly in her mouth, so generally I am forcing her, which I am not too happy about, I know how stressfull it is. But it´s either that or death.

Temp got raised a bit,and I got the humidity up a bit, by installing a mistmaker. So it helped a bit.

The vet didnt do bloodwork, and it is still very uncertain if she will survive despite action taken. Shes not in very good condition, and if shes not a little better by thursday, she will be put down. She is VERY dehydrated

About the vitamins and minerals, I know it is strong stuff, and I dont use that much. I dont mix more than a pinch of it. The spoon-thingy that came with the supplements is way too big I think.

[MauricesExoticPets]

If you must use a glove I would suggest a much lighter type. A golfing glove is more than enough protection and is much more conforming to the hand than a weldors glove.

The main thing I would worry about with the weldors glove would be that you can't tell just how much pressure you are using to hold the gecko.

I will look to see if I can find a picture of something that might give you a bit of hope in the situation.

When assist feeding I use these, the tip is a catheter.


While this picture may be 100% off topic this is one of my Nile monitors, she has never been handled with gloves. The human would be me, the reptile is Claudia, she is 13 now, maybe 10 in that picture. Anyway, if she is manageable you can manage the white-lined gecko.


When all is said and done the effort is well worth the vet bill and time spent getting critters back into shape.

Maurice Pudlo

[mbhorslev]

Soo.. I think is´t time for an update.

Shes been eating on her own the last week now, but only very new maelworms, just "hatched".
The day before yesterday, I decided to take her into isolation (I know you said to move the male instead, but he has a bad temper, so I really dont want to try to capture him..I am a wuss..)

I layed moist toiletpaper in the bottom of the cage, and a few plastik brances (with leafes) so she could hide. I gave her a small bowl with new mealworms.

Just 10 minutes ago I held my female in my bare hands, and I removed a lot of mushy dead skin from her feet, and from her head. She didn´t resist at all. The first thing she did, when I removed the skin from her head, was opening her mouth completely. So I am guessing she couldnt open it that much before. I´ve actually not noticed she didnt open it wide open, when eating...

It seems she has feelings in her toes, and theres still color in them. So I am hoping, with my fingers crossed, that she will make it, without losing her toes. However, I am afraid shes dehydrated bad she has two bulges in her head, where the liquid deposits are Shes drinking/licking water, and eating now. Will she be able to survive, if I just make sure she gets water every day?
I know from my bearded dragons, that once the deposits are empty., you can never refill them, and will have to make sure they drink every day. Is it the same with gecks?

Also I would like to say thanks for all the help, and great advice I´ve gotten. Thank you so much

[mbhorslev]

It ended very sad after all Had to put her down yesterday (my husband did, I couldnt ). The left hind didnt work, it was all limp in the foot, and on all the feet, the toes was crumbled She tripped over on her back, everytime she tried to walk, and in just two days, she got so bad again, that she wouldnt eat, and her ribcage poked out in the back :O I couldnt bring myself to go on with this, so I decided that it was time to give her peace. I am sad today, but I know it was the best thing for her. So a very sad ending indeed

[Riverside Reptiles]

Very sad to hear that. At least you know that you tried your best and did what you could.

[MauricesExoticPets]

You did everything you could, that is respectable in my eyes.

Maurice Pudlo