Baby leopard gecko reappeared after 6 months

[Silverfire]

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So, I’m in shock right now. My little sister’s four month old or so gecko escaped early January. We spent hours looking for her to no avail. We kind of gave up on finding her again.

Well, the day I leave town (so today) I got a call. They found her. She was trying to get into one of my geckos cages.

It’s too late to buy any heat mats and I don’t have a spare, so they have her on red and white lights until tomorrow. They used the extra food and water bowls I have to give her water and made her some makeshift hides. She’s been eating like crazy too. I’m a bit worried though.

She’s not much bigger than when she went missing, which probably means she’s malnourished- I don’t think it’s crypto since she still has a bit of fat on her tail, she’s just a bit skinny. My mom will take her to the vet soon (like. Within the week) and they’ll be buying a small dish for calcium to put in her tank because I feel like after six months of no vitamins or calcium or d3 she needs some in her tank.

Is there any advice that I can relay to my parents before she gets into the vet? They face timed me and she doesn’t look like she has any visible injuries- she still has her tail as well- and besides being tiny she didn’t look like she was ill besides that.

[Elizabeth Freer]

The most important part in rehabbing an escaped gecko is hydration. Make sure this leo drinks lots of water prior to feeding her at all!

That should protect both her liver and her kidneys.

[acpart]

I had a hatchling get lost in my house and was found as an adult after 2 years!

Aliza

[Silverfire]

The most important part in rehabbing an escaped gecko is hydration. Make sure this leo drinks lots of water prior to feeding her at all!

That should protect both her liver and her kidneys.

Update. My mom is having trouble getting her into a vet cause she has a lot of other doctors appointments and such going on.

The water was full last night and there was a large difference this morning. She also left a large poop. She’s currently basking on some rocks.

[Elizabeth Freer]

Update. My mom is having trouble getting her into a vet cause she has a lot of other doctors appointments and such going on.

The water was full last night and there was a large difference this morning. She also left a large poop. She’s currently basking on some rocks.

That's excellent, Silverfire! Please let your mom know to keep filling this leo's water dish.

As long as your mom follows this advice, there is not more a vet could do.

After maybe one morel day of super hydration, begin feeding this leo small amounts of well-fed prey. She would probably eat more, but little bits of food will be easier on her kidneys.

When this leo begins eating lightly dust a good calcium + D3 powder on her food at 1 feeding per week. I recommend Zoo Med's Repti Calcium with D3. That powder has just the right amount of vitamin D3.

Over time she should start gaining weight. I recommend baby steps for now.

[Silverfire]

So it’s been a week since Clementine showed back up, and while we are not able to get her into the vet for a little bit (she showed up at literally the worst time for us- as in we had a week to get her to the vet and my parents have been having to get other pre vacation appointments and then there was the Fourth of July... it’s insane) I am not worried about her dying in the time it takes before I can get an appointment for her.

Her drinking’s leveled out- she isn’t drinking so much water that it’s quite noticeable- and since we started introducing food, she’s been eating like a champ- as in 10 or so crickets and 8 mealies a day. She’s 29 grams- so a lot thinner than I’d hope for a gecko who is almost a year old, but that’s understandable considering what she went through. She’s been pooping on a daily basis, and it’s completely normal. We got a thermostat and heat mat for her and the warm side is ~92 degrees. She’s been quite happy with a steady heat source. We’ve transferred the overhead UVA/UVB lights to her cage and while she isn’t taking a lot of advantage of it, she does get some.

She’s on the exact same schedule of feeding and vitamins as my baby- which is the schedule that Elizabeth suggests. I feed the food with Repashy Bug Burger and Gutloading formula so I think she’s getting the proper amount of nutrients. The biggest concern I have for her is how dull she is. I don’t have a good picture, but when she vanished, she was a nice, bright tangerine with vibrant spots of white and black. Now, she’s just dull... I’m pretty sure that this is due to her being malnourished. Besides that, she’s coming along fine. She’s super skittish- but that’s to be expected.

[Silverfire]

Another update. Still haven’t been able to get her to a vet. The only reptile vet in the area is super busy and the schedules just don’t work. However, I no longer thing that it’s absolutely urgent to get her to the vet. Yes I’d love to get her there ASAP, but she’s eating, drinking, and pooping like normal and she’s starting to become more vivid! So I’m not worried about her being in critical condition right now.

[Silverfire]

Another update. Still haven’t been able to get her to a vet. The only reptile vet in the area is super busy and the schedules just don’t work. However, I no longer thing that it’s absolutely urgent to get her to the vet. Yes I’d love to get her there ASAP, but she’s eating, drinking, and pooping like normal and she’s starting to become more vivid! So I’m not worried about her being in critical condition right now.

[Marillion]

Good to hear she's doing better! Thanks for the update.

[Elizabeth Freer]

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Another update. Still haven’t been able to get her to a vet. The only reptile vet in the area is super busy and the schedules just don’t work. However, I no longer thing that it’s absolutely urgent to get her to the vet. Yes I’d love to get her there ASAP, but she’s eating, drinking, and pooping like normal and she’s starting to become more vivid! So I’m not worried about her being in critical condition right now.

I'm glad Clementine is recovering well. She sounds just fine with what you're doing.