[pturski]

So I got my pair of williamsi a week ago and they are in quarantine right now. I have them set up in a gallon jar with a screen lid. The jar has paper towel on the bottom, and has bamboo for climbing and hiding places. I have a exo terra 5.0 UV light on them and the them is around 83F. They have been doing good for the first few days eating fine, drinking when I mist them. They are wild caught and had a few mites and were treated with a dilution of ivermectin orally. I clean the cage every other day to keep it clean, they get fed crickets, fruit flies, and baby food. Everything has been fine they have been super active and eating great. All of a sudden today my male looks sluggish, and turned black on his sides. He also looks very skinny, but he drinks fine. Today he did not eat. The female is still fine eating and looks great. Anyone have any ideas what could be wrong with my male. I hope he makes it but they way he looks now he probably wont make it until tomorrow.

[hexentanz]

Hi,

1 Gallon is far too small to house adults, let alone a pair. Even if temporary.

It is possible even though the dose was small the Ivermectin was far too much for the gecko to handle. It is known to be a very strong drug and can sometimes kill an animal because it dumps parasite loads too quick. It is more commonly a wormer. It is also in my experience used only in emergency situations where other drugs have failed and even then only used as a spray solution inside the enclosure or gently swabbed over a gecko between the shoulder blades if mite infestations are extremely high.

Since you have wild caught animals it is best to separate them so the female does not become accidentally pregnant. Wild caught animals need to be conditioned first before breeding is ever a thought or you could end up with a paralyzed gecko should she become pregnant too soon.

******* Edit:

I just went through my bookmarks and found this.

http://www.anapsid.org/mites.html Scroll down to "Alternative Methods and Substances"

"While some vets will recommend injecting a reptile with ivermectin as a way to get rid of mites, the drug is highly toxic. Even the drug's manufacturer strongly advises against injecting it into reptiles for any reason (it is often used as a wormer for reptiles). "

[pturski]

Each gecko got a 1000th dilution and they only got half of the recommended dose for their weight. I gave them such a little amount because I know the affects that ivermectin could have on animals.