I know what you mean about naming them and then having to change it Baby Mac was Mackenzie, Mack, Mackenzie, Mack.. there for a long time I had almost decided to call him UNI... because I just wasent sure what he was *LOL* Eventually his manhood appeared... well and he started nipping at all my girls tails so I figured he's a boy.. picked him up and ... yep.. He's a boy.. FULL BLOWN BOY!!!! (dont let him know I called him a boy.. he gets all pissy when I call him boy.. He's momma's lil man! *LOL*)
Anyway...this may seem very odd to you, and I dont know if it will work for a baby, but I had a juvi/young adult that had that darkening under her tummy and I was sure she might be impacted (I've only been handling reptiles about 7 mths now so I do not know a lot/everything, or even much, so please verify anything I tell you before you try it) but I took her and put her in a nice warm bath and rubbed her back just where her tail meets her body in a downward direction.. from body to tail and she pooped! Took about 5 min but she did and the darkened spot went right away! So, if she or any gecko might be impacted you may try that.. it worked for me, does not mean it will for you though....
by the by... I am posting an article from a gecko inzine I am on about Chain Pet Store Geckos: (PS: sorry it's so long, I dont know how to post it any other way than copy paste and I think all of you wil find this info very helpful as well as quite disturbing!)
The Dangers of Pet Store
Leopard Geckos Hannah Martin
Greyscale Geckos
The Beginning
So there you are looking at the
cutest baby Leopard Gecko in a pet
store display. It is so small, fragile,
and even skinny too. Your heart
feels so captivated by this poor
little gecko that you reach into your
pocket, pull out your money, and
call a employee over to get it for
you. That little Leopard Gecko may
appeal to you because it is so small,
helpless, and sick, but do you really
know what you are getting into by
buying a pet store leopard gecko?
It all begins in cramped, dirty, and
disease-ridden breeding facilities.
Young and sick Leopard Gecko
mothers are bred and soon lay eggs.
These eggs hatch; as soon as the
babies have their first shed the facility
workers look for a place to send
them. Often times they are ordered
by corporations who will look to
put them into pet stores around the
world.
At one week old these Leopard
Geckos are shipped out to the pet
stores in large batches. A batch can
consist of as many as 40 baby Leopard
Geckos. Why such a large batch?
As many as 75% on the hatchlings
will die while being shipped. The
remaining hatchlings almost always
have an injury due to being shipped
improperly.
The Leopard Geckos are not shipped
in deli-cups inside of foam-insulated
boxes. They are shipped in a cardboard
box with no foam, no delicups.
In other words, if the package
is mishandled in anyway, they can
end up with broken limbs. It is a terrible
and horrifying way to spend a
few days. Yes, they spend a few days
like this while they travel to their
new home.
Upon arriving at a pet store the
deceased hatchlings are removed
from the box and discarded. Their
deaths are carefully marked down
so stores can get a refund, or more
leopard geckos in another shipment.
The amount of deceased hatchlings
never gets repaid though, for it is almost
impossible for these hatchlings
that are shipped so improperly to all
survive the terrifying journey.
Life at a pet store can go two ways
for the survivors. It can be a wonderful
experience where they can be
isolated before being put on display,
fed and medicated, and grown to a
more proper weight before they go
on sale or it can be the opposite way.
Unfortunately, the most common
route is the opposite way.
The majority of the hatchlings are
placed on display (unless they have
terrible injuries that the public would
notice) and left to await someone
like you to look at them. You noticed
how small and skinny they are, now
you understand why.
The Problems
The little Leopard Gecko you want
so badly is filled with a parasite load
that you could hardly imagine. Most
of these hatchlings will waste away
and die because their body is getting
nothing substantial enough to
keep them alive. Medications are not
given to relieve the baby Leopard
Geckos of parasites, so if you do end
up getting one of these babies, the
job falls to you. It costs money, and
will continue to cost money until the
Leopard Gecko is parasite free.
Parasites are not the only problem
these little Leopard Geckos face.
Most of the Leopard Geckos have
never had calcium in their short lives,
which causes Metabolic Bone Disorder.
This is unfortunately common
in pet store Leopard Geckos. The effects
of this cannot be reversed, but
the progression can be halted if the
Leopard Gecko is given calcium.
Cryptosporidium sounds like a negative
thing, doesn’t it? It is a protozoan
that is spread through oral
contact. Humans, other mammals,
and birds can be found with this in
their intestinal tracks but it does not
affect them the same way it affects
reptiles. When “Crypto” is found in
reptiles, it is always fatal. Generally,
reptiles that test positive for Crypto
are euthanized to end their misery.
Crypto is found in pet store geckos.
Employees rarely notice the Leopard
Geckos who have Crypto. Most
employees think that little leopard
geckos are just naturally skinny,
that they naturally waste away to
nothing. There is nothing natural
about a reptile’s death from Crypto.
It is a painful and miserable way to
die, and there is absolutely no way
to stop it. However, lucky for you,
Crypto is a lot more rare than some
people would like us to believe. In
other words, it is more likely that
your Leopard Gecko is suffering from
a heavy load of parasites than from
Crypto.
Shedding issues are very common
in pet store Leopard Geckos. Most
of the time humid hides are not offered
to these hatchlings, so they are
left with stuck shed on themselves
that through rubbing can become
infected. Stuck shed can lead to
horrible sores on their bodies that
easily become infected in the poor
condition that these Leopard Geckos
are kept in.
The Truth
Does the hatchling Leopard Gecko
still look adorable to you? Are you
still willing to pay hundreds of dollars
in vet bills to possibly save its
life? Either way, I can’t force you
to make the decision I want you to
make. Believe me, I have been in
your position. I understand how
hard it is to walk away from a Leopard
Gecko I wish I could have saved.
Sometimes the best decision is the
hardest one to make.
What will happen to the pet store
Leopard Geckos? Most of them will
die, and a √ew will be lucky and go
to homes to live out a shorter, but
better life than the pet store would
have provided. However, if you walk
away, in the end you might be doing
future pet store Leopard Geckos a
favor. Why waste money? You have
to understand, all Leopard Geckos
are to chain pet stores is money in
the bank.
If you choose to buy a pet store
Leopard Gecko you are funding
these pet stores that are continuing
to bring in young, unhealthy, and
unhappy Leopard Geckos to sell to
people like you. I hate to be cruel
and straightforward, but you can
be literally funding the death of 20
or more Leopard Geckos that come
with the next shipment.
The Other (and Best) Option
So now here you are with your hands
in your pockets outside of the pet
store, an irritated look on your face
as you grudgingly accept the fact
that a pet store Leopard Gecko might
not be the best option for you.
Are you disappointed now? Do
you still want a Leopard Gecko? Pet
stores aren’t the only places that
have Leopard Geckos. There are
other places that have healthy Leopard
Geckos.
Anyway, here's a picture of him/her:
