Melonhelmet
New member
If this is something common I sense a smaller subspecies is in them .
Dwarf gecko?
- Thread starter Allee Toler
- Start date
Riverside Reptiles
Administrator (HMFIC)
There are so many factors involved that could have led to her being smaller than "normal" that you're likely never going to determine a true answer.
Allee Toler
Member
Well, our appointment was 6 hours ago, and I just got home.
The geneticist says she has a deformity of the FGFR3? He tried to explain it to me. But I was hungry... Lol. And there were WAY too many technical gene terms. I slept through Bio in high school, so I had no idea what was happening. My Fiance however, totally understood.
Basically, she's a little gecko. Short arms, short legs, little hands and feet, and short tail. Medium sized body, and big head. All due to when she was forming the FGFR3 gene.
It won't shorten her life in any way, but she'll always be tiny, and need to be examined once a year for any tumors in her brain. Which I was told happens rarely, but it's more common when the FGFR3 gene is involved.
Now my insurance, I'll be paying $6 a month, and only have to pay 5% of every visit, with brain scans (CT? MRI? whichever one) and surgeries will be free as long is it's related to her dwarfism. Verses my $9 a month, and my 10% on everything, and full on surgeries. GiGi's a diagnosed "hypochondroplasia" dwarf.
It's common, he said happening in ALL species at a rate of 1 in 15,000. Most cases are over looked in humans, because they're not extremely small or deformed. It's more visible in small animals and dogs.
Well, that was interesting. Explains a lot. Especially her health problems. I SWORE I was making her sick. Every time I looked at her something was going wrong. I felt guilty. Lol. Between her constant stuffy nose and boogies, hungry strikes, FLD, vitamin A deficiency from her body not absorbing it correctly, and her refusal to drink liquids the first year of her life.
Now that I have Lu, I see it's clearly just GiGi. Lu will eat whatever you give him. And drinks whenever he's thirsty.
The geneticist says she has a deformity of the FGFR3? He tried to explain it to me. But I was hungry... Lol. And there were WAY too many technical gene terms. I slept through Bio in high school, so I had no idea what was happening. My Fiance however, totally understood.
Basically, she's a little gecko. Short arms, short legs, little hands and feet, and short tail. Medium sized body, and big head. All due to when she was forming the FGFR3 gene.
It won't shorten her life in any way, but she'll always be tiny, and need to be examined once a year for any tumors in her brain. Which I was told happens rarely, but it's more common when the FGFR3 gene is involved.
Now my insurance, I'll be paying $6 a month, and only have to pay 5% of every visit, with brain scans (CT? MRI? whichever one) and surgeries will be free as long is it's related to her dwarfism. Verses my $9 a month, and my 10% on everything, and full on surgeries. GiGi's a diagnosed "hypochondroplasia" dwarf.
It's common, he said happening in ALL species at a rate of 1 in 15,000. Most cases are over looked in humans, because they're not extremely small or deformed. It's more visible in small animals and dogs.
Well, that was interesting. Explains a lot. Especially her health problems. I SWORE I was making her sick. Every time I looked at her something was going wrong. I felt guilty. Lol. Between her constant stuffy nose and boogies, hungry strikes, FLD, vitamin A deficiency from her body not absorbing it correctly, and her refusal to drink liquids the first year of her life.
Now that I have Lu, I see it's clearly just GiGi. Lu will eat whatever you give him. And drinks whenever he's thirsty.
Melonhelmet
New member
Poor GiGi!
Aw well, at least its not something that shortens her life. Psycho sounds like Lu but with FLD. She loves food.
Aw well, at least its not something that shortens her life. Psycho sounds like Lu but with FLD. She loves food.
crestedtimm
New member
Allee,
I have to commend the level of dedication that you have put into GiGi's care. Very admirable, and if I could get reptile insurance as inexpensive as that which you carry, I would likely show all of my reptiles to the vet when anything goes wrong.
Is neat that you have determined your girl is in fact a genetic dwarf, making her all the more special.
Best regards and keep it up.
Timm Smith
I have to commend the level of dedication that you have put into GiGi's care. Very admirable, and if I could get reptile insurance as inexpensive as that which you carry, I would likely show all of my reptiles to the vet when anything goes wrong.
Is neat that you have determined your girl is in fact a genetic dwarf, making her all the more special.
Best regards and keep it up.
Timm Smith
Allee Toler
Member
Her insurance, since I've received 3 PM's about it, is called VPI.
They have different levels of insurance, full coverage (over a year ago when I signed up, could of changed) was $20 a month.
They even sent GiGi a birthday card with some coupons for free crickets at petco, Christmas card, New Years card, and valentines day card. =]
They have different levels of insurance, full coverage (over a year ago when I signed up, could of changed) was $20 a month.
They even sent GiGi a birthday card with some coupons for free crickets at petco, Christmas card, New Years card, and valentines day card. =]
cat_named_noodles
New member
At the vet clinic I worked at we had pamplets on VPI. It really helps when you have a a chronically sick critter.
I think it's awesome you were able to do genetic testing on Gigi!!! So she a lil' girl- and now you know you were doing everything right! Kudos to Allee! :cheer: