Emergency! Unhealthy gecko of a friends, what do I do?

[Clink]

I was supposed to borrow a male gecko from a friend to see if he would make my geckos breed, and I got him in the most horrible condition.
I don't know what to do!
He is half the weight he should be, he clearly has MBD his front right arm is broken from it and his spine is kinked all the way down he also has twisted toes, he had shed stuck in his eyes, he clearly doesn't have a humid hide for him.
What do I do?! Do I tell him I can't let him take the gecko back? I can't! It's so frustrating!:-x:-x:-x:-x:-x

 

[yellermelon]

I tried to call you. I have some liquid calcium here that would help if he isnt to far gone. I would NOT introduce him to your group under ANY circumstances. Just ask the guy if he realizes the gecko has MBD, and is extremmlly underweight. Give me a call when you get a chance Ill help you out best I can.

 

[Clink]

My phone died, sorry, and your number was on it to.
He can barely hold his head up...I washed my hands even after handling him. He didn't even make it to the same room as my other geckos before I lost my mind. He is in a quarantine tank laying on a heat pad. I put three broke-legged crickets in front of him covered with calcium, and he doesn't want them it seems. I'll leave them in there and hope he eats them.
I called the guy and he just gave me a crock of **** about how he feeds him every 2-3 days and dusts with calcium every feeding! Horse****! Do I give it back to him at all? Is it illegal to keep him or can he sue me if I don't return it? I am so pissed!

 

[Clink]

He weighs 24g. He is a year and a half old.

 

[fickle]

that poor lil thing i hope everything comes out good but he looks a little far gone i hope your friend realizes how bad a pet owner he is

 

[Palor]

You can try feeding him Phoenix worms, they are very handy in the fight against MBD. Poor thing looks pretty bad though. His recovery would be a miracle.

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Of course you have to give him back. It's not your animal, even if it is being mistreated. The best thing that you can do is to give him the proper info (or point him to this site) and hope that he takes the advice given.

 

[RandomWiktor]

If you keep the gecko without the owner's permission, it would be illegal. To prevent any problems on your end, I would try very hard to convince the owner that the animal is unhealthy and likely to generate big vet bills, then see if he will relinquish it officially to your care IF you want to take on that responsibility. Explain the observed health problems, perhaps show him what the weight and body condition should be in photos and numbers. If you think you know a vet who would do this for cheap/free, perhaps have it evaluate; maybe if a professional tells him how bad of shape it is in he will be more convinced. Or, if you don't want an animal this unhealthy to contend with, see if you can convince him to live up to his responsibilities as a pet owner.

That aside... if this individual refuses to do right by the gecko and get it treatment, you may have the option of contacting humane law enforcement depending on your state and area. Some states have laws protecting reptiles, others don't, but some dedicated ACOs will intervene to the extent that they can either way. Not a good way to preserve a friendship, of course, but it may benefit the gecko in the long run.

Good luck.

 

[midget]

i had the same problem with one of my good friends leo, try to reason with him show him what a normal gecko should look like. get him started off and go through it with him to make it easier. try to nice other wise he'll prob just ignore you. lead in the proper path. then you just made one more good leo keeper. good luck

 

[Let_It_Fade]

oh man that right there is bullcrap totally. I would be so on fire if I were to see someone say they take care of there pets and it looking like that. I would also tell him to get online and read about them and yeah its just a shame you cant just keep him I totally do not blame you one single bit people like that does not need animals.

 

[Clink]

Well, he's a friend of a friend, and I don't think I'd take a bullet for him or anything, so I'm not terribly worried about keeping a friendship, I don't want to say mean things to him and push him away in that way, but I don't think we'll be speaking after this ordeal.
I am willing to help the animal as much as I can and would completely provide for it what it needed.
The thing that pisses me off the most about it is it's not ignorance, he knows what he needed to survive happily, he just didn't provide for it correctly. He has all the ability to do everything correctly and clearly knew about the animals, but just didn't do it. Some people just don't know and that's more forgivable if they actually correct it, but this guy? That's considered neglect/abuse in my book.
I am supposedly going to see his other geckos (he got a juvie two days ago and has had a blizzard for 2 years, don't know how it's still alive) have problems too. I have dealt with him before about a neglected animal, and thought it was because he was afraid of it and didn't take it for walks, so I basically told him to give me.
And I don't want to feed him and get him as comfortable and fat as possible in the next week until I was supposed to give him back and him just put this animal back in the same condition, not helping it at all.
I'll see what I can do about asking for the geckos, and be as nice about it as I can. We'll see how that goes...:roll:

 

[midget]

ok well since he knew neclect for sure good luck though

 

[aliceinwl]

I'm sure this goes without saying, but make sure you practice strict quarentine procedures; don't let anything exposed to that leo come in contact with yours, wash your hands after handling it etc. and definately no breeding.

Personally, if he doesn't agree to surrender it, I'd give it back as soon as possible. Otherwise, you're taking on a big time and care commitment and putting your collection at risk without any chance of making a lasting difference.

If it is just MBD, he can make a pretty complete recovery (the leg deformities will be permanent) with proper care although it may be necessary to hand feed him pre-killed insects for a month or so until his jaw firms up. If he doesn't eat voluntarily, and has loose stools there may also be a parasite issue.

 

[Allee Toler]

I'd call humane services. They'd ask to see the animals and if they deem it neglect they can take it.

 

[Clink]

Yeah, I plan on calling him today and either having him take it back or surrendering it to me I don't want to put the care into the animal if it's not going to make a difference. I know he can never breed. I told the guy that, and I said if the other gecko (2yo female blizzard) is in anywhere near the same condition he's in, she can never be bred either. I was furious. He really wanted to breed them he said, and he was going to get around to it. whatever...:roll:

 

[Clink]

I got him to come pick up the gecko. I asked him to bring his two other geckos, but he didn't, he said he didn't want to stress them out. Right:roll:.
I asked him what kind of food he has for them, he said he feeds them crickets from a fish bait shop, and a few mealworms every now and then, which I found out he breeds! He freakin breeds leo food and doesn't even bother feeding them. I can't believe it.:-x:-x
The thing that upsets me most is that I sold him that gecko a year ago, because I didn't have any room for it at the time. I wish I had kept him. He weighed only a few grams less when I sold it to him. Unbelievable.
I hope I don't see him at any reptile shows again because if I do...

 

[Airedale]

First off, I would try to get him to let you have it. Just find a way. Ask him how much it cost and offer him that if it survives in your care, or offer to buy it. Or say something came up in teh breeding and you need to keep him a bit longer. I know it might not seem worth it if he is really badly off. Just find a way to get him away from your "friend". I would honestly never be friends with someone if they didn't take care of their pets...

Second, do what ever you can, if it is possible, for the little one. The liquid calcium someone offered, and phoenix worms may be the best you can do, unfortunately, but I would do everything I could for him. Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[Clink]

He's not really a friend, and I did try to get it from him and all he said was "I'll give him the best he can for as long as he makes it."
I don't plan on being too happy if I see him trying to buy animals at the reptile show (I see him here around town a lot, I worked at a pet store he came to sometimes, and during a reptile show near here, he goes to that too.) I will have a problem with him trying to buy any other animal if I see him there, we may have a very loud conversation.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Alex ~

Were you able to refer this person to this site or give him any printed info on the proper care and growth of leos?

The liquid calcium, Calcium Glubionate, can be ordered from a pharmacy in the US. It comes in pint-sized bottles.

 

[Clink]

The problem is he knows how to take care of it, ignorance is innocent and can be fixed but he is neglectful to the point of abuse. He has the food and the calcium and vitamins, etc. He just seemed to chose not to care for it correctly. He has killed 3 crested geckos so far too. He got two a year and a half ago with the intention of breeding them, and they died. He got another two this last may and one has already died. He has no clue why!!