Found a lost gecko, after 7 months!

[Martinotti Reptiles]

Wow, I am beside myself with excitement! Last year in May I purchased a young giant Tremper from a local breeder, and I was really excited because she was going to be my first giant. About a month or so later a friend left her enclosure open and she escaped. We looked for weeks but were never able to find her.

And tonight, 6-7 months later, my roommate got up to put something away in the kitchen and he saw a leopard gecko running under the fridge after a cricket. So we worked to side the fridge out of the way carefully and caught her.

What's ridiculous is that she looks good! I mean, she's almost a year old and weighs only thirty-something grams (despite being a giant) so she's small, but her tail looks good and she's got a nice round waist. Monday morning I'm taking her to the vet to get her checked out, but I'm really surprised that she looks bright and chubby!


We are estatic! We thought she'd disapeared forever, and now here she is, settling into her enclosure. I'll post photos of her later.

 

[Lordoftheswarms]

That's the longest I've heard of a gecko being lost, then found. Awesome that she is safe and sound.

 

[acpart]

Congratulations. I have a post in the banded gecko section (coleonyx) about a gecko that I found who had been loose for only about 4 months, but on the other hand she only weighs about 2-3 grams and most of the crickets that escaped were too big for her.

Aliza

 

[kaikara]

That is amazing and really shows the resilience of these animals. He probably figured out a warm spot like under the fridge near the compressor and have been hiding out there. I guess the lesson here is never stop looking if you have a lost animal.

 

[GeckoGirl1990]

What a happy day! I'm starting to think that under the fridge might be the first place to look for a lost gecko. Thats where all my escaped crickets seem to end up! the lil demons.. >=(

 

[Sgvreptiles]

I had a phelsuma standingi live in and out side of my house for 9+ months. He was super fat. Probly living in the tree in my back eating up bugs.

 

[Martinotti Reptiles]

We lost all hope of seeing her again a long time ago, it's incredible that she's been living fairly well all this time. When she first went missing we looked everywhere! Under all the appliances, behind everything, every nook and cranie... but nothing. But it's tough, because such a small gecko as she was when she went missing (only a 10 gram little thing!) can fit into any tiny crack or hole and go completely unnoticed.

She's now back in a 10 gal tank with a nice warm UTH and some tasty worms She looks happy enough to be back in an environment where everything is within arms reach!

 

[cliff_f]

I had a common house gecko in previous house of mine for a good year. Then I moved let it loose in my new house and it was there for a good 6-7 months before my wife killed it. But in her defense the gecko was hiding in the closet, on a shirt she was putting on first thing in the morning and it scared her.(probably because I told her i had my reptile room sealed off where no geckos could get out)

 

[Martinotti Reptiles]

Oh no! I must admit I would be capable of killing something by accident if I felt something crawling in my clothing. We get roaches in this apartment every once in a while, and I'm alway jumpy if I think there might be one crawling around.