sneezing gecko problem

jtran1020

New member
Hey guys, today I noticed my gecko sneezing twice. It was cute but then I got worried and wondered if it could be a respiratory infection. I took a out one of the extra paper towels underneath the hide so it could be a little warmer for her. I heard a couple degrees more could help. Right now the temp is 95.7 and before taking off the towel it was around 88-92. Am I trippin out about these sneezes? Someone help!

She's always in her humid hide. Could this be the problem? If so should I remove it?
 
Last edited:

M&S-328

New member
If it was a sneeze, I wouldnt be worried about just 2 sneezes. But if you noticed other breathing issues or excessive sneezing then probably get her respiratory system checked.
However, it could've been the "throwing up sound". That sort of sounds like a sneeze, but they are more of exhaling/forcing out their air really fast to dislodge what ever came out of their stomach (their stomach will sometimes expel something, but leopard geckos dont have a gag reflex, so they have to "cough" and shake it out).
If you had observed it happening, you might have seen it suddenly shake it's head violently when the sneeze sound occurred - thats how they force out the un-stomachable food.
To see if it was throwing up something, check the entire enclosure for dead prey. Whatever you typically feed her - crickets, mealworms, a waxworm, etc., just look for it dead, possibly a bit moist still, and probably in an elongated postition (it went down and came up the throat).
If you dont find anything, then either A: it was just sneezes, or B: it managed to swallow down the food again and never fully threw up.

But dont panic! Even throwing up is relatively normal. Typically that means they either ate something too big or they ate to much. You only need to be concerned if you notice they are throwing up often/in a row.

Good luck!
 

jtran1020

New member
I see her opening her mouth super big all the time. I just think its a yawn but I've never seen any throw up. Idk I'm always paranoid. Is 95 in the hot hide too hot?
 

M&S-328

New member
95 F is perfectly fine. The ground of the hot side should always be about 93-98 F. However you can let it dip down to about 85 F at night by only using one heat source (if you use 2 or more).

And yes, leopard geckos do yawn. So perhaps you are seeing that too. Yawning typically will not have any sounds along with it, and will only happen once or twice. Also, during and after a yawn your leo will seems relaxed and fine, not tense or startled.

If you see her open her mouth multiple times in a row (not just once or twice a day/night..but really like 5 times or more in a row) then she may be having some kind of food issues. That constant opening wide and closing her mouth would probably be her working up the food that wont stay down. Whether its because her food is too big, she tends to eat way too much, or she has parasites or a virus thats causing her to react negatively to eating - you should probably schedule a vet visit.

Just check the tank for regurgitated prey and keep a close eye on her for a bit. But dont get worried over the little things =]
 

Mardy

New member
Buy a small critter tote. Or a critter box, like the things that pet stores use when you buy something from them.
 
Top