General Information
Species of lizard: Eublepharis macularius
Gecko's name: Akinna (long i sound, don't know why it has two enns)
Morph: normal
Gender: male
Age: adult
Weight: 45 grams (probably not now with the tail disappearing)
Total length: about 16 cm noise to tail tip (before)
Length of your reptile when you first acquired it: the same
Source (pet store, breeder, previous owner): previous owner
Captive bred or wild caught: captive
Vivarium
Enclosure dimensions (length x width x height): 51 cm X 28 cm X 32 cm
Cage (type, size): 10 gallon aquarium
Substrate provided: was on sand switched back to paper towel
Types of hiding places provided: magnetic side exo terra dry hide at warm end, second hide moist at the moment also at warm end-overturned and darkened plastic container
Is there a humidity hide? location? spray in the morning and keeping wet paper towel in second, plastic hide
Please describe any other furnishings: water dish, two artificial plants and some cork
List recent changes in the environment, if any: hmm, switch it up sometimes, since his tail incident been working to leave him alone. Added thicker paper towel outside his exoterra hide as there is less protection from the UTH (on rheostat) and temps were getting up to 94-96-scared me. Now turning off at night because I can't constantly monitor temp.
Lighting
Artificial lighting: none-nocturnal, don't want to mess up his circadian rhythms
Incandescent (“screw-in” bulbs): wattage(s):
Fluorescent (tube bulbs):
Access to ambient daylight from a distant window: not that distant, maybe 3-4 feet-no direct sunlight ever.
Heating
Do you have a thermometer(s) in the cage? yes-digital on a metal probe inside his hide (btw been told the way I have been heating him is a bad idea, that it traps heat. Been like that for months and until I had my recent panic about temps it stayed reasonably consistent. Double check as best as possible with laser pointer/infa red ZooMed thermometer-seems consistent with probe)
What type and brand of thermometer (digital with probe, temperature gun, LCD strip, analog (circle), combo digital thermometer/hygrometer, stainless steel aquarim type, other): BIOS indoor/outdoor thermometer with attached probe and ZooMed temp gun
What is the ground temperature right on the substrate under the warm dry hide: ranges, sorry in F because of ZooMed readings... 77-94... right now I have 88 in his moist hide where he is trying to sleep-he isn't on the substrate-plastic lid and wet paper towel on top of glass and other paper towel
What is the air temperature on the warm end about 4 inches up from the ground: 77
What is the air temperature on the cool end about 4 inches up from the ground: 75
What device(s) are used to maintain the temperature (Under Tank Heater, heat light, ceramic heat emitter, Flexwatt heat tape, hot rock, other): UTH
Ventilation space for your UTH by elevating the tank above the shelf (some UTHs come with sticky feet for the tank corners): just sticky feet on tile, tile on floor
Are you using a thermostat(s)? No, in process of getting some
Which hide does she/he spend most of her time? The exoterra one where apparently the heat gets trapped
Is the temperature decreased at night? by how much? not till recently-depends. Don't want him burned so turned off at night-bad, goes down to 77
Humidity no idea. I spray and usually provide a moist hide. Definitely when he goes into shed. Often I miss sheds (presumably) because of moist hide
Is the humidity measured?
Humidity range:
Diet
Insects and worms, list type: wax worms once a week (maybe two) otherwise meal worms. Usually eats 10-15 at a go. Not eating, has had one meal worm and one wax worm in two weeks. Wasn't eating before the tail problems for a about a week (had been a pig before but tried some silk worms, they were big and he ignored them, hasn't eaten regularly since). Refuses crickets.
Regular diet fed to the insects and worms:
Are the insects and worms formally “gutloaded” 1-2 days prior to feeding off to your gecko? If so with? carrot, when I plan on feeding him I keep them out of the fridge and give them carrot to stay alive and hydrated
How often do you feed your gecko? having a hard time giving him space because I am worried-before this I would offer every three days or so. He is used to having his hide taken out and food moving on the floor which he will cat. If a dish is left in his cage he tends to ignore it (except wax worms)
Please list any supplements (with brand names) used. How are they given and how often? I just switched to Repashy from exo terra Ca + D3 and multivitamins because it was recommended
What calcium brand are you using? with D3, without or both? Repashy multivitamin
Is the calcium in the tank with D3 or without? no, when he was eating, dusted approximately every other feeding
Multivitamins (include brand name)? above, one product
Please list any recent additions/changes in the diet:
General Health
If your gecko is sick, please describe the signs and how long your gecko has been showing these signs:
I assumed it was a burn, another site with some people very familiar with geckos and reptiles suggested that a burn would indicated very high temps and he would have likely died. I am guessing his tail got squashed pinched or something similar. He was out and about and crawled under my art portfolio, can't remember if I was too slow or why he was even allowed under there, It is heavy and I didn't think there would be much space. In any case, I wonder if when I lifted it to get him out, whether I pinched his tail. When he came out there was some skin hanging off his tail. It was very strange. Stupidly I pulled that piece off. By the next day the tip looked lifeless. It is now about half his tail. It is all scabby or peeled looking and pretty dead looking. The "healthy" part doesn't look that healthy to me. Seeing a vet tomorrow.
Is your gecko’s general activity level normal, decreased, or increased? decreased. He used to look up at the mesh and then proceed to climb the highest thing he could find (sigh, made me worry about my husbandry) but if I put my hand in he would climb on (he normally ignores my hand or crawls over it).
Is your gecko’s appetite normal, decreased, or increased? decreased
Have you noticed any of the following?
Weight (loss or gain): presumably loss. Not handling him.
Discharge from the eyes or nose: nope
Increased breathing rate or effort:can't tell, he sometimes breathes more when I watch him anyway,
Change in the droppings: they were normal 3 or 4 days ago as were urates
Urates
---white or yellowish:whitish
---size of urates as compared to size of feces: smaller and consistent with his other poops
Abnormal skin color or shedding: tail
Parasites on the skin or in the feces: no
Weakness: not really, just obvious that his tail is bothering and/or hurting him
Previous problems and/or illnesses: none
Other Critters in Same Cage or in Household three snakes, king, carpet python and ball python
List other animals that are kept in the same cage: no
Recent acquisitions (new pets within the past 6 months): no
Are any of your other pets ill? no
they need a hot side temp of 90-95 to help disgust food. Getting it down to 77 is way to low. Also, are you using a cool hide?