As s responsible owner of crested gecko, you need to have a clear knowledge about their disease and the symptoms. Knowing these will help you to check if your pet crested gecko is ill and if it needs care. Food is normally the cause for most pets diseases or ailments, click here to see what foods are generally not advised to be given to pets.
1. Dehydration
Dehydration happens if the crested gecko enclosure is not low humidity or the temperature inside the cage is higher than their normal. It can also happen if you forget to mist the enclosure and give your pet dry food that doesn’t contain enough water.
Symptoms- shrunken eyes, wrinkled skin, and an unnatural look can be the symptoms of dehydration. The tail is wavy and the hips or the rib cage of the pet is protruding instead of being in normal shape.
Treatment- The first thing you need to do is to check the humidity level of the enclosure. If it is too dry, you need to mist the cage frequently once or twice per day with warm and filtered water to maintain the humidity level. If the humidity level is in the normal range you need to check the temperature of the enclosure, if it is more than the prescribed range you need to make sure it is cooler by misting. You can also change the pet food items to ensure they get hydrated food.
2. Mites
Crested geckos can get mites if they live in a poor atmosphere. It can also come from another reptile. Mites can be a dangerous thing for any pet gecko.
Symptoms– The general symptoms for mite infestation can cause fine ash-like cysts all over the body of your pet. It is the faces of mites inhabiting its body. Some geckos also get small red dots near their ears, eye, and in other sensitive areas like the abdominal region. They might scratch or rub their skin freewheel to get relief from itching. Moreover, mite infestation makes your poet lethargic.
Treatment- Nix or any other medicine used for curing regular lice is enough to get rid of the mites in a creed gecko. If you have any topical medicine to cure human head lice you can use it. You need to prepare a solution with 1 gallon of distilled water and 50-55 ml of that lice killing solution. You can also kill creams or shampoos that kill head lice. Dilute the cream or solution or shampoo and pour it into a spray bottle. Take out your pet and put it inside a tube and spray the chemical mixed solution all over your pet including their heads. Then let them soak for some time.
You need to clean the enclosure and spray the mixture all over the cages to kill the mites. Then rearrange the cage and return your pet inside it. Then spray once again. You should repeat this process once per week for 21 days and the mite will be gone by that time.
3. The metabolic bone disease of MBD
MBD is quite common in pet crested geckos. It happens because of the deficiency of vitamin D3 and calcium.
Symptoms– The symptoms include the wavy tail, soft jaw, curved limbs, appetite loss, and lethargy in your crested gecko. It should be detected early or otherwise, your pet may die due to MBD.
Treatment- If the metabolic bone disease is in the early stage it can be cured with at-home treatments. You need to dust the food of your pet with calcium powder to ensure they get enough of supplements. Moreover, try to use a 5% UVB lamp to ensure they get enough vitamin D3 and calcium to get out of the MBD.
For serious cases, it is better to go to the veterinary doctor so that your pet gets proper treatment.
You need to ensure your pet gets a proper diet and enough water to get healthy growth. On the other hand, you need to ensure the enclosure is clean and hygienic. You must also visit the vet at least once in six months to get a complete report of your pets well being.
