What is normal growth? So you are feeding, he is eating, but still no visible growth? Yes, there could be something wrong, internal parasites being the most common cause. But before you reach for the Panacur consider this: 

1. Are you feeding every other day or at least 3x per week?
   
2. Are your temperatures consistently in the mid 70's F? A crested gecko will tolerate temps down to 65 but they grow faster in the mid 70's. So winter is a natural time of slow growth. 
   
3. Are you misting once a day or keeping the humidity above 40%?
   
4. Did your gecko come from big parents or smaller parents?
   
5. Are you weighing your gecko on a gram scale? Have you noticed an increase in weight over the course of a month or so even if it isn't what you would like? 
   
6. Have you owned your gecko for more than 4 months?
7. Are you feeding your gecko bugs? Higher protein can often lead to faster growth as long as you balance with a good crested gecko diet. 

Geckos usually reach full maturity in two years. That often means 40 grams but some geckos will only get to 35 because of smaller size genetics. This is an average time frame. Some geckos will attain full size in a year, some in 18 months and some in 3 years.  Think about when you were a child. Did you grow perfectly on schedule or did you have crazy growth spurts combined with some times when you sat around wishing you would grow? Even if geckos do reach 40 grams at a young age, it's common for a final growth spurt and change in crests and coloring to occur around the 3-4 year mark as well.

• Are you weighing on a gram scale? Sometimes it will seem like a gecko is the same weight just by looking at it, but when you weigh you will be surprised to find that it has been steadily adding grams.  
• Are you expecting weekly growth? Weighing weekly is fine but you usually won't see a huge difference from week to week. You should notice weight gain over the course of a couple months. Weight loss is always something to keep an eye on unless you weighed after a big bug meal one week and in between meals the next. 
• Have you spoken to the breeder? Some breeders know that certain lines are slow growers vs. other lines. They also know that the parents might be smaller to begin with. 
• What season is it? Again, if you are going into winter or coming out of it then growth is likely to be slower unless you are supplementing with light, heat, and humidity to mimic spring/summer conditions. 
• How long have you owned the gecko? It takes time to settle into a new home and new environment. This can throw a gecko off of their normal growth cycle. If you have owned it for less than 4 months then it is fair to assume it is still settling in. As long as you are seeing SOME weight gain and not loss and the gecko is pooping regularly then chances are things are fine. 

This is a very common question, especially with new gecko owners. Young geckos can be pretty frustrating. One week they are voracious and will eat every bug in sight and clean their bowls of crested gecko diet. The next week they ignore everything. As caretakers we have a constant nagging worry that there is something wrong with them or with our husbandry if they aren't consistently eating and growing like weeds. If we post a picture and someone tells us that our gecko is 'too small' for it's age then suddenly that worry blooms into full panic. There are a few things to keep in mind before panic sets in though. 


Geckos can go off their food for a number of reasons:

•  Settling into a new home is very stressful and they have to 'find' the food once they are calm enough to eat it. Always putting the food in the same place will help with this. 
• Geckos do not have the same appetite from meal to meal, any more than you do. Sometimes they get bored with the food, want live food, or just don't feel like eating. It happens. There are some changes I'll recommend below but as long as they are pooping and aren't losing weight then things are still good. 
  
• Weather plays a big part in appetite. Geckos typically grow (and so eat more) from early spring to late fall. Winter is a season of reduced appetite and slow growth unless you supplement with UV bulbs and heat. You should always increase humidity during this time to offset the dry winter air. 
• Adding a 'room-mate'  will usually result in territorial shuffling and dominance wars-this includes the food bowl. There is often a dominant eater and they can hoard the food dish. Multiple food dishes can sometimes help with this as will a larger environment, but separating them is often the best answer. 
• Remember that your gecko's tongue is small and so is he. Don't expect a young gecko to consume a tablespoon of food at a sitting. I usually recommend feeding in a bottle cap until they are around 6 grams or so. That is usually plenty of food for a gecko 3x per week. I serve roughly 1 teaspoon for geckos under 10 grams, 2-3 teaspoons for juveniles and a tablespoon for older geckos over 15-18 grams and up to 2 T for an adult that cleans their dishes. They don't always clean their dishes at these amounts but I find with less that the food tends to dry out. It needs to be liquid enough that the gecko tongue can break the surface tension to eat it. 
• Sometimes less is more. If you have a picky eater then reducing their food can sometimes break a hunger strike and make the food more interesting to them. Try putting just enough in the dish that it stays fresh that night, but no more. Continue for a week and see if you start noticing lick marks. 
• Changing the food flavor/type can break a hunger strike. It can also start one, so if you are introducing a new food for the heck of it then mix it half and half with the original food for a week or two to help the gecko get used to the flavor. Mixing blended fresh fruit as a treat can help interest your gecko in it's diet again. Avoid citrus fruits. Berries, mango, and papaya are often very popular and have good calcium to phosphorus balance. Blend and add to the diet as a treat. If you do this with every meal you will throw off the nutrients in the diet, so I would recommend as a treat only. Pangea makes a fruit mix with nutrients that can be used for this purpose if you don't want to work with fresh.  
• If you aren't feeding live then try a few dubia roach nymphs or crickets sized to fit between the gecko's eyes. This can help with cage boredom as well as give a young gecko extra protein and fat to grow. Remember to dust the bugs with calcium and gut load them the night before by feeding with your CGD or a commercial feeder food. They don't need live with every meal, just once or twice a week is plenty. Don't leave more crickets than he can eat in one sitting in the enclosure-they bite. Roaches can stay in a plastic or glass dish for a couple days-leave them a dot of CGD if you want them to survive. 
• Moping due to re-decorating. Strange concept? Well these guys do not really appreciate our skills as interior designers. They want to get used to their enclosures and their furnishings and they don't like it when you change things around. Either put the furniture back or just accept it will take time for them get used to things again. 

Illness 

What if you have followed the steps above and you are sure that something is wrong? Then I recommend visiting a vet. You have a couple of options. You can get a fecal float done without taking the gecko in and many times this is the less expensive option. You will need to find a vet who works with exotics and communicate with them prior to your appointment about your expectations, their rules, and their pricing. A fecal test is done to determine whether the gecko has parasites that are visible under a microscope. Further the test is done to determine WHICH parasite (or virus or bacteria) you are dealing with since different medications are indicated for different problems. Generally speaking all geckos have some parasites in their gut, and various feeders including crickets also transfer parasites to the gecko, but most are harmless and will not affect growth or health. But if the gecko is under stress parasite colonies can suddenly flourish and need outside medication to get them back under control. Your vet may also feel that the gecko needs an antibiotic shot, in which case they will want an office visit. 

Obviously parasites aren't the only medical issue that could keep a gecko from thriving. Other issues like impaction, which could happen from eating too large a bug, dirt, paper towels, fake berries attached to plants etc. could also be a problem. There are other issues that are outside the scope of this article but a good vet should be able to help you determine cause and cure if you gone through the possibilities above and have not been able to help your gecko. It's worth mentioning that if your gecko is displaying other symptoms like lethargy (does not react to being picked up or handled), convulsions, trembling, all-over stuck shed, skinniness to the point of ribs and hip bones being visible, bloated bellies with skinny tails, lying on it's back or other unusual behavior then a vet visit is probably your best bet before you try feeding remedies. Sunken eyes are often a sign of dehydration.