I received this question on the blog and thought it was worth addressing in a separate post. Shed issues can happen at any time of year but are most common in winter when the humidity gets low. Using a shed box (follow directions for nestbox in another post) can help prevent this if you keep the substrate in the shed box wet down with regular misting (not too much water or it will develop bacteria-just enough that you could squeeze the soil into a ball and have it hold together). Retained shed often happens on the toes and tail tip. 

Question received: 
"My crested geckos foot looks burnt or rotting . Im not sure why of whay to do ."

Reply
Lorna 
7/7/2018 08:35:13 amHi Tiffany, 
​
Without seeing the gecko in person I'm going to guess from your description that your gecko has a bad shed situation on it's foot or that it walked through the food or both. Sometimes feet get crusty and they need a "sauna" to help get the shed or food off. Get a Glad box as described in the "How to Make a Nestbox" post and use a hot glue gun to melt some air holes in the lid and/or sides. Not too many because you are going to use the box for humidity-but enough that your gecko is getting some fresh air in there. Don't cut the entrance hole in the lid as described-leave it one piece. Take paper towels and dampen them down with room temp water. Place the towels in the box and spay the box with water. Then place the gecko inside with the lid closed for about 15 minutes. This is usually enough time for the dirt to loosen and hopefully come off by itself on the towels. If it needs more help then wet down a q-tip and see if you can gently scrub the mess away. You may need to use a dab of neosporin without pain reliever if the foot appears raw once the surface shed/dirt is gone. Most of the time the skin is fine under it though. If left too long it can cause restrictions in blood flow and they can lose toes, so it is important to get it all taken care of. If you suspect a deeper injury once you have gone through these steps then a vet visit may be in order. 

Good luck!

When summer heats up the panicked posts by gecko owners about failed air conditioning units heat up as well. Since Crested Geckos, Gargoyles, Chahoua and Leachianus are not fans of excessive heat (sustained temps over 85 can be fatal) some panic is warranted. The key: have a back-up plan.

Your geckos will probably be fine for a few days with a little extra cool misting if *their* temps are in the mid-eighties or below. Note I am referring to the temperature (in Fahrenheit) that your gecko is experiencing, not the outside temperature. You should have a temp gauge in the enclosure to determine this. If your temps are going higher then consider the following options: 

First line of defense for many people: the basement. Basements are naturally cooler, especially if they are below-ground. Heat rises and your upper floors also have the sun shining on the roof-so they will get hotter more quickly. 

Second: Air circulation can help. Run a fan or if the temps outside aren't hotter than inside-open a window. 

Third: lower blinds to reduce sunlight streaming into the house and heating it up. 

Fourth: if all else fails try building an emergency air conditioner. This requires ice refills to keep it going, but it can be handy if you are going to be out of AC for 24 hours or less. 
You can use a bucket, a styrofoam cooler, or a stainless steel bowl for the ice. The more insulated options will keep the ice going longer but not let out as much cool air-play with it to see which temps are working best for you. 
Place ice in a container in front of a running fan. The air from the fan has to be able to blow over the ice. This circulates cold and moisture into the room. 

If you are a DIY type, try this version: https://youtu.be/ITtlxjvLQis

You don't have to use ice cubes. You can freeze water in water bottles, milk jugs, soft drink bottles etc. and place them in the cage or use in a makeshift A/C unit as described above. 

Lastly, have a family member, friend or neighbor who has agreed to let your animals stay over in case of emergency. 

​Hope you and your scaley friends have a cool summer! 

The basics for cage cleaning are pretty simple. The following schedule assumes one moderately messy gecko per cage. If you have a very messy gecko you might need to step up your monthly deep clean to bi-weekly or even weekly. 

1. Put your gecko in a deli cup with air holes and mist cup lightly with room-temp water so they can enjoy a sauna while you clean. Or put them in a temporary cage. 

2. Cleaning your substrate: 

If you are using a paper-towel substrate either for ease of use or for quarantine purposes, simply throw away the towels during your weekly cleaning and replace. 

If you are using a natural substrate like coconut husk or ABS Mix WITHOUT isopods, springtails or other insect cleaners then spot clean weekly. Once a month remove substrate, dampen, place in microwave safe container and steam for one minute in the microwave. Let cool and replace. If fungus has developed or the soil has a sour odor then discard and replace. If you are using a soil mix WITH insect cleaning crew then let your crew do their jobs and make sure the top soil is friable, not wet, while the lower hydration layer holds some liquid. Replace leaf litter as needed. 

If you are using a reptile carpet or similar material then spot clean weekly and wash monthly (or more frequently for spills and mess) with warm water, wring dry and spray with diluted F10 disinfectant. 

3. Window washing: wipe down the sides of your enclosure with a diluted vinegar solution 1:10 or F10 disinfectant. Rinse if using vinegar. If your cage is not bioactive then during your once a month cleaning you can use dish detergent and hot water and scrub the cage down. Rinse thoroughly-dish detergent is an irritant. 

4. Cage furnishings: during your monthly deep clean soak cage furnishings in vinegar and hot water or plain hot water to loosen soil-then scrub and rinse. Spray with F10 solution if available. Always try to put cage furnishings back in the same place. 

5. Food dishes: clean out food and water dishes thoroughly at each feeding to keep down bacteria and bugs. If using shallow dishes for bath areas clean those at the same time. Clean immediately if gecko waste is in the water. 

​

I'm going to edit this later and talk more about bugs, but I wanted to get this link out here to an article in Gecko Time by Mark Finke about the nutritional value of various insects. 

​http://www.geckotime.com/nutritional-value-of-commercially-raised-insects/

A gecko can be a great choice for a low-maintenance, quiet, non-allergen producing pet that won't mess up your house. But whether it is right for your family depends a lot on the age of your children, their temperaments and your willingness to take primary responsibility for your new pet.

Age
Having gotten involved with reptiles when my youngest child was 4 and my oldest was 8, I've had personal experience with small children + gecko interaction as well as my observations of friends, neighbors and customers. The following recommendations are opinions based on my experiences and observations. I acknowledge that every child is different, and that you as a caregiver will have to make the final decision about what your family can handle.  

0-2 years
Given the potential for scratches, bites and salmonella for the child, as well as tail loss and major injury for the gecko, I can't recommend that children this young have more than fleeting contact with a reptile. A minute of petting a calm gecko someone else is holding (with hand washing before and after) is about the right level of interaction for most kids this age. 

3-6 years
The younger the child, the more involved the caregiver or parent will have to be. Children under 6 generally aren't capable of working safely with geckos, or cleaning cages and feeding and watering without constant supervision. WITH supervision these activities are a great learning opportunity for them and they can learn: gentleness and empathy for another living creature, responsibility, motor skills, competency and pride in new skills as well as spending quality time with a caregiver. The awe and joy they can display while handling a gecko is a beautiful thing to behold. At the same time, I have had potential customers walk up to my table at a show and tell me that their 3 or 4 year old was going to be solely responsible for the gecko. That is a rather unrealistic expectation and will more than likely end up in a dead or missing pet. Also possibly a sick child as it is important to remember that any reptile can be a carrier for salmonella and hand washing is very important after handling reptiles or cleaning their cages or furnishings. Supervision is also needed any time a new child is introduced to your pet. Young children under 8 can be easily peer influenced and emotions can run high, so even if they wouldn't normally allow harm to come to their pet or be careless around them, they can be easily distracted or swayed by friends without the same training and mindset. At this age the gecko should be in a supervised public family place or a room that the adults can secure if needed to protect it from younger siblings, young visitors, or even over-enthusiastic playing or "loving". Many cages like the Exo-Terra can be locked with a padlock arrangement as well. 

6-9 years
This is a great age to start teaching independence and responsibility when it comes to a pet. Maybe your child has already demonstrated competence in this area with other family pets. There will be a lot of different levels of maturity here depending on the gender, experience and general personality of the child. My personal recommendation would be to keep the gecko in the supervised family area for the 6-7 year olds and supervise handling with your children and especially with friends. Between 8-10 many children will be old enough to keep the gecko in their rooms. An adult would still need to check on the gecko's health and might need to help with cleaning day as well as supervise initial interactions, but many kids only require reminders for feeding, watering and cleaning times. Other kids at this age can't seem to remember to feed and water their pets no matter how many times they are reminded. Or they still play too roughly or can't remember to keep an eye (or hand) on the gecko while he is out. In that case the pet should go back into the supervised family area until the child is a bit older. 

10-13
Many kids this age are very capable of caring for a pet themselves. They are also capable of researching the pet and it's needs and many of my customers of this age have already purchased and set up the enclosure by the time they come to me. A care sheet, a calendar for feeding times and cleaning times and the proper equipment is usually all that is needed here. Checking behind your child and making sure the gecko has adequate food and water might be needed still, it depends on the child and their activities. Adult supervision when handling might still be needed, but that is an individual decision. 

14+ 
Many teens get so involved with their geckos that they decide to start breeding them. This can be a great experience, but take it slow. It is possible to get overwhelmed with gecko babies very quickly. 

Gifts 
Friends and relatives might be tempted to give a gecko as a gift. Remember that a gecko can live 10-15 years, maybe even more. It is a long-term pet and one that will require adult/parent involvement and supervision for kids under the age of 10. Be sure that the caregivers are on-board before the child unwraps a present that might put a strain on your relationship. Also keep in mind that if a child has been studying geckos they might have very particular colors or morphs that they are interested in. It might be worth letting them pick the gecko out rather than trying to surprise them. 

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. 

Geckos can sustain injuries from various causes. Possible causes: they are self inflicted, sometimes a cage mate gets too aggressive, sharp or abrasive cage furnishings, crickets left in the cage  deciding to chew on the gecko, and bad sheds or improper humidity causing bacterial or fungal infections. 

Nemo's Story: The injury you see in the picture above is pretty severe, it is also part way healed and at the same time at a critical point in healing-because it has become infected. The yellow/brown is not a healthy color for a reptiles injury. I purchased the gecko already injured so I can only guess at the cause. He was being 'gecko sat' by a reptile keeper other than the owner. He was missing the toes on his left foot and the skin on his foot and hemipene/tail area was missing as well. This gecko had been taken to the vet when the injury was first discovered by the gecko sitter. He had been placed on oral antibiotics and the recommendation was to wash the area with a disinfectant such as chlorhexidine. At the time the picture was taken he had finished the oral anti-biotics and infection had started in despite disinfectant and a sterile environment. I started using a topical triple antibiotic in conjunction with the disinfectant. 

I cleaned the injury twice a day and applied the antibiotic. Within a week the injury had turned color as the infection went away and the healthy new grey skin started covering the area. This would not be a healthy color for a human, but it looks great on a reptile. The scales haven't started growing back on the area yet so it doesn't show color. 

The scales grew back over the new skin within the month. Nemo was eating like a pig at this point and gained 20 grams. He went from 35 grams when he arrived to 55 grams. Today he hovers around 70.