When you decide to buy a Leopard Gecko you should consider many different things. Do you have all the equipment needed eg,
Vivarium, Heatmat, Hides e.t.c, are you prepared to keep it for a period of up to 10 years? Can you afford to heat it? Are
you prepared to give it live insects and newborn hairless mice? All of this is needed to look after a leopard gecko so if
you are not up to it don't buy one. A leopard geckos tail breaks off if it is pulled, snapped back or jolted so really try
your
best to leave the tail alone. If the tail breaks off you have to keep feeding your gecko because the tail is where the fat
is stored. The tail will grow back but it will never look as nice as the original.
STRESS
This is caused by too much handling, not enough hideboxes or an unfit environment for it. The best thing to do is drape a
towel over the vivarium so that it isn't disturbed, feed it with 8 crickets and leave it for a week.
HEALTH
Mouth rot is caused by them banging their mouth on something hard and the lip becomes infected. It will look like a yellow
blister on
the lip. Take it to a vet or reptile vet asap.
SKIN INFECTIONS
This can be caused by a bad substrate on the floor, it could be too moist or too rough for it. This will appear on the stomach
or under the chin as a black or blue circle. The leopard gecko should be moved to a sterile cage with only a hidebox, heat
and water bowl. Take it to a reptile specialist again for swabbing with the right treatment.
SHEDDING TROUBLE
Your leopard gecko sheds its skin every month and eats it. The gecko will go grey with little bits of skin hanging off of
it.
You must make sure it sheds properly. The process takes up to an hour to an hour and a half. If it still has skin hanging
off of then your gecko is too dry. Either spray it with a clean plant sprayer or at night I put a butter tub full of wet tissue,
kitchen roll or toilet paper and let it sit on that so it soaks up the water. A good tip is to put bark or rough surfaces
such as stone in because they rub against it to take off the excess skin. If you use rocks use special glue for animals to
glue the rocks together incase your gecko climbs and a loose rock falls.
GASTROENTERITIS
This is a digestive problem that can dehydrate a leopard gecko. You can tell if your leopard gecko has this by seeing if its
faeces is watery, green or bloody. If your gecko has this take it to a reptile vet and get it checked out for a stool sample.
METABOLIC BONE DISEASE
This is a lack of calcium. The geckos jaw will become soft and limbs will grow in unnatural positions. You must go to a
reptile shop and get proper vitamins for this to prevent it. But if this has already happened, there's no cure and you only
have yourself to blame for not giving it proper vitamins.
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