We got a small (1.5 inch) house gecko 3 weeks ago and named him Tiktiki. It was light brown and really skinny and had lost its tail when we got it. We fed it live crickets with calcium supplement and it has since gotten darker, fatter and it looked like its tail was growing back. Today, however, it seemed to take a turn for the worse. It was laying on its back in the middle of the habitat (instead of climbing or hiding somewhere). When gently poked, it turned over and walked lethargically. I don't think it has eaten crickets for a few days. Its habitat is a 5 gallon tank with wood chips, soil, and tropical plants. There's also plenty of wood and caves for him to hide/climb. We use an incandescent bulb for heating/lighting (which is on a timer), and we monitor his temperature and humidity closely.

Is there something we can do to nurse him back to health? Is it ever normal behavior for geckos to lay on their back? We're new to geckos, but I thought we had done enough research and built him a nice habitat. Did we do something wrong? We feel terrible about that our Tiktiki is sick, especially when he seemed to be doing so much better than when we got him.

Thanks for any advice you can give.


- Rebecca & Spencer

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