Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well, I had Jambo, my African Fat Tailed Gecko, put down today. I purchased him five years ago as a full grown wild caught individual. About a year after buying him, parasites reared their ugly head. Since then, it's been an on and off battle with them. He'd be good for a few months and gain weight, then drop it again. He had excellent husbandry conditions, and a wonderful vet, who helped us very much, even though reptiles aren't her specialty, none other than Christine McFadden. I was never sure of his age, but it became apparent recently that old age seemed to be a factor in his rapidly declining health. This, coupled with his other health issues, caused him a lot of suffering. Today he could hardly lift his head, so I figured the time had come to say good bye. He was my second gecko ever, and one of the reasons I started breeding Leopard geckos, because I enjoyed him and his relatives so much. I just thought I would share, because the people on the boards are the only people I know that won't look at me wierd for getting upset over a lizard. Thanks for reading this monster of a post. -The Geckofanatic
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1.0 Hypo Tang Leopard Gecko
1.0 Giant Jungle Albino Leopard Gecko
0.1 Normal Leopard Gecko
0.1 SHTCT Baldy Leopard Gecko
0.1 SHTCT Leopard Gecko
0.1 High Yellow Lavender Leopard Gecko
0.1 Albino Tangerine Leopard Gecko
0.1 Unusually Patterned Tangerine Leopard Gecko
1.0 African Fat Tailed Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
0.1 Splendida Kingsnake
1.0 Ball Python
1.0 Sinaloan Milksnake
1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa

i kinda know how you feel at the moment. this is not a good pic of him but Duder is my first gecko ever (petco gecko-111grams). he is also why i started breeding and collecting geckos started with 1 now i have 53 and still climbing. i breed fat tails for the first time this year, just getting my first hatchlings. i didnt realize that a 60% hatch rate was good for fatties. i had one of my het albino little girls hatch, then got all excited because i saw her sister (clutchmate) trying to pip her egg. then she stopped moving and didnt resume trying. i checked in the morning and nothing changed. i figured she had passed, i opened the egg and she was dead. such a shame, she was a very cute little stripy. this is the second time out of 7 hatchlings. when i open the egg it is like when they try to get out they push and try so hard that they rip their little tummies open. i would post pics but its to sad. other then that they are perfectly formed. i talked to Albey about this and he said it happens to everyone even him and there just isnt much you can do about it.

by the way i am very sorry to hear that. sounds like he had a good home while he was hear. i know exactly what you mean about people thinking people like us are dumb because we care about our "lizards". i cant stand it when people always make cruel jokes directed at my geckos and me, specially when they know its something i care about so deeply.

Im sorry for your lost. It´s good to know that theres people in the hobby that cares so much about our little friends.
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4.7.0 Leopard Geckos
0.2. Homonota Darwinii (Talus & Gracilis)
2.5.3 Tarentola Mauritanica (Pickles)
0.1.0 Cham Caliptratus (Clotilde)
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (Cafu)
1.0.0 Black cat (Felipe)
0.0.x Tenebrio Molitor
0.0.x Zoophoba Mario
0.0.x Lobster Roaches
0.0.6 A. Campestratus
0.0.1 E. Musculosa

Sorry for your loss - I've been there with parasites and I know it's really hard to let them go. My first gecko died that way, after I'd only had him for about 6 months. It took me a long time to move on and come back to having geckos. Now his picture watches over the two that I have now - it seemed the most fitting way to remember him.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear