Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a male tokay who has been super healthy for over a year now, and he's started acting odd. He's just kind of hanging out around the bottom of his cage, which is uncharacteristic. He isn't breathing with an open mouth, he responds to me when I walk by his cage, and he has climbed up on the walls of his cage in the past two days...but he looks more limp than normal. He just looks kind of weak. His odd behavior came on pretty suddenly.

Here's the deal. I don't have a regular vet for him, and I'm trying to find a vet to take him to to get him checked out. The problem is that all of the herp vets in my area (I'm in chicago) are booked up today and tomorrow, and I'm afraid that this is a time sensitive thing.

So am I better off taking him to a vet who isn't dedicated to herps but getting him in soon, or should I wait for someone who knows what they're doing and risk waiting a day or two?

I'm sure this gets added to loads of posts, but if I could get a response to this ASAP, it'd be much appreciated.

Most Tokay geckos are WC and can have a parasite load that takes over if the caging conditions are not just right. I would suggest to check: temps, humidity, etc. I would take the gecko to a vet that can do a fecal float which generally all vets can do-- ASAP. Call any of the "regular" vets & see if they can refer you to someone who tends to treat reptiles more frequently. You can possibly find a decent reptile vet in your area : www.arav.org
Goodluck

Thanks. I got home from work last night and he looked good again, and then ate like a champ that night.

I monitor the temps and humidity 24 hours a day (my thermometers have a memory for max and min on both temp and humidity), and everything looks OK.

I wonder if he's acting funny because it's starting to get cold in my apartment though (with winter coming). The inside temperature of his cage is still maintained between upper 80's (at the top of the cage) and lower 70's (at the bottom), but the walls themselves feel kind of cold. I have a heating pad against the back wall, and he's just been hanging out on that thing, so I wonder if he's just sick of having his gut against a cold wall and only his back being warmed up.

Anyway, I'll take a fecal sample in for a check up, I hope everything is A-OK. Thanks for the help.

In case anyone reads the old posts, I'd just like to ad that if a "regular vet" gets him in sooner and is willing to take a look at him than that's ideal. Veterinarians will often discuss cases with one another and if over their head, they will refer you to someone who can handle it. A fully booked clinic will more likely take you in if you are a referal. With that said, the vet tech and/or receptionist should be able to fit you in if they determine that this is a must see case.