Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I realized that i had forgotten about these subforums,and had originally posted this in the main gecko forum.
So i decided to copy/paste it here.

Posted by: coldthumb at Mon Feb 14 19:15:26 2005 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

I usually keep to the ball python forums,but today i am need help from this forum.
My mother has been succesfully keeping a small colony of 1.2 P.M.G.'s and 1.0 P.M.M. for about three years now.Then,"Dot" (female Grandis)died this last winter,and now her male Grandis is sick.

Some background information...

She got the 0.2 PMG from me as adults.(I raised them from hatchlings).( "Dot" & "Dash" )

The PMM adult male was sent to us by an individual that thought it was a PMG male.( "Max" )

The PMG juvy male(almost adult now)was purchased locally to breed with the two pmg females.( "Dinamite" )

Here is the e-mail she sent to me because she could'nt reach me.
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When I got up this morning he was shedding for the third week in a row.
Last week I had to help him get it off his face.
This morning he looked like he was loosing ground so I picked him up and pulled it off his face and body and tail.
A half hour later he was laying there dead with his tougne hanging out just like Dot did.
Tish missed her bus and I had to take her to school.
I morned all the time I was gone.
When I got back he was in a different part of the cage.
I reached in and touched him and he was cold and wet.
I don't see him move but he does.
I don't think has has eaten or drank all day.
Right now he is in the bottom part of the flower pot.
The only way to check him is take the pot apart but I don't want him to exert himself to run from me.
I turned on the heater under the cage to warm it up more since he is on the bottom.
Any ideas for me.
Love Mom
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Now there was quite a bit of time between when these animals were all aquired.Is there some sort of disease that these guys could have that lays dormant for long periods of time ?

The reason i ask is...My personal collection consists of numerous Python Regius which would rather die quickly if they were to come into contact with a Boa Constrictor that were infected with IBD.All the while that same Boa will live on.
Is there a similar disease in the Phelsuma world?

Any other insight or advice would be greatly appreciated !
Thank you..
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Charles Glaspie

At this time, there is not a disease similar to the one in snakes.

Heating up from the bottom is dangerous - burns could result especially if one is not using a temperature gage to check the heat levels. Ambient heat is best.

Usually, with day geckos, illnesses like this can be one of several things. And yes, all can take place slowly over time:
Nutritional deficiency - badly gut loaded crickets - gecko fails to thrive
Calcium deficiency - usually seen with trouble holding surfaces, changes in bone structure (back, tail, jaw), trembling, convulsions
Too much vitamin A - some symptoms same as calcium deficiencies, and skin problems
Internal parasites/diseases - brought in from outside animals - failure to thrive
UVB deficiency - failure to thrive and some symptoms the same as calcium deficiency.
Incorrect Environmental - failure to thrive, skin problems

Quarantine everyone, from each other and from other animals.

An appointment with a veterinarian is needed. Time is essential. Fecal check.

A complete review of husbandry is needed, with the aid of a reputable day gecko keeper.

Thank you for your insights.

They all appeared so very healthy and active....
After much review of the setup,the only thing it could be is too much vitamin A in their diet.

So we are going to try to get that to a zero intake asap,for now.Not just limited to the foods offered directly,but to the crickets as well. What would be the best sweet food for this crucial time?What staple food do you feed to your crickets,and for that matter,what gut load do you use.

The floor heater mentioned earlier is not a heatmat or che or anything like that.It is a very small space heater she is using to keep the ambiant temperature up in their corner of the room(mild).

Thank you
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Charles Glaspie

For a good cricket diet, consider this:
http://www.adcham.com/html/husbandry/gutload.html

I modify this a bit for my own use. For the dry part, I tend to use cricket food I buy from Premium Crickets (www.premimumcrickets.com) and then mix the wet part with the stuff I find around the kitchen that week. I mix big batches of the wet food, freeze it into little bags. Four times a week I feed one part dry food and one part un-frozen wet food to the crickets (I usually have 5000 crickets at any one time for 200 or so day geckos).

If you haven't a good day gecko book, do consider picking one up as a daily guide: Day Geckos In Captivity, General Care and Maintenance of Day Geckos.

Thank you for your help.
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Charles Glaspie