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ravein Jul 10, 2003 08:29 AM


Well my Gecko made it through the night but she is looking bad. Me and my vet have agreed it is probably crypto. Anyone ever beat it before? And ideas? I have been reading up on it this morning and according to a few scientific reports some geckos fully recover. I am hoping that my other leo doesnt get it.. I scrubbed everything down last night with clorox but after what I read this morning the parasites can survive clorine based products...mer...
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Halo and Charlie

Replies (10)

Cleopatra Jul 10, 2003 09:55 AM

Sadly, crypto has no cure...you can treat it for a while, but the disease normally wins. Most cases I have seen with crypto have died from it or have been put down by their owners before they suffer too long. To help reduce the risks of your other gecko getting sick, I would remove all bedding that can harbor bacteria and replace it with paper towels or some other relatively "sterile" bedding. Take out hides with lots of grooves and places where bacteria can breed like mad and replace them with plastic margarine containers (these will be easier to keep clean). Clean the tank as often as you can...soak all hides and the water dish in a bleach/hot water solution (rinse out well) and scrub down the tank as well. Do this at least once a week (keep the healthy leo's tank as far away as you can from the sick gecko's tank). Always take care of the healthy gecko before you take care of the sick one. Wash up to your elbows after handling the sick animal and don't let it climb all over you!!! Good luck!!!

Cleo
1:1 leos (7 eggs cooking)

ravein Jul 10, 2003 10:26 AM

thanks, this is so sad...I have had her for over a year and this just came up in the last few weeks. Do you think the chances are good that my other gecko is infected as well? He shows no signs yet but I was unaware that crypto even existed. They where not separated till yesterday (she has only show symptoms in the last three-four days). I have bleached everything and the tank and removed all bedding. I just wonder how she got this all of a sudden. Could it have laid dormant since I got her? I got her from pets mart (before I knew they where Satan).
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Halo and Charlie

jag Jul 10, 2003 10:40 AM

IM sorry to hear about everything. I have lost two to disease in the past month. It has been very sad. When the tummy turns purple is that a warning sign that something is wrong? I saw it in my circle back ziggy when she wa sick, she had coccidia and we ended up having to put her down.(She was from Petco(I believe)) and then my albino Ally was bought at petsmart and she died in her sleep. She just stopped eating one day and I feed her turkey baby food everyday but still lost weight. She developed the purple on her tummy too. It was very sad. Never again shall I buy one at a pet store.

I hope everything works out for the best for you.

Cleopatra Jul 10, 2003 11:19 AM

I have found that even if the Petco is doing a pretty good job of caring for the leos it is not enough...chain stores like Petco and Petsmart have a high demand for reptiles like leos and so they buy "in bulk" from people who mass produce the babies. Often, these facilities cram babies into plastic containers in a warm room and give them a dish of food and water. Then they will ship out maybe 20 babies to a Petco that needs them. Alot of times the babies are sick right from the first week or two after birth. The only thing Petco is good for is supplies.

Cleo
1:1 leos (7 eggs cooking)

ravein Jul 10, 2003 01:21 PM

I wish I knew what the purple underbelly is... I did read that with the crypto the small intestine is filled with a reddish mucus and the large intestine hardens. So that could explain that. I am freaking out.. I just wanna go home and check on her... I think I am going to have her put down this afternoon. I just cant see her suffer.
this bites
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Halo and Charlie

jag Jul 10, 2003 01:30 PM

Is she going to the restroom any?. Yes, it does bite. But if you believe that she is suffering then you know what you need to do. Trust me i know exactly what you are going through. If you need to talk just email me.

ravein Jul 10, 2003 02:46 PM

not since last night... she has nothing left. she is skinny as a rail...
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Halo and Charlie

jag Jul 10, 2003 02:50 PM

Sorry to hear that

My thoughts are with you and her.

Alicia

Kwikgecko Jul 10, 2003 07:00 PM

10% ammonia solution kills crypto (don't use bleach). You probably have already done a fecal for parasites and treated. My gecko had the EXACT symptoms of crypto and had a possible positive acid fast stain for crypto. It turns out antibiotics(Baytril) seems to be working (she is now 47g) My vet was SHOCKED. You might want to go to your vet and start her on antibiotics if he/she recommends it (mine said it can't hurt). Or a battery of medicines because crypto is almost impossible to diagnose in a live animal!!! Has your gecko come in contact with any other new reptile within that year?? If not it is possible your gecko has something treatable (although crypto can sometimes take a year to develop). Good luck.

ravein Jul 11, 2003 03:55 PM

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!
I am calling my vet today to see.. I don't think there is to much that can be done for my female. She is in really bad shape. I am having her put down this afternoon. My vet doesn't feel there is a chance for recovery. But he is going to do a autopsy to find the cause. It was so rapid that by the time I was really able to tell there was a problem it was to late. '
My hope now is to save Charlie. He is a beautiful gecko.. 12 inches from head to tail. A little mean but he was abandoned ..some meanie just left him in his cage and moved out, he had not been held in over a year... he had not eaten in 3 weeks when I found him. It took me months to get him back in shape. After all we have been through the thought of losing him is about to kill me. Maybe early treatment (if it does indeed turn out to be crypto) will make a difference.
THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!
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Halo and Charlie

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