Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A few weeks ago, my 3 year old leopard gecko died... right in front of me and there was nothing I could do.

In about two days it gone from seemingly healthy to death, and I really don't know what it could have been, nor if I could have done anything to prevent it!

Do you guys have any idea what the cause of death might have been? I'd like to know because I'm thinking of getting a new one but I really would like to know so I can't make the same mistake (if any) again.

Aw, very sorry to hear that. I hate when pets pass.

To determine the cause of death we may need to know some of the caging information that you had.
What was:
The temperature;
The substrate you were using;
Any heatrocks in the cage?
What food were you feeding it?
After knowing these it may be easier to help you. As it could have been so many differnt things including impaction, ssuffocation, a burn, internal bleeding, a bone problem, ANYTHING.

Very sorry to hear that, it was probably from lack of good husbandry. Like bad temps, not checking temps reguarly making sure its not malfunctioning and being to hot, that kind of stuff. Or mabye parasites? They weren't showing any signs until it just overwelmed the poor gecko. If i were you i'd probably read a little more about these hardy reptiles and give it a go again when you feel comfortable.

I've looked at the temperature every day... Had a heat mat (no heat rocks, read enough about them) that works fine. It was on sand but that only concerned me when it was young. It seemed to have learned not to be overeager when jumping at crickets (main source of food).

I did inform myself a lot before taking my gecko. It was definately a well thought through decision.

It was shedding slightly slower than it used to (didn't finish before dying).

Well for your next leo, if you do put it on sand (which i hope you won't but its your choice) feed it mealworms because A) they can be fed in a bowl with no escapes and B) your leo won't be getting a little bit of sand with each strike. Also crickets are a good way to infest your leo with parasites. The cricket acts as a temporary host for parasites and then when your leo eats the cricket the parasite infects the leo and then you have a long process of getting rid of them.

I chose sand because it looked more natural, but I knew the risks of impaction. I did offcourse buy the finest special reptile sand, and always kept a close look at my gecko (especially when it wasn't fullgrown yet).

I've tried to feed it mealworms but it just didn't take them. If it didn't move, it didn't eat it. Anyway thanks for the information. Didn't know crickets spread parasites. Parasites seem the most reasonable explanation for it's death to me...

I know that sand looks more natural, but it is also quite risky for anything that strikes at things like crickets. I use tiling in my setup, and it still looks natural, since it has a rocky look to it. Leopard geckos in the wild do not live on sand anyhow, they live in the rocky areas of the desert. Everything else sounds fine from the sounds of the setup.