Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i got these for 75 each at a reptile expo. i bought them knowing they are imported and that they have not been treated for internal bugs, the male(which is in the container) is more thin then the female, neither show ribs but the hip could be more full.

the male has curls in its tail which at first apeared to be MBD but at closer look and feeling it between myfingers there were no defects in the bones, and after talking to another keeper, he told me it was due to dehydration, which is also common for imported geckos.

i did ask the guy i bought these from how long they have been in his care, he said about a month.
the female is drinking licking water off when i spray, and the male did this wierd "hang upside down" move and started licking the water drippingn off him. how odd!

the female is MUCH more calm then the male who just wants nothing to do with me, i respect that and i have been leaving him alone.

so heres my question:
reptiles can live fine in the wild with paricites, when reptiles are stressed the paracite level increases thus then causing problems, thus needing to be treated, but if no symptoms are present and they are eating and gaining weight at a normal rate, would it be safe to assume they will not need to be checked? concidering how delicate they seem, and how much pain it would be to try to force the treatment into there mouth, and the following side effects.

i dont want these guys to die, but i also dont want to cause added health concerns if they just dont need treatment.

in 3 weeks i can aford the treatment for both of them, but i dont want to further agrovate them.

They are beautiful and I didn't realize how huge they got.

Personally I would treat them, any untreated geckos are a danger to the rest of your collection, and should you ever want to sell any gecko, it would be of concern to the buyer I would think to know that there is a possibility that the gecko they are buying may have some kind of parasite because of some imported and untreated individuals in your own collection.

You also have to consider that if you keep geckos from different places around the world, while these two may be fine with the possible parasites they have, should they get to another gecko in your collection, they may not fare so well for very long.

Personally, I would not let them go untreated as a precaution for the rest of the animals.

yes but i still have the issue of how to treat them with out damaging the mouth or the vent, and when treated how will the side effects effect my geckos?

this is my main concern, i most likely wont be able to bring poop in if i make an apointment tomarrow to take them in. so with that said they will have to probe the vent, these guys have very sensitive skin. i am very afraid of damage to the vent.

if i do get a fecal done and get the meds, how the heck do i open the mouth? i got the male gecko to open his cuz he got mad at me, i was tryingn to give him flukers emergency care to help hydrate and nurish the male since he is more dehydrated and thin. there was no way i could open his mouth with out damaging him, the female never opens her mouth out of fear or frustration so thats even more dangerious!!!

what do i do?!

Well, if the anti-parasite meds are in liquid form, you could use an eyedropper or syringe or similar to drip it onto their noses, whereupon they'll probably lick it up. Not the world's most precise dosage, but at least it would get it into them with less stress than forcing their mouths open.

If it's a solid that you have to get them to eat, I've got nothing.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

i spent alot of time last night on google looking up geckos and treatment for internal parasites, i think the risks are to high to be giving them medicen
http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/leaf-tailed-geckos-uroplatus/23261-treating-wild-uroplatus-sikorae.html
http://lists.gekkota.com/pipermail/gecko/2002-October/000275.html
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46837
each post is about the same stating that its natural in the wild and when stress is added the parasites take over, but if you give medicen to the gecko then it kills bad bactirias and may damage kidneys, if proper aclimation is done with proper temps and clean enviroment, the parasites could get back in check and everything could return to normal,

i dont think i see enough symptoms to want to take that risk for my geckos. i have not checked any of my 5 bearded dragons for parasites and they are all eating and plump and healthy, i got my frill dragon checked and she didnt have any and she was imported and she was really sick at first because of stress and what not.

at this point i am going to wait a month to see if they gain weight on their own and adjust properly while keeping them hydratd