This section is designed to assist a new keeper with general information that may prove helpful when acquiring a gecko for the first time. It will (hopefully) provide a basic overview of issues that new keepers need to be aware of.
What to look for when purchasing a gecko
One of the most obvious ways to minimise any potential problems when acquiring a gecko is to try, in as far as is possible, to purchase a healthy animal that is free from any 'issues'. As a general rule, I would always advocate purchasing a gecko from a reputable breeder rather than from a pet shop. Although there are excellent shops out there, a good breeder will probably be able to furnish you with more information that would be available from a shop. For example, they may be able to provide details on the parentage of the gecko, its exact hatch date, possibly shedding, eating and weight records etc. If you collect the gecko in person, many breeders will happily show you the other animals in their collection, enabling you to confirm their general health etc. They will also often be only too happy to provide information on how to care for the gecko and advice if you do experience any problems.
When buying a gecko it is always best to examine the animal carefully for any health issues. Particular points to look for include:
- Does the animal look to be of a healthy weight?
- Do the body and tail look in proportion?
- Does the animal seem to move easily with no sign of any mobility problems being apparent?
- Are the back and limbs straight with no signs of bending or swelling?
- In the case of aboreal geckos, can the animal climb with ease, even on smooth surfaces?
- Does the animal have clear eyes that are free from discharge?
- Does the nose look clear with no sign of discharge?
- Does its breathing seem regular and unlaboured with no signs of wheezing / rasping?
- Is the animal's vent clean with no sign of diarrhoea? If any faeces is visible in the enclosure, does it look firm and well-formed?
- Does the animal appear to be clear of retained shed, particularly around the animal's feet, eyes or tip of it's tail?
If the answer to all of the above questions is "yes" then the animal, from a visual inspection at least, is healthy. However, merely performing a visual check by no means guarantees that the animal has no underlying health issues; it is for this reason that it is absolutely essential to place any new animal in quarantine for a minimum of three months.
Quarantine
I really cannot emphasise strongly enough just how crucial quarantine is for a newly acquired gecko, especially if it is joining an already established collection. Essentially, quarantine provides an opportunity for the new owner to observe the animal closely and monitor its eating, weight, defecation, shedding and general behaviour so that any potential problems that may not have been apparent during the initial check made when the animal was purchased can be identified and treated as necessary.
The overall procedure is that the animal should be housed in strict isolation from any other animals in the collection (preferably in a separate room if possible), normally in a basic enclosure (to facilitate ease of cleaning) for a minimum period of three months, preferably longer, as it may take several months for any issues to become apparent. During this period the gecko's weight should be carefully monitored, with the weight being recorded on a weekly basis to ensure that it is either maintaining a healthy weight or that its rate of growth is as would be expected. Additionally, full faecal tests should also be run by a vet to ensure that the animal is free from parasites and / or worms that may not only affect its health, but also the health of any other geckos in the collection through cross-infection. Personally, I ensure that at least two faecal tests are run on all new additions: one immediately upon arrival and one just before the quarantine period ends (with additional tests being carried out as / when necessary).
Strict hygiene should be followed at all times when handling reptiles; for example, hands should always be washed thoroughly after handling each animal, preferably using an alcohol-based hand wash. Care must be taken to make sure that any utensils used are allocated to specific animals and are not used generally for the entire collection so as to minimise the risk of cross-contamination. It is also advisable to feed / clean new additions after existing animals have been dealt with, once again to reduce the possibility of cross-infection. Under no circumstances should feeders from one enclosure be recycled into another; any that are left uneaten should be removed from the vivarium and disposed of, not returned to tubs to be used again.
Quarantine procedures should be followed for every gecko purchased without exception.
Settling in to a new home
Geckos can often be quite nervous creatures and therefore often take some time to settle in to a new environment. This may be reflected by a period of days or even weeks where an animal may hide away and / or refuse food. It is therefore essential to allow a period of relative quiet so that the gecko can become familiar with its new surroundings. During this time, disturbance should be avoided if at all possible and feeding / cleaning should take place quietly with minimum fuss. No attempt should be made to handle the gecko, even if it belongs to a species that is generally considered to be 'handleable' (e.g. leopard, crested and gargoyle geckos). Eventually, the gecko should become more confident and begin to settle in to its new home.
Cleaning enclosures
Cleaning enclosures properly is crucial as maintainence of excellent standards of hygiene will help ensure the health of the gecko. For this reason, each vivarium should be spot cleaned every day, where any faeces, spoilt food and general mess is removed from the enclosure. I then clean all enclosures more thoroughly every one to two weeks: all decor is removed and washed thoroughly, substrate is either disinfected if it's slate or replaced as necessary in the case of eco earth. The vivarium itself is then also disinfected using a reptile safe disinfectant (personally, I use F10SC ), rinsed with clean water and dried thoroughly before its contents are replaced.
Rescuing animals
From time to time, geckos that are experiencing ill health or are generally in poor condition are offered for rehoming by their owners (or, where the owner or even pet shop is unscrupulous, they can even be advertised for sale as 'healthy' specimens). While seeing the plight of such animals can make rescuing them very tempting, serious consideration should be given before such a course of action is embarked upon. Anyone wishing to rescue a gecko should seriously reflect upon the following before making such an undertaking:
Will taking on a rescue animal endanger an existing collection?
Many animals that require rehoming / rescuing are underweight and therefore can be experiencing underlying health problems, including parasites or crypto, that can easily be transmitted to other animals. Unless the facilities exist to strictly quarantine a rescued gecko in a separate room well away from other animals, it would be safest not to take on the task of looking after it.
Do I have the money to dedicate to a rescue?
It may be tempting to believe that an animal that, for example, is underweight will be alright so long as it can be encouraged to eat or that one that is suffering severely from retained shed will experience no further problems once that shed is removed. However, both of these symptoms may be indicators of underlying health problems that will not be resolved simple by offering fattening foods like wax worms or providing a moist hide. Rescue animals therefore frequently require urgent veterinary treatment, which can prove expensive financially. Can you afford the resultant vet's bill, which can often be hefty? And the cost of any additional sundry equipment, for example syringes, latex gloves, disinfectant etc that may be required? A further point to consider is that, depending upon the reason for the gecko's ill health, it may prove necessary to dispose of any equipment used in its care. For example, if an animal is confirmed to be suffering from crypto, then destroying the vivarium that it has been housed in is far preferable to attempting to eradicate this highly contagious parasite. If the expenditure on replacement equipment will pose a problem, then rescuing a sick animal should be seriously reconsidered.
Do I have the time to dedicate to a rescue?
In addition to proving expensive, caring for rescue animals can also prove very time consuming. You should therefore ask yourself if you have the time / resources to make repeated trips to a good herp vet (who may be many miles away) as and when necessary? Can you spend hours repeatedly administering medication / bathing an animal to remove stuck shed / monitoring an animal's feeding etc?
Do I have the experience to provide optimum care for an animal?
Sick animals are, almost by definition, already experiencing physiological stress and require immediate care in optimum conditions in order to maximise their chance of recovery. Unless you have the experience to be able to rapidly establish a suitable environment for an animal and, preferably, experience with healthy specimens of that species, it may prove difficult to provide it with the optimum husbandry that will be required to nurse an animal back to health.
Am I really prepared to act in the best interests of the animal?
All too often people take on animals as a knee-jerk reaction to seeing it in an appalling condition. While the desire to give a sick animal every chance at life is perfectly understandable, there may come a point when, to prevent further suffering and, potentially, a lingering death, euthanising an animal is by far the kindest option. A potential rescuer who feels that they may be unable to make such a distressing decision may do well in not taking on a rescue in the first place.
