Most often caused by feeding an incomplete diet — live insects without a complete CGD base, or a poorly formulated homemade mix — rather than lack of UVB, since this species' UVB dependency is lower than a basking species.

• —Rubbery or soft limbs
• —Tremors and twitching
• —Difficulty walking or lifting head
• —Jaw deformity or swelling
• —Loss of appetite

Vet visit is essential. MBD is reversible in early stages with calcium supplementation and UVB correction. Advanced MBD with skeletal deformity cannot be fully reversed.

Feed a quality complete commercial CGD (Pangea, Repashy) as the diet base — this alone largely prevents MBD in this species. Dust any optional live insects with calcium if offering them.

Cryptosporidium varanii — a microscopic gut parasite. Spread via faecal-oral route. Can survive on surfaces for months.

• —Progressive weight loss despite eating
• —Regurgitation of food
• —Tail wasting — gecko appears 'pinched' behind the ribs
• —Lethargy
• —Worsening over weeks

There is no cure. Supportive care can slow progression. Strict isolation from all other reptiles immediately. Equipment must be bleached or destroyed — crypto resists most disinfectants.

Quarantine all new geckos for a minimum of 90 days. Never share equipment between animals without sterilisation. Source geckos from reputable breeders who health-test their stock.

Insufficient enclosure humidity is the most common cause for this species, along with inadequate rough surfaces to rub against or underlying health issues preventing a complete shed.

• —Dull patches of skin after shed
• —Skin visible on toes, eye caps, or tail tip
• —Toe swelling
• —Cloudy eye after shed is complete

Warm soak for 10–15 minutes, then gentle removal with damp cotton bud. Eye caps: vet visit. Toes: treat the same day — do not wait.

Confirm the enclosure genuinely holds 50–80% humidity with a hygrometer and mist consistently. Provide rough surfaces (cork bark, branches). Check every shed within 24 hours.

Internal parasites are common in wild-caught geckos and possible in any captive gecko. Usually manageable rather than fatal.

• —Loose or unusual stools
• —Mucus in faeces
• —Unexplained weight loss
• —Lethargy
• —Bloating

Faecal test from a reptile vet — do not treat without a diagnosis. Antiparasitic medications are prescription-only and differ depending on the parasite.

Annual faecal testing recommended. Quarantine new animals. Never introduce wild-caught insects to the enclosure.

Usually caused by humid, stagnant air from poor ventilation rather than high humidity alone — this species needs genuinely high humidity (50–80%), but it needs to be paired with good airflow. Bacterial or secondary infection follows.

• —Mucus around nostrils or mouth
• —Wheezing or clicking sounds when breathing
• —Open-mouth breathing
• —Lethargy
• —Reduced appetite

Vet visit. Antibiotics for bacterial RI. Correct the husbandry simultaneously — if the environment that caused it remains unchanged, the infection will return.

Maintain 50–80% humidity as this species needs, paired with genuinely good ventilation (mesh sides, well-ventilated top) so the humidity doesn't turn stagnant.

Ingestion of substrate (sand, gravel, walnut shell, calcium sand) that cannot pass through the digestive tract.

• —Straining to defecate
• —Bloating
• —Loss of appetite
• —Lethargy
• —No faeces for more than 2 weeks

Warm soaks, gentle belly massage along the direction of the gut. Vet visit if no improvement within 48 hours — impaction can be fatal if left untreated.

Use safe substrate suited to age. If offering optional live insects, hatchlings and juveniles hunting on loose substrate are most at risk — use paper towel for young geckos being fed live insects.

A voluntary self-defence mechanism triggered by stress, handling of the tail, sudden startling, or attack by another animal. Unlike leopard geckos, crested geckos do NOT regrow a lost tail — the loss is permanent.

• —Tail separates cleanly at a fracture point
• —Stump bleeds briefly then seals
• —Gecko continues eating and behaving normally within hours
• —No tail regrowth occurs — the stump heals over and stays that way

Keep the enclosure clean and dry to prevent infection at the stump. Dab with dilute betadine if available. The wound seals naturally — do not bandage. This is cosmetic, not a health emergency, but it is permanent.

Never grab, restrain, or lift a gecko by the tail — support the whole body instead. Handle gently and avoid startling the gecko during handling.

Female geckos produce eggs even without a male. Egg binding occurs when eggs cannot be passed — due to size, poor condition, or lack of a laying site.

• —Visible bulges in the lower abdomen
• —Straining without producing eggs
• —Lethargy, loss of appetite
• —Swollen, firm belly that doesn't resolve

Vet visit urgently. Oxytocin injection may be sufficient; in severe cases surgical removal is required. Do not wait — egg binding is fatal without intervention.

Provide a laying box (moist sand or coco coir, deep enough to dig) for all female geckos, even if no male is present.