Health & illness

Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)

Calcium deficiency, vitamin D3 deficiency, or an imbalanced calcium-to-phosphorus ratio from insufficient supplementation or poor gut-loading.

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

A reptile vet visit is essential. Early MBD can improve with calcium, vitamin D3 correction, and improved lighting; advanced MBD with skeletal deformity cannot be fully reversed.

Dust feeders with calcium at most feedings for juveniles and every other feeding for adults. Keep a plain calcium dish in the enclosure at all times.

Retained shed (dysecdysis)

A dry humid hide, ambient humidity that is too low, or a lack of rough surfaces. Fat-tails need more humidity than leopard geckos, so a leopard-gecko-style setup often causes shed problems.

• —Dull or patchy skin after a shed
• —Skin visible on toes, eye caps, or tail tip
• —Swollen toes
• —A cloudy or wrinkled film over the eyes

A warm, shallow soak for 10–15 minutes, then gentle removal with a damp cotton bud. Toes should be treated the same day. Retained eye caps should be seen by a reptile vet.

Keep the humid hide damp at all times, provide rough surfaces, and check toes, eyes, and tail tip within 24 hours of every shed.

Cryptosporidiosis (Crypto)

A microscopic gut parasite spread through the faecal-oral route. It survives on surfaces for a long time and resists most disinfectants.

• —Progressive weight loss despite eating
• —Regurgitation
• —A thin, wasted tail — the fat store is used up
• —Lethargy
• —A steady decline over weeks

There is no reliable cure. A reptile vet can confirm the diagnosis and advise supportive care. Isolate the animal immediately and treat all equipment as contaminated.

Quarantine every new reptile for at least 90 days and buy from breeders who test their stock. Never share equipment between enclosures without proper disinfection.

Parasites (pinworms, coccidia, flagellates)

Internal parasites are more likely in wild-caught geckos, which fat-tails historically were, but any captive gecko can carry them.

• —Loose or unusual droppings
• —Mucus in faeces
• —Unexplained weight loss
• —Lethargy
• —A bloated belly

Have a reptile vet run a faecal test before treating. Antiparasitic medication is prescription-only and depends on the parasite found.

Quarantine new animals, test faeces on arrival, avoid wild-caught insects, and keep enclosures clean.

Respiratory infection (RI)

Cold temperatures combined with damp, stagnant air. A fat-tail's humid setup is fine only if the warm side is warm and air can circulate.

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

See a reptile vet. Bacterial infections need antibiotics. Correct the husbandry at the same time, or the infection will return.

Keep the warm side at the correct temperature, avoid a permanently wet enclosure, and make sure there is adequate ventilation.

Skin infections and scale rot

Wet, dirty substrate, a soggy humid hide, or skin injuries that become infected. Fat-tails are more exposed to this risk than desert-dwelling species because their setups are damper.

• —Blisters or raised scales on the belly or flanks
• —Brown or dark discoloured patches
• —Skin that looks raw or weepy
• —Reluctance to rest on the substrate

Move to paper towel, keep the enclosure clean and dry outside the humid hide, and see a reptile vet. Bacterial infections may need prescription treatment.

Replace damp moss and soiled substrate regularly, keep the humid hide damp rather than wet, and spot-clean droppings promptly.

Impaction

Swallowing loose substrate, oversized prey, or dry bits of coir that cannot pass through the gut.

• —Straining to defecate
• —A swollen belly
• —Loss of appetite
• —Lethargy
• —No droppings for more than two weeks

A warm soak and gentle belly massage can help mild cases. See a reptile vet if there is no improvement within 48 hours — impaction can be fatal.

Use safe substrate, size feeders correctly, and avoid loose substrates for juveniles.

Obesity and fatty liver

Fat-tails are calm, food-motivated animals that gain weight easily when fed too often or given fatty feeders such as waxworms and superworms.

• —A tail thicker than the body
• —Fat pads at the base of the legs and neck
• —Sluggishness
• —Difficulty moving or climbing over decor

Reduce feeding frequency, replace fatty feeders with dubia or crickets, and weigh monthly. A vet can check liver health in advanced cases.

Feed adults two or three times a week, keep fatty feeders rare, and monitor the tail rather than the appetite.

Mouth rot (stomatitis)

A bacterial infection of the mouth, often after an injury, poor hygiene, or a weakened immune system.

• —Swollen gums or lips
• —Cheesy yellow material in the mouth
• —Drooling
• —Refusing food

Needs a reptile vet. Antibiotics and cleaning are usually required.

Keep the enclosure clean, avoid rough handling, and treat husbandry problems early.

Tail loss (autotomy)

A defence mechanism triggered by stress, being grabbed by the tail, or an attack by another animal.

• —The tail separates cleanly
• —The stump bleeds briefly and seals
• —The gecko eats and behaves normally within hours

Keep the enclosure clean and dry and use paper towel while the stump heals. It seals naturally. A regenerated tail is smoother and rounder and may look bulbous.

Never grab a gecko by the tail. Avoid cohousing and reduce stress from other pets or loud environments.

Egg binding (dystocia)

Females can produce eggs without a male. Egg binding happens when eggs cannot be passed due to poor condition, calcium deficiency, or lack of a suitable laying site.

• —Visible lumps in the belly
• —Straining without producing eggs
• —Lethargy and loss of appetite
• —A firm swollen belly that does not resolve

See a reptile vet urgently. Treatment may involve medication or surgery.

Give every female a lay box of slightly damp substrate deep enough to dig in, and keep her well supplied with calcium.