Health & illness

Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)

Usually a poorly formulated or over-diluted meal-replacement powder, or a diet leaning too heavily on unsupplemented insects instead of the powdered staple.

• —Rubbery or soft lower jaw
• —Tremors and twitching
• —Difficulty climbing or gripping branches
• —Swollen limbs or spine
• —Loss of appetite

A reptile vet visit is essential. Early MBD can improve with corrected diet and supplementation; advanced MBD with skeletal deformity cannot be fully reversed.

Use a reputable, correctly mixed meal-replacement powder as the staple diet, replace it fresh every feeding, and avoid over-diluting it with water.

Retained shed (dysecdysis)

Ambient humidity running below the target range, irregular misting, or too few rough or varied surfaces to help push old skin off.

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

A brief, gentle lukewarm misting session followed by careful removal of loosened skin with a damp cotton bud. Retained eye caps need a reptile vet.

Mist on a consistent daily schedule, keep ambient humidity in the 50–70% range, and provide varied branches and bark for the gecko to rub against during a shed.

Floppy tail / bent tail

Believed by many keepers and breeders to relate to inadequate branch diameter or perching variety during growth, though the mechanism is not fully settled.

• —A tail that hangs limp or bends at an unusual angle when the gecko is at rest
• —Reduced tail mobility

There is no reliable cure once established. A reptile vet can rule out other causes. Focus shifts to ensuring the rest of the husbandry is correct.

Provide branches and perches of varying diameters from a young age so the gecko regularly grips and wraps around different surfaces.

Mouth rot (stomatitis)

A bacterial infection of the mouth, often following an injury from a fall, a bite, or contact with rough decor.

• —Swollen or red gums
• —Cheesy yellow-white material in the mouth
• —Drooling
• —Reluctance to eat

See a reptile vet. Antibiotics and cleaning are usually needed.

Keep the enclosure clean, remove sharp or rough decor edges, and address any mouth injury promptly.

Impaction

Swallowing loose substrate particles, oversized insect prey, or feeding on a substrate that sticks to soft, moist MRP food.

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

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

Feed MRP on a ledge or dish rather than directly on loose substrate, size insects correctly, and use a bioactive or paper-towel substrate for young geckos rather than loose coir alone.

Respiratory infection (RI)

Cold, stagnant, or overly damp air with poor ventilation — a real risk if a humid enclosure is kept too cool or airflow is restricted.

• —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 is likely to return.

Keep the warm end within range, avoid a permanently soaked enclosure, and make sure the enclosure design allows real airflow despite the solid panels needed to hold humidity.

Obesity

Overfeeding MRP, offering fatty treat insects such as waxworms too often, or feeding insects on top of full MRP portions rather than in rotation.

• —A noticeably thickened tail and body relative to the gecko's frame
• —Fat pads visible at the limbs or neck
• —Reduced activity and climbing

Reduce feeding frequency, cut back or remove fatty treat insects, and weigh monthly to track progress.

Follow the feeding schedule for the gecko's life stage, remove uneaten MRP within 24 hours, and treat insects as a rotation rather than an addition.

Egg binding (dystocia)

Females can produce eggs without ever being paired with a male. Binding happens when eggs cannot be passed due to poor body condition, calcium deficiency, or the lack of a suitable lay site.

• —Visible lumps or swelling 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 any female a lay box of slightly damp, diggable substrate, and make sure her calcium intake through the MRP diet and calcium dish is consistent.

Dehydration

Infrequent or inconsistent misting in an enclosure that relies mainly on droplet-licking for hydration.

• —Sunken eyes
• —Loose, wrinkled skin that doesn't spring back
• —Thick or stringy saliva
• —Reduced appetite

Increase misting frequency and offer a shallow soak under veterinary guidance for more severe cases. Persistent dehydration needs a reptile vet.

Mist at least once, ideally twice, daily and confirm actual humidity with a hygrometer rather than assuming misting alone is enough.