Crestie health problems

[Pareeeee]

I'm babysitting my cousin's Crested Gecko, Jack, for a week while her and her family are away on vacation.

His condition has gone downhill since I babysat him last summer.

His toes are swollen and not sticky, he can't climb. It looks like signs of low humidity/bad shed to me, but since I've never had any experience with even one health problem with my Crestie I can't be sure. Also something is wrong with his tail. Please see attached album of photos here: Poor Jack - Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/ax2eV)

I feel bad since I'm the one that recommended they get her a Crestie. When they first bought him he was healthy, and I gave them all the information they needed to care for a Crestie.

When she gets back I am going to recommend she cover most of the screen top as I believe that is where the humidity is all going. I've covered it with a damp rag for now and misted the daylights out of the enclosure. Got the humidity almost to 80% now, from what I'm guessing was about 30% before. She apparently sprays down his enclosure every night, but I fear the screen top has negated any of the effects.

Yes, he is fed CGD.

What else can I do to help him out?

[Pareeeee]

...

*bump*

[RyanReptile]

I'm not really sure about the swollen toes but the kinked tail might be caused by calcium deficiency, I've heard that kinks related to calcium deficiency's often produce many small kinks. I've also heard of improper humidity causing kinked tails too.

[Pareeeee]

Ok, I double checked his food and it is fortified with calcium and D3. The linking must be from humidity or injury then. How should I treat his toes?

[JW360]

You can do a humid box for 10 min once or twice a day. Its basically a crestie bath. Just get WARM water not hot on folded paper towels and put it in a small container you can see into. But make sure its small enough to get good coverage of the paper towels and big enough for the crestie to go in. This should help with the stickyness of the pads and also give the little guy or girl an extra dose of humidity.

[Pareeeee]

Ok thanks. I feel bad for the little guy. He uses his feet gingerly too, I can tell they must be tender. :( The one toe is pretty red, the nail looks inflamed too.

I know none of this was done intentionally, since my cousin absolutely LOVES him. I've never seen someone more attached to a lizard. I think it' just lack of knowledge, since Jack's her first reptile. She may even have thought his toes were supposed to look like that. I will have a discussion with her when she comes back. Looks like I have to go over basic husbandry with her again.

[Pareeeee]

I should mention, he apparently gobbles down his CGD, yet his growth is stunted. I don't notice much size difference since I babysat him last summer. He should be twice the size he is for his age, IMO. Could the improper husbandry have stunted him?

[JW360]

I should mention, he apparently gobbles down his CGD, yet his growth is stunted. I don't notice much size difference since I babysat him last summer. He should be twice the size he is for his age, IMO. Could the improper husbandry have stunted him?

is it the Rapashy crested gecko food? Cause she may be giving the wrong ratio of food to water. You may just have to ask a few questions to her and see how she is doing things in a polite way of course.

[Valvaren]

Could you get any pictures where his spine doesn't look like its kinking cause to me in the last two shots it just doesn't look right at all even though I know he isn't sitting straight.

[smy_749]

He definitely has some calcium deficiency going on there. MBD? I'd supplement more, switch to pangea complete (CGD changed its diet recently, i'm not a fan), add a dish of calcium in his enclosure and bump humidity. I don't think that if thats a kink in his back, which it looks like, that it will be going away. The tail may straighten back out though.

[Pareeeee]

Oh I didn't know there was a brand called CGD . I just thought it was a general acronym that stood for Crested Gecko Diet.

His back looks normal, it's just the position he was in in the photo. I will take a pic and post it up this afternoon.

[Pareeeee]

I use Repashy's diet. It's what I recommended to her, but she's feeding him this stuff
(copied and pasted the info about it from Crested Gecko Diets: List of The Best | moonvalleyreptiles.com (http://www.moonvalleyreptiles.com/crested-geckos/diet-nutrition/prepared-diets))

All Living Things Crested Gecko Powder

PetSmart has a new product line which includes a formula very much like the previous Repashy formulas. For those whose geckos refuse Repashy CGD 3.x, this may be a good product for you.

All Living Things Ingredients:
Eggs (whole dried), Honey Powder, Banana Powder, Fig Powder, Mango Powder, Dextrose, Modified Food Starch, Soy Protein, Isolate, Flaxseed Meal, Calcium Carbonate, Vegetable Oil, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dicalcium Phosphate , Dried Kelp, Sodium Chloride, Dl-Methionine, Choline Chloride, Lecithin, Mixed Tocopherols, Silicon Dioxide, Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid, Potassium Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Magnesium Oxide, Beta Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Menadione, Sodium Bisfulfate Complex, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Biotin Supplement, Folic Acid

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (not less than) 21.0%
Crude Fat (not less than) 13.0%
Crude Fiber (not more than) 7.5%
Moisture (not more than) 8.0%
Calcium (not more than) 1.6%
Phosphorus (not less than) 0.35%
Vitamin A (not less than) 4300 IU/kg
Vitamin D3 (not less than) 1200 IU/kg

[Pareeeee]

OK I have now added the new photos to the album. They are toward the bottom.

Poor Jack - Imgur (http://imgur.com/a/ax2eV)

I have titled the new photos.

[Pareeeee]

UPDATE

Keeping his humidity high, at a constant 60 to 70%.
His feet are already starting to look better. He is climbing more, and when I handle him he has a lot better grip and his limbs seem stronger. I've covered 90% of the screen top, leaving just enough for air circulation. That one, especially swollen toe is still quite puffed up, but doesn't seem as sore or irritated (he will now allow me to gently touch it with my finger).

[JW360]

Yay I'm glad it is doing better!!!

[Jinxygirl]

It could have very well been severe dehydration. That can make the tail kink up like that and it can be mistaken for MBD. If he had MBD you would see swelling in his legs and a floppy lower jaw and then some arching of the spine. Glad he is looking better!

[DragonsEye]

The toe might be infected -- does look bloody by the nail. In which case, it is perhaps possible that he snagged his nail on the screen (especially if he was on the screen and if, perchance, your cousin tried to take him out while he was hanging on said screen) or other object.