What's wrong with my crested???

[bluesox_68]

My crested won't stick to anything I know she's sick but what can I do?I dust my crickets. friend tell me that its low calcium so I've been feeding her lots mixed with babyfood. She seems not to be interested in crickets anymore or she just can't get them. I don't know what to do she just sits at the bottem please help!
Any info would be great.

Thanks

Shane

[CDN-Cresties]

Hi did you read the responses to your post in This thread? (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63975)

[bluesox_68]

Hi steve sorry to ask on your thread last time. I am a new member and I thought I was starting my own. Too answer you questions she shed before she got sick and she is not eating crickets because I put her in a 10 gallon and threw in 10 crickets 4 days ago and there still all there. She also looks bloated in her back end and she is only a 1 1/2 year old she has no energy she can't even walk good on the ground and not enugh strength to climb. Got any advice! She is awsome and I don't want to loose her

[chappy]

Hey Shane,

When this happened to my crested gecko a few years back, it turned out he had a case of MBD (metabolic bone disease). This was caused by him not absorbing calcium (even though I supplemented him)

His limbs and belly looked very chubby and were way rubbery. No energy and not walking or sticking sounds very very much like what I had...

Here's what you can do (without going to a vet, but I did anyway for only 60$, so it's not that bad. That covered meds and an xray):

1. Find some liquid calcium, administer 1-2 drops daily. This is available through vets or at the petstore.

2. Get a UV light. I know most people don't use them for their cresties, but this is what I did for mine and he returned to full health. Leave the light on in his enclosure for 12 hours a day.

3. Find a vitamin supplement if you can (Emeraid is a great one, available through a vet usually) mix some into babyfood and syringe feed it to the gecko. Make SURE it has vitamin D3 in it.

Try this for a few weeks until your gecko improves... if left too long he can develop kinks in his bones, tremors and neurological damage...

Good luck and keep us posted!!

***Heather Rose on Nicks computer...(he's tied up and gagged in a chair in the corner.)

[labomb]

well if it's MBD, two drops a day of liquid calcium (it comes in a dropper bottle at some pet stores) and a 7% UVB on 10-12 hours a day for a month is what I did for my crestie as recomended by heather rose I believe. It seems to have worked. He never stopped eating baby food, but didn't seem to have the strength to catch or swallow crickets. I got the emeraid from a vet and put a little in the baby food. He never looked fat or bloated but had bad tremors in his feet and legs which went away within a couple days of treatment. I really thought he was a goner he looked so bad before treatment. but he's lookin good these days.

My female went through a couple weeks of staying on the bottom although she could climb a bit if I encouraged her. She wouldn't eat crickets. she just didn't seem right so I hand fed her baby food mixed with CGD and a bit of calcium powder for a couple weeks and she perked up and doing good now.

[bluesox_68]

Heather Thank you so much for your help!! I am serious Thank you. I will do what you said and keep you posted on how she's doing. Hopefully she will be fine in a few weeks!

Thanks

Shane

[concept3]

great advice offered in this post, and make sure you fallow it. Just one thing that was not mentioned, If you do feed your crestie baby food, mix in some chicken or turkey baby food with it. This will give her the protein she requires while she is not eating insects,

[labomb]

one more thing, I rarely give my cresties banana baby food although it is a favorite. But I noticed that when I gave it to the crestie with MBD that his symptoms worsened the days he had the banana baby food. don't know if it was coincidence or not, but I just don't chance it any more.

[chappy]

Bananas have a lot of potassium, which I read is bad for cresties (and most reptiles)... I don't know if that would actually affect an animal within a few days but who knows :p Mine like banana too, but they get it in moderation...

- Heather Rose on Nick's computer

[Asian Jon]

Yea mine love banana. I also give it to them in moderation too as I have read on here before that it is not too wise to give them too much of it.

- Asian Jon on Asian Jon's Computer

[concept3]

excess potassium makes it hard for most reptiles to absorb calcium. Thats why as Heather mentioned it is not good for reptiles, and Is the reason I avoid feeding bananas alltogether.