Golden gecko...

beanersmysav · 02-04-05, 05:03 PM

Well he's starting to shed he was stuck in shed but humidity helped em' alot! What's the black thing on his back? No one knows. It looks like a scar or something its pretty hard...

<img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/5845golde1.jpg">
<img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/5845golden2.jpg">
<img src="http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/5845golden3.jpg">

Atleast he's not pure black anymore?

Double J · 02-04-05, 05:18 PM

Beaners.... don't forget that this is an arboreal gecko.... they are closely related to tokays and white-lineds... and their care is relatively similar.

Your setup for this gecko looks like something you would keep a leapard in.
I would add some cork bark, fake plants, slate, or something to climb on. And keep this gecko relatively humid... not dart frog humid... but, fairly humid for the time being anyway.... until he is able to deal with that shed. doubt that he will uset that humid hide.. but I suppose it can't hurt.

As for the black spot... it looks like some sort of a burn from a heat lamp.

Good luck with this guy.

JeffT · 02-04-05, 05:57 PM

You need to get that guy some tall plants and a bushy enclosure. I cant see it being at all happy in a tank with paper towel bedding and pieces of wood... I have mine in a 25 gal on its side for extra heigh. Its full of large logs, soil, moss, and tall plants. With their cage they have bred and produced several clutches of fertile eggs and thrive.

beanersmysav · 02-04-05, 06:09 PM

He does have plants in there that you can't see from the picture. I have him on paper towels waiting for a bowel movement if you'd seen my other post his is a rescue and he has not yet eaten or shed. I spray the tank down 3 times a day to keep humidity up. He does use the humid hide as well as the fact I use the lid as a small water dish even though I don't think he'll ever use that. So once he has a bowl movement that I can take in for a fecal I'll start to add sphagnum moss like I do for all of my geckos. If you've seen any of my other aboreal geckos tanks you'll know I know how to care for them

. There is no way in hell that black mark is a burn the guy never used any light for him period. So it's got to be something else.

TLH_Wär§cöötmän · 02-04-05, 06:28 PM

Hope the little guys ok, maybe bring him to the vet when you go for fecal testing and see what they say about black mark?? Might be from a spot that skin did not shed?? Just a thought...

beanersmysav · 02-04-05, 07:04 PM

Yeah with this poor guy one guess is as good as another. 2+ years, no heat, no calcium, no vitamins, being fed odd fruits and veggies and occasional crickets. Moldy tank, growing plants of some odd sort that weren't in ther intentionally, mushrooms, god only know what could be wrong with this poor guy :-/ I have got him to eat any crickets yet but he will lick baby food off of his nose, am getting CGD soon to mix with the baby food for nutrition

beanersmysav · 02-04-05, 07:05 PM

OH also by the way he had such bad suction because of his shedding issue he's probably 2 sheds on there or something odd because he doesn't have enough grip or strength to even climb that log I have in the picture...sad really...

TLH_Wär§cöötmän · 02-04-05, 07:07 PM

I'm betting malnutrition. Hope that he doesnt lose toes or something..

marisa · 02-04-05, 09:52 PM

Golden Geckos easily stress. Especially when it comes to eating crickets. I have found if they have been recently stressed out, they will not hunt live prey at all. I have no idea why, but I have seen it on a consistant basis with mine. After a stressful period, i.e. a move or something, mine will not hunt live prey for 6-8 weeks! Everytime.

I highly doubt he will ever ever touch the humid hide, so your constant misting is a good idea. I would set up a aboreal feeding dish (use some velcro or some such to raise the feeding dish) and CONSISTANTLY give him food each night. If they see something every single day, they will eventually approach it. If he isn't climbing because of the shed, obviously one on the ground will work better

I have found apricot baby food to be a favorite with mine.

The black looks like some sort of fungal infection, or burn but since you say no burn, I'd say some sort of skin problem. I'd let him shed that extra on his own, give him a month or two or 100% alone time and then see what's up.

This is all my humble opinion from taking care of my guys who were also neglected. I have now had Goldens for almost five years. Here is a pic of Wee my male.

<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Reptiles/wee/2wee12-01-04.jpg">

<img src="http://8snakes.myftp.org/marisa/Reptiles/wee/2weeaugust.jpg">

Good luck!

Marisa

TLH_Wär§cöötmän · 02-04-05, 10:07 PM

Great pics!! I think I will use the velcro idea in my Tokay tank I am setting up.

marisa · 02-04-05, 10:09 PM

Just be very careful. Tape of any kind and herps don't mix. I make sure it's totally flat, and I use the "soft" piece in cage....I actually glued mine in place so no sticky side will ever expose itself.

Then I cut a "rough" velcro piece to place on the dish. When it gets worn, I simply replace the rough piece/dish.

Marisa

beanersmysav · 02-04-05, 10:19 PM

Those are beautiful goldens, after what I saw tonight with a pictus gecko I'm extra determined to save this guy. :-/ depressing night for me, but hopefully I can save a life in the process

marisa · 02-04-05, 10:21 PM

Well know this, Goldens (from what I have seen) are extremely hardy and can overcome neglect in even extreme cases.

But they seem to be SLOW. Everything is SLOW. Getting used to new foods, new cages, getting "un stressed" all done really slowly. So be patient

Eventually hopefully yours will come around. My guy is at the point now where he will actually JUMP into the baby food when I introduce it, but this took literally three years of being in the same cage with the same food offered every single night! Very untrusting easy to stress species.

I hope you the best of luck.

Marisa

beanersmysav · 02-04-05, 10:27 PM

Thanks Marisa for all the help and kind words you've given me recently. For some reason that Pictus gecko really hit me, maybe because I've never seen a dead lizard before, and having to kill it must of been what really got me, that and I gave away one of my lil buddies. Atleast I made a new friend in the process and will still be able to go visit the lil guy whenever I want.

I've noticed that the apricot baby food was missing but he got the last dish of it so I gave him bannana didn't touch it and apples, maybe I should go get more apricot the cresteds prefer that to.

marisa · 02-04-05, 10:29 PM

That was a terrible story you told in the other thread.

Yeah my guy ignores banana and apples. If he is super hungry, he'll take the berry flavor. Otherwise it's only peach and apricot.

I usually mix a small amount of vitamins/calcium in this as well, although this can also cause him to turn his nose up at it. With yours needing food badly, I'd give him whatever he'll eat and use tiny amounts of new stuff (vitamins and such) snuck into the food. They are important, but eating is the number one.

No problem for the help. I have a soft spot for Golden Geckos and I enjoy talking with others about them.

Marisa