Calcium Deficiency (Rare)
Calcium deficiency, while EXTREMELY rare in crested geckos that are fed a proper diet, can be a serious issue and in many cases, can be life threatening. Signs of calcium deficiency include a soft, flexible jaw, curvature of the spine and in very serious cases, the inability to walk.
If you coax a Crested Gecko to open its mouth (by gently tapping its snout or stroking the side of the mouth), you will see that on either side of the roof (pallet), there is a white spot or bump. This is where calcium is stored in older geckos (babies not so much because they're constantly using calcium to grow). This calcium sac can be a helpful way to monitor your Vitamin D3 and Calcium supplementation, should you decide to feed a diet that's not been tested. Males tend to store much less calcium than females do, most likely because they do not have to worry about the production of eggshells. That being said, I haven't even looked at the calcium reserves on a gecko in over five years and probably never will again. We use Repashy Gecko Diet MRP (aka Crested Gecko Diet MRP) and Calcium Plus ICB for dusting crickets, which has been tested and is known to work well. We've produced nearly 10,000 geckos with this regimen and I've still never even SEEN a calcium deficiency in my crested geckos. That's enough for me to sleep at night without pestering my geckos into opening their mouths.
Calcium disorders commonly result when a keeper's "home made" fruit or baby food concoction doesn't have the proper amounts of calcium and vitamin D3. Additionally, some vitamins can actually BLOCK calcium absorption, so if you over-do a supplement with vitamins and caclium in it, it could actually have the opposite affect! This insanity can easily be avoided by using a commercially available pre-made diet that's been formulated and tested by a professional, such as T-Rex/Repashy Superfoods Crested Gecko Diet.
If your gecko is exhibiting signs of calcium deficiency such as a soft jaw, wavy tail (maybe) or twitching and trouble moving, the first thing you need to do is get your gecko to a qualified herp veterinarian as soon as possible. I strongly recommend that you do not leave such a life-threatening condition in the hands of a general "dog & cat" veterinarian, as they may not have the experience and knowledge needed to address and treat the issue in time. Ciliatus.com Has Issued a Severe Internet Forum BS Warning (lol) DO NOT CONFUSE A WAVY TAIL ON A YOUNG GECKO FOR A CALCIUM DEFICIENCY!!! A lot of "helpful experts" on forums, who mean well, but have been misinformed themselves, are telling other new gecko owners that their geckos have a calcium deficiency because it has a wavy tail. While it's true that a waivy tail is a sign of calcium deficiency in older geckos, it's actually pretty common for hatchling geckos to have a wavy tail upon hatching. It's not as common with cresteds, but it's seen all the time with leachianus, chahoua and to a slightly lesser extent in gargoyle geckos. This usually has more to do with the nutritional reserves of mom when the egg was developing - sometimes they get low toward the end of the season, etc. This doesn't mean the baby gecko is going to be affected permanently or adversely, and in fact, that rarely is the case. The wavy tail is more a matter of development than it is malnutrition. Sometimes the bones in the tail just aren't fully developed upon hatching. I liken this to the "soft spot" on a human baby's head....it's normal for a baby, and if the baby gets proper nutrition, these bones will soon become fully developed. However, if you see a gecko over 6-8 months old with a wavy tail, then I'd say the tail probably didn't develop correctly and it's most likely permanent. When you see something like this, it can be due to any number of nutritional deficiencies...or maybe a lack of proper temperatures (causing the gecko not to eat enough). Just FYI, even a lack of calcium can actually be caused by too much of a certain vitamin blocking calcium absorption, so don't always think more calcium is better (another misconception).
Obesity (Very Common)
An inexperienced keeper may make the mistake of gauging the health of their gecko by how much it weighs. However, there is a big difference between a fit gecko with good muscle tone and a skinny, dehydrated or malnourished gecko. New keepers often times don't know the difference...all they know is that a fat gecko isn't a skinny gecko. So they end up feeding their geckos a diet high in sugars, simply because the gecko will eat more of it...and subsequently gain lots of weight. In reality, the reason the geckos eat more is because the sugars taste good and because the calories are burned more quickly in the body and quickly stored as fat. This leaves the gecko hungry again in a short period of time. This trend eventually leads to obesity, which is probably the most overlooked and undiagnosed health problem amongst reptiles in captivity. Obesity can cause poor egg production or no production at all in females, poor libido and/or sterility in males, not to mention many of the same life threatening health problems associated with obesity in humans. Entamoeba Invadens (Uncommon-Rare)
Entamoeba invadens is the only parasite known to cause a high rate of mortality in otherwise healthy crested geckos. From what I understand, this organism seems to stem from cross-contamination with water or insects in collections where amphibians (frogs, turtles, etc.) are kept in close proximity to crested geckos. Entamoeba doesn't seem to have much effect on amphibians, but can wipe out a colony of crested geckos if not contained and erradicated. If caught early enough, this condition can be effectively treated.
Click HERE to read an article about Entamoeba invadens and how to treat it.
EXCITING NEWS!!!
As of early 2009, there is now a pre-medicated version of Crested Gecko Diet called "Entamoeba Fix" available from Repashy Superfoods retailers. As long as the gecko's digestive tract hasn't been permanently damaged, you can simply replace your regular crested gecko diet for a brief period of time to treat infected geckos. Also a great way to proactively treat large colonies.
Floppy Tail (Common)
Floppy-Tail or "Floppy Tail Syndrome" is most likely a naturally occuring artifact of being kept in an unnatural environment, if that makes sense. By unnatural, I mean an environment that crested geckos weren't "designed" to live in...specifically, resting upside-down on cage walls, when they're supposed to be found resting upright on branches.Floppy tail can occur in geckos that have been properly cared for and fed a proper diet all of their lives. In and of itself, I've found that floppy tail is not indicative of any kind of past or present health problem, such as a calcium deficiency which has often been suspected. The first sign of calcium deficiency is usually a wavy tail. In severe cases, curvature of the spine and a rubbery jaw will become evident. Hypocalcemia affects the entire skeletal system, including pelvic bone, making a gecko more prone to developing floppy-tail.
A number breeders believe that floppy tail commonly occurs in healthy, productive geckos who are fed a proper diet (such as Crested Gecko Diet).
So what causes it? I believe FTS is an artifact of being kept in captivity for two reasons. - In the wild, these geckos rest on thin twigs in an upright position with their tails pointing downward. There is no glass for them to hang from in a head-down position. In captivity however, they tend to hang upside down from the walls of their cages, where gravity pulls on the tail, eventually causing the tail to droop.
- As adults, crested geckos don't usually have tails in the wild...meaning their pelvis probably isn't designed to support the weight of such a heavy adult tail.
To prevent floppy-tail, I simply recommend providing the geckos with lots of tall climbing surfaces, so that they're less prone to end up hanging on the walls of their cage. Artificial vines and foliage are great, as well as simple chicken wire frames and egg cartons.
Loss of Tail Tip (Common)
There are two common causes for crested geckos can lose the tips of their tails and it seems to be the most common occurance of anything else I've talked about on this page. Fortunately, most of the crested gecko community don't judge geckos by a damaged tail, or even the lack of a tail entirely!
"Hunting Accidents"
If you're feeding crickets to your geckos, it's inevitable that geckos will accidentally bite and then tug on each others tails. Usually this doesn't harm the other gecko, but if the one doing the biting is especially slow to recognize its mistake, injury can occur. These bite wounds always heal without any special attention and should be no cause for alarm...however, sometimes the tail may become damaged to a point where it is no longer receiving sufficient bloodflow. When this happens, that portion of the tail will dry up and eventually fall off.
If hunting accidents are common in your collection and you're worried about tails, you may want to cut down on the number of geckos you keep in an enclosure or simply increase the size of the enclosure. When given sufficient room, these accidents seem to occur with less frequency.
Retained Shed
Sometimes a gecko will have a hard time shedding the skin around the tip of the tail and if not caught in time, the unshed skin can constrict and cut off bloodflow, effectively killing the tip of the tail. If you do catch it early enough, simply peel away the unshed skin and the tail should return to normal.
However, if the tip has already turned black and hard, I've found it best to let nature take its course. The tip will eventually fall off and the tail will look almost completely normal (albeit shorter) within just a couple months.
To prevent or correct this, be sure to correct any humidity issues and add a humid hide if necessary.
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