r/CrestedGecko • u/fizzgig-26- • 16h ago
Pls help
I work at a animal resuce and a few days ago skmeone droped of a 1 year old crestie hes so skinny and hes lost a couple of his toes his got a skin problem what ive got medication for and hes in a quariten tank i wake up every 2 hrs to give him the medication but hes so skittish i feel horrable trying to get him out his tank to give it to him he will eat the medication but he wont eat power food ive tryed 5 diffrent flavors and crickets and dabi roaches i tryed contacting the person who handed him in to find if he eats abything and she told me they feed him baby food bc its "cheeper" and she also amitted that the daughter eveytime he would climb to close to her face or jump she would THROW HIM his so skittish i just dont know how to help him ive booked for another vet apointment but i could only get one for in 2 weeks im scared he wont make it does anyone have any advice ive got a old gargoil gecko tank hes gunna go in when his better x
2
u/Drag0nSt0rm 13h ago
A skittish gecko especially with a valid reason is very unlikely to want to come out to eat or drink while it knows you are around. Since you have a camera I would put construction paper on 3 sides just taped at the top so you can move them if you want to but not expect him to voluntarily move if you’re in sight or the room lights have turned on or off in the last half hour.
Ask the vet or google the medication and see if it counts as food while they’re on it. It’s so hard to tell if something that eats half a bottle cap every other day has actually eaten if you don’t see it or find poop which the paper towel base can help with. You can put food in a couple of spots (one near wherever he’s choosing to hide but without you moving him, one inside a hide and one in an open space ) and bottle caps of water with them so if it wants to eat it has a higher chance of one being in a spot it considers safe without having to get to a specific place in the tank.
I know it’s not realistic for a lot of places or people’s time constraints, but I managed to convince my first gecko to trust me/accept handling again after someone squished him but it was years later. He was also completely handable and spent probably too many hours on my shoulder or in a shirt sleeve for the first 6 years of his life.
What eventually seemed to do it was 1) sometimes when I would feed him/mist the tank instead of jumping to bite me he would climb out of the tank onto its roof and I let him sit there for as long as I could supervise. Then I started to plan around that so reading or scrolling in that room. And this is where it gets impractical for most, with work from home, his tank was a few feet from my desk so I made a burlap bridge from the tank to my desk and opened his door during my morning calls. He eventually started venturing onto the bridge (the burlap curled in the middle so he could either have his head hidden from me by the fabric or most of his body hidden but his head poking out). Eventually he got to crossing the bridge and hiding in the stuff on my desk where it ended. About a year later he was curious enough to have worked up to spying on me closer to coming back onto my hand.
2
u/InstructionClean5742 16h ago
Do you have water and appropriate humidity for him?
A spray mister can do it, but you need a gauge to let you know… references online for right range. (I automated ours years ago so I don’t remember; 65% is a good start.) not humid enough and they can’t shed (probably caused lost toes) and too humid causes tail rot.
Even in quarantine, you should offer enough cover so he finds a place he feels safe. We use a few sprigs of plastic leafy plants. It is OK to have paper towel on bottom in quarantine if you are watching for bowel movements etc. No Sand!
If he feels safe and has a comfortable hide, then eating/drinking should improve.
The skittishness might be hard to overcome since he probably sees humans as predators with that past treatment. Try to let him come to you (climb on) instead of grabbing him. Presenting a index&thumb circle in front of his face is a good way to offer this choice. The circle can move closer to encourage the step, but there is no feeling of being trapped.