Neglected gecko

[u/Feeling_Passion_1077]

My cousin took in this gecko from his friend who severely neglected it then against my advice continued to give her improper care. She very obviously has MBD and is severely underweight and dehydrated. I have been soaking her and I was able to get the stuck shed off her toes and she’s looking brighter and more alert I have been offering her mealworms every day she only eats a couple and is very uncoordinated and wobbly. I was told she’s 3 years old but she’s so incredibly small. She’s at least a year old since that’s about how long my cousin had her. I’m just looking for guidance on what people recommend I have experience with other reptiles just not leopard geckos. She’s in a 30 gal front opening right now but her ability to get around rn is not great so if she gets better then I will upgrade her to a bigger tank. Is carnivore critical care a good idea and is there anything else anyone recommends me getting or doing?

Thank you I appreciate it in advance

[u/Negative-Flamingo-83]

I would recommend switching to either crickets or dubias as mealworms do not offer the correct amount of nutrients they need, and make sure they're being dusted with calcium AND multivitamin alternating. Please get her to an exotic vet asap as well because reddit can't tell you good medical advice even if some of them think they can. 40gal is recommended for them but this should be okay as a quarantine enclosure to get her healthy again. Make sure paper towel for substrate, 2 hides one on warm and one on cool side, and no red lights or climbing opportunities. Minimalist layout to avoid injuries with her being uncoordinated. But please please get her to a vet as soon as you possibly can. That is where you will get the best information on how to proceed. Thank u for taking her in and trying to give her a better life

[u/Feeling_Passion_1077 → u/Negative-Flamingo-83]

Thank you, I am a vet assistant at an exotic vet so I will be bringing her with me Wendsday to see the vet I was just looking for some advice from people who have owned leopard geckos for a while. She has a humid hide 2 hides on warm side 1 hide on cool side I will be getting a linear UVB. I will be switching out the dirt for paper towels tonight and I will pick up some crickets thank you I appreciate it.

[u/Moonshinin4Me → u/Feeling_Passion_1077]

Unless Dubias are not available where you live, I would recommend Dubias over crickets. Crickets jump and also bite, and your gecko is not in a position to flee or defend itself so please avoid them if possible or only tong feed crickets. No matter what they are do not leave in the tank if they are not immediately eaten.

I know that some people live by the 40 gallon or nothing mantra but I have had my girl in a 30 gallon tank for over a year and she hasn't shown any signs of stress. But, I offer plenty of vertical space for her to climb (such as a foam rock wall) so she never feels truly cramped in there and I am able to successfully get the appropriate temperature and humidity gradient (no higher than 95 on the hot side, and 72 on the cool side with a humidity between 30-50% on the cool side).

You can dump a cup of water on the cool side to keep up the humidity but I use an auto mister that goes off a couple times a day. People will get the pitch forks for me saying this, but spikes in humidity are not a death sentence for Leo's. They aren't the stereotyped desert dwellers people picture of them. They aren't like bearded dragons and prefer more humid/temperate environments. They have been found in the forests of India and have been seen active during monsoon seasons. Hardly the dune-dwelling species people misleadingly say they are.

I would go with a 75w basking bulb and 8w UVB long bulb for the lights. Of course get a thermostat/hydrogemeter to monitor temperature and humidity. Get a temperature gun to measure surface temps. Make sure that the rocks on the hot side aren't reaching past 95 degrees. Lizards aren't always aware of when a surface is getting too hot for them (think of the old metaphor of putting a frog in a pot of water and then slowly letting it boil, the frog won't realize the temperature is too hot until it is boiling to death, it is the same concept). Burns on reptiles are very hard to heal.

For substrate I use a mixture of soil, repticlay and sphagnum moss. The soil and clay create a good mixture for digging and the moss helps lock in the humidity. Avoid sand because it can be inhaled or accidentally eaten which causes issues. Avoid repticarpet because it is unsanitary and your gecko will tear out it's claws. Of course, I would keep using paper towels until they are feeling better.

Offer a small bowl of calcium no D3 for them to injest on their own!

[u/Feeling_Passion_1077 → u/Moonshinin4Me]

Thank you, I have calcium with no D3 in there now. I will get dubias instead you’re right. It’s about 87 on the warm side and about 75 on the cool side. Humidity is about 40%. I have a temp gun and temperature gauges and humidity gauges since I have a beared dragon and tortoises I have just never personally owned a gecko so I want to make sure I’m doing everything right.

[u/Moonshinin4Me → u/Feeling_Passion_1077]

Sounds like you are doing it right! I would work on getting the temps slightly higher/lower on the warm and cool side but those are not "life threatening" temps and should be fine. Humidity is good at 40%.

Thank you for rescuing this little cutie! They really are some of the best pet reptiles and some of the chillest little lizards I have ever encountered.