Leopard Gecko Illness - Are You Making Your Leopard Gecko Ill?

Have you ever experienced your leopard gecko suffering from a certain illness and you don't know what to do? This is a basic problem for owners who are not familiar with the most common illnesses of leopard geckos. One of the most important thing is to recognize the symptoms and know the best course of action to do. Here are some of the most common leopard gecko illnesses and the possible or solutions whenever these happen.

1. Osteodystrophy and hypocalcemia. These are usually caused by calcium deficiency because of poor diets. These result to loss of bone density, prompting underdevelopment and brittle bones that break easily. The symptoms for these include weakness of the body, shivering, as well as enlarged legs and limbs. These can be treated with calcium injections or oral calcium a well as the correction of the nutritional needs.

2. Constipation. This happens when a gecko swallows substrates such as sand, gravel or bark chips, eventually blocking the excretory system. Giving small amounts of mineral oil may be done when they swallowed small pieces of substrates. Other severe cases may require surgery to remove the substance. Be cautious in serving food to your pets. Liquid or watery substance may make the substrates wet and would stick to the food they eat.

3. Mouth and respiratory infections. These are results of excessively high humidity level, unsanitary enclosures or an imbalanced diet. Symptoms for mouth infections are swollen mouth, bleeding gums, odor or drooling. Respiratory infections are obvious when your pet panting a lot or when there is mucus discharge in the mouth or nose. Giving your pet antibiotics and maintaining a healthy diet and shelter are the best cure.

4. Intestinal parasites. This is caused by severe intestinal parasites found in the intestines, resulting to diarrhea, lost of appetite, weight loss and jutting feces in the anus. An immediate examination of your gecko's fresh waste is necessary. This may be treated with medication as well as keeping a clean enclosure to prevent this type of disease.

5. Xanthomatosis. This is a disease caused by too much fat intake and may result to organ damage because of the formation of cholesterol in the abdomen and internal organs. This is generally a result of obesity especially if your gecko eats too much fatty preys such as wax worms, butter worms and mealworms. You may observe this when your pet loses appetite and weight (generally manifested on thinning tail) but possesses a large abdomen. This may be prevented by giving them food high in protein and vitamins.

These illnesses often experienced by leopard geckos can be prevented by keeping a healthy and nutritional diet, providing a clean and sanitary shelter, and keeping a keen eye on your pet's behavior. Diagnosing the symptoms and immediately identifying the illness will generally save your leopard gecko's life. Since pets are dependent on their owners, it is the latter's responsibility to take care of them.