Chapter 5 of 9 · Crested Gecko Care Guide
Health
Disclaimer: I'm not a veterinarian and I don't hold a degree in animal science or animal care. This guide is compiled from the published sources listed in every chapter. For a sick animal, a reptile vet is the authority.
The short version
- Quarantine every new gecko for at least 30 days, ideally 60–90. This is keeper practice.
- Weigh monthly (weekly in quarantine). Babies should gain and adults should hold steady.
- Most crested gecko illness comes from calcium problems, poor humidity cycling or too much heat [10][13].
- See a reptile vet within days, not weeks, for any red flag below. An annual checkup is a good idea [4].
- Wash your hands with soap after every contact. All reptiles can carry Salmonella [6].
Quarantine
Every new gecko goes into quarantine, even if it looks perfectly healthy.
- Simple setup: paper towel, a cork hide, a few plants and a water dish, in a separate room or at least on a separate shelf.
- Own tools: use separate misters, cups and tongs, and handle the quarantine gecko last.
- How long: at least 30 days, ideally 60–90 days. This is standard keeper practice rather than a published rule.
- Weigh weekly on a gram scale. A juvenile should gain and an adult should hold weight.
- Watch the stool. It should be formed, with a white part (urate). If stool is loose or your gecko loses weight, ask a reptile vet for a fecal exam.
- Check toes and eyes for stuck shed or swelling.
Weekly health check (two minutes)
- Is it eating? Look for lick marks in the food cup.
- Is the poop formed, with a white part?
- Are the toes clean, with no stuck skin? Are the eyes clear?
- When it hangs head-down, is the tail straight rather than flopped over the back?
- Is its weight steady (adults) or rising (babies)?
Shedding
Healthy crested geckos shed in one piece, more often while growing and less often as adults. They usually shed at night and eat the old skin, so you may rarely see it. Many stop eating for a day or two around a shed, and they are easily annoyed then, so skip handling [4][10].
Problem shedding shows up as skin stuck on the toes, tail tip or around the eyes. It is usually caused by humidity or temperature that is wrong for too long [10]. If stuck shed does not come off, see a reptile vet [4].
- To fix it: keepers commonly place the gecko in a ventilated tub with damp paper towel for about 15 minutes, then gently roll the softened skin off the toes with a damp cotton swab (keeper experience, not proven).
- Never pull dry shed.
- Check toes at every feeding. Stuck shed can cut off blood flow and kill the tissue under it [10], which can cost your gecko a toe or the tip of its tail.
Common illnesses
| Problem | Signs | Usual cause | See a vet when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metabolic bone disease (MBD) | Wavy or kinked tail, rubbery or soft lower jaw, bowed limbs, humped back, tiredness, poor appetite, tremors [10][13] | Too little calcium or D3: fruit or baby-food diets, undusted insects, old powdered diet, or a female laying eggs without extra calcium [9][13] | At the first sign. Mild cases may improve with a complete diet, dusted insects, UVB and vet-directed calcium; see a vet if there is no improvement within a couple of weeks [13]. Seizures or broken bones are an emergency |
| Calcium crash in females | Sudden tiredness, shaking, weak grip and a wavy tail in a female that is laying eggs; the calcium sacs in the roof of the mouth look empty [9][13] | Egg-laying females need more calcium than males or juveniles [9] | Right away. Separate her from any male so she gets a break from laying, and follow your vet's calcium plan. Do not add extra calcium on your own guesswork: too much calcium can also cause a wavy tail [9] |
| Floppy tail syndrome (FTS) | Tail flops over the back or to the side when the gecko hangs head-down; later, hip or spine deformity and trouble passing stool or laying eggs [7] | Repeatedly sleeping head-down on bare glass with too little cover [7]. Many keepers also link it to MBD weakening the bones and muscles. Not contagious | If the tail stays flopped when the gecko moves. Add cork, branches and dense cover, and fix calcium. Severe cases can interfere with egg-laying or passing stool and may need the tail removed [7] |
| Impaction | Swollen belly, no stool for a week or more, straining, refusing food, red or swollen vent [10] | Swallowed loose substrate (babies under about 13 grams), hard-shelled or oversized insects, dehydration [3][10] | If there is still no stool a few days after a warm soak, extra hydration and removing loose substrate. Go sooner if the belly is swollen or the gecko is weak |
| Parasites | Runny, bloody or smelly stool, weight loss despite eating, tiredness; mites visible on the skin or in the water dish [10] | Poorly quarantined animals or dirty enclosures [10]. Keepers report that captive-bred cresties rarely carry heavy loads, but this is not proven | For a fecal exam and treatment. Deep-clean the enclosure as well [10] |
| Dehydration | Wrinkled skin, sunken eyes, sticky mouth, tiredness, stuck shed | Too little misting, enclosure too warm, no water dish [10] | If it is severe or does not improve after misting, offering water drops on the nose and cooling the room |
| Respiratory infection | Open-mouth breathing, wheezing, mucus at the nose or mouth [10] | Cold combined with constantly wet, stale air [10] | Right away; it usually needs antibiotics. Fix ventilation and humidity cycling [10] |
| Mouth rot (stomatitis) | Red, swollen gums; cheesy or dead-looking tissue in the mouth [10] | Dirty dishes and enclosures, or a mouth injury [10] | Right away; it usually needs antibiotics. Clean dishes daily [10] |
| Egg-binding | A gravid female who is restless, digging, swollen and straining for days [10] | No lay box, poor diet or calcium shortage, oversized eggs [10] | Within 24–48 hours. Do not try to massage eggs out yourself [10] |
| Eye and nostril problems in Super Cappuccinos | Fluid under the eye cap; tiny or sealed nostrils [14] | A structural problem linked to the "super" form of the Cappuccino gene | For any affected animal. See "Morphs to avoid" in the Genetics and morphs chapter [14] |
See a reptile vet now if you notice
- Tremors, seizures, or trouble climbing glass (possible calcium crash).
- A rubbery jaw, or a limb that bends the wrong way.
- A tail flopped over the back that does not straighten when your gecko moves.
- No stool for 7 days or more, with a swollen belly.
- Open-mouth breathing, or discharge from the mouth or nose.
- Weight loss of more than 10% in a month, or a juvenile that stops gaining.
- Eyes that are stuck shut, swollen or discharging [4].
- A gravid female straining for more than a day.
- Any wound that is swollen, dark or smells.
- Refusing food for more than two weeks.
Salmonella and hygiene
All reptiles can carry Salmonella, even when they look healthy [6].
- Wash your hands with soap and water after touching your crested gecko, its enclosure or anything in it, including its food and water [6].
- Keep reptile cleaning out of the kitchen. Do not wash enclosure items in the kitchen sink.
- Know who is at higher risk. The CDC says children under 5 should not touch reptiles, and reptiles are not recommended for homes with children under 5, adults 65 and older, or people with weakened immune systems [6].