Calcium deficiency, D3 deficiency, or imbalanced Ca:P ratio from insufficient supplementation.

• —Rubbery or soft limbs
• —Tremors and twitching
• —Difficulty walking or lifting head
• —Jaw deformity or swelling
• —Loss of appetite

Vet visit is essential. MBD is reversible in early stages with calcium supplementation and UVB correction. Advanced MBD with skeletal deformity cannot be fully reversed.

Dust every feeding with calcium for juveniles, every other feeding for adults. Keep a plain calcium dish in the enclosure always.

Cryptosporidium varanii — a microscopic gut parasite. Spread via faecal-oral route. Can survive on surfaces for months.

• —Progressive weight loss despite eating
• —Regurgitation of food
• —Tail wasting — gecko appears 'pinched' behind the ribs
• —Lethargy
• —Worsening over weeks

There is no cure. Supportive care can slow progression. Strict isolation from all other reptiles immediately. Equipment must be bleached or destroyed — crypto resists most disinfectants.

Quarantine all new geckos for a minimum of 90 days. Never share equipment between animals without sterilisation. Source geckos from reputable breeders who health-test their stock.

Low humidity, incorrect temperatures, inadequate rough surfaces, or underlying health issues preventing complete shed.

• —Dull patches of skin after shed
• —Skin visible on toes, eye caps, or tail tip
• —Toe swelling
• —Cloudy eye after shed is complete

Warm soak for 10–15 minutes, then gentle removal with damp cotton bud. Eye caps: vet visit. Toes: treat the same day — do not wait.

Maintain a functional humid hide. Provide rough surfaces (slate, cork bark). Check every shed within 24 hours.

Internal parasites are common in wild-caught geckos and possible in any captive gecko. Usually manageable rather than fatal.

• —Loose or unusual stools
• —Mucus in faeces
• —Unexplained weight loss
• —Lethargy
• —Bloating

Faecal test from a reptile vet — do not treat without a diagnosis. Antiparasitic medications are prescription-only and differ depending on the parasite.

Annual faecal testing recommended. Quarantine new animals. Never introduce wild-caught insects to the enclosure.

Usually caused by incorrect temperatures (too cold) or too-high humidity. Bacteria or viral secondary infection follows.

• —Mucus around nostrils or mouth
• —Wheezing or clicking sounds when breathing
• —Open-mouth breathing
• —Lethargy
• —Reduced appetite

Vet visit. Antibiotics for bacterial RI. Correct the husbandry simultaneously — if the environment that caused it remains unchanged, the infection will return.

Maintain correct temperatures at all times. Do not let ambient humidity exceed 50%. Ensure ventilation is adequate.

Ingestion of substrate (sand, gravel, walnut shell, calcium sand) that cannot pass through the digestive tract.

• —Straining to defecate
• —Bloating
• —Loss of appetite
• —Lethargy
• —No faeces for more than 2 weeks

Warm soaks, gentle belly massage along the direction of the gut. Vet visit if no improvement within 48 hours — impaction can be fatal if left untreated.

Use safe substrate. Juveniles especially should never be on loose substrate. Feed in a separate enclosure if your gecko consistently swallows substrate when hunting.

Voluntary self-defence mechanism triggered by stress, handling of the tail, or attack by another animal.

• —Tail separates at a fracture plane
• —Stump bleeds briefly then seals
• —Gecko continues eating and behaving normally within hours

Keep the enclosure clean and dry. Dab the stump with dilute betadine if available. The wound will seal naturally — do not bandage. A regenerated tail will grow within 6–8 weeks.

Never grab or restrain a gecko by the tail. Immediately separate any cohoused geckos.

Female geckos produce eggs even without a male. Egg binding occurs when eggs cannot be passed — due to size, poor condition, or lack of a laying site.

• —Visible bulges in the lower abdomen
• —Straining without producing eggs
• —Lethargy, loss of appetite
• —Swollen, firm belly that doesn't resolve

Vet visit urgently. Oxytocin injection may be sufficient; in severe cases surgical removal is required. Do not wait — egg binding is fatal without intervention.

Provide a laying box (moist sand or coco coir, deep enough to dig) for all female geckos, even if no male is present.