A scared gecko or something worse?

[Syn]

I have recently come across a friend of mine who keeps one male crested geckos. We have been emailing back and fourth for a while about him. Recently, he began to gape in a very scary fashion.

Here is the most recent message she sent me, so you can get the idea of what is going on.

Hi there
Well, i kept a pretty good eye on the gecko this weekend and he was fine late at night after the cats get put in their room for the night. So, i took this picture tonight when he came out after the cat started stalking him. He is one terrified gecko in my opinion. I have nowhere to put him. I already have a dove in the front room and my rats. It gets way too hot in there for the gecko with two big 5 foot windows in there, even with heavy duty window tint. I have nowhere to put him that the cat cannot get to him. So, I was wondering if you would take him. I feel so bad that he is being persecuted and terrorized by the cat. He would of course be free, and come with his habitat (20 long tank and his cage topper). At this point I know I am not doing the right thing by keeping him. I hate to advertise. I worry that he will go to a home that doesn't know how to properly care for reptiles. I know that you do. So please let me know if you are able to give him a home.

I was thinking her cat was scaring the gecko at first, so I showed her a couple photos of geckos doing the little defensive pose. She says the gaping is similar but not the legs, and in the picture below you will notice some tail kinking.. which leads me to believe MBD is in play here. He was fed baby food - he will not take CGD (oh boy, this will be fun.)

Well, here is the picture.



As you can see, the cat is in the picture, the gecko is doing the gaping pose, but I'd rather not assume the cat is the problem when it could be something else.. even though the evidence points at the cats as being the source of the problem.

Thanks Pangea.

[Silver Fang]

Does he do that any other time like when the cat isn't around?

[meg90]

I'd adopt him, if I were you. If it IS the cat, diet isn't impossible to fix, and that way, if you didn't want to keep him, you could rehome him. If it IS mbd, he needs to be rehabbed before he can be adopted.

Poor dude.

[Syn]

Does he do that any other time like when the cat isn't around?

All she really said was he does it at night (which is when the cats are in there). So, it would seem he does not.

I'd adopt him, if I were you. If it IS the cat, diet isn't impossible to fix, and that way, if you didn't want to keep him, you could rehome him. If it IS mbd, he needs to be rehabbed before he can be adopted.

Poor dude.

If MBD is the case, oh boy am I going to have fun with vet bills. Can anyone recommend a good AZ vet? I haven't heard anything about Dr. Funk and Geckos, but I know he does well with Chameleons and other herps.

[oo3menace]

From the tail kinks and awkward pose I'd say something else is up...besides the cat scaring the poop out of him. I have a cat and she will once in a while "watch" (not stalk) them, but not enough to cause reaction.

Save that poor gecko please.

[Syn]

From the tail kinks and awkward pose I'd say something else is up...besides the cat scaring the poop out of him. I have a cat and she will once in a while "watch" (not stalk) them, but not enough to cause reaction.

Save that poor gecko please.

I will take him, but I am extremely worried about a vet bill that will cost a lot. We are going through a bit of financial trouble since my sister moved back in (doesn't have a job), so if I do adopt him, I am worried if he is sick I wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

[Silver Fang]

Looks a little like FTD as well. That could've gotten to an extreme and caused some MBD couldn't it? Maybe its just the angle of the picture though.

[oo3menace]

I will take him, but I am extremely worried about a vet bill that will cost a lot. We are going through a bit of financial trouble since my sister moved back in (doesn't have a job), so if I do adopt him, I am worried if he is sick I wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

Don't overextend your financial position if that's the case...because then there may not be enough of a difference in care to matter at that point (not to mention the vested emotions by that point). Know anyone else around you that keeps cresteds that can be an alternative?

Why won't she bring him to the vet to diagnose the problem so that you at least have an idea if you can really help?

[Syn]

She said she was going to take him to the vet but now she 100% believes the cat is the sole problem. I was thinking about bringing one of my cresteds by and showing her what a healthy gecko should look like. Maybe it will change her opinion of what to do. Either way, if I can't afford the gecko, I have a couple things I can do to get money if worse comes to worse.

As for other people in the area with cresteds, I don't talk to them much or they would take the gecko to the vet and just sell it later to anyone who wants it.

[Syn]

If anyone has any other ideas as to what may be going on, please post them.