Mouth full of Eco Earth

[AgalychnisCallidryas]

Like I said, when geckos are dying they chomp on substrate. Sorry for your loss

[Jayne]

I am so sorry things turned out the way they did. You did the best you could. The poor guy probably had parasites or fungus or something. Any chance of a necropsy?

Also, if you are up to it, would you mind filling out the survey questions that were posted about geckos eating substrate? I forget who posted, I don't think it was AltitudeExotics but it was someone with similar initials. It's an attempt to make sense of the geckos-eating-substrate thing - is it a cause of death, or just a symptom? Sounds like in your case it was a symptom.

[Angelfyr9]

Thank you all for your support. I'm going to try and run him back over to Petco tonight and see about a refund. There are three others there, so I'm hoping at the very least they will take the remaining ones to the vet (even if I don't get a refund). I didn't freeze him, but I don't think I'm going to do a necropsy...

I will definately clean out the enclosure well. Should I throw away the vines/flowers just to be safe? Also, what percentage bleach solution is reccommended for cleaning the cage, climbing tree, mushroom ledge and dish? I'm not running out and buying a new gecko, but do want to be prepared for when I am ready.

Jayne - do you have the link to the survey? I am more than willing to fill it out. I'll do a search and try and find it myself as well.

Thank you again for all the condolences

ETA - I did find the survey. I will complete it later today/tonight.

[Cid67]

Soak everything in scolding hot bleach water for awhile that should clean everything off But that would make me nervous I would prolly buy all new stuff

[Spyral]

If the vines and flowers are fabric, it would probably be a good idea to throw them out since bleach may destroy them or make them ugly lookin'. If they are plastic, you could bleach them with the other items. A 1:10 bleach to water ratio is good, soak for about 10 minutes

FYI, if you want to do a necropsy, the best procedure is to NOT freeze the body, but refrigerate as soon as possible. Freezing makes it more difficult to examine the tissues.

[Angelfyr9]

I'm going to go ahead and throw all the plants away just to be safe. They are fabric, and I can just run back to Michael's and get a few more.

I refrigerated him just in case I decided to proceed with the necropsy, but I have decided against it. I spent most of my Christmas bonus on him and things for the enclosure. I'm going to invest in a scale within the next few weeks and then start saving just in case I find a new little person at Repticon in March.

[MoonriseGeckos]

I am so sorry that he passed. Was hoping for a good outcome...