Nephrus Levis Levis Died

[newcomer]

Hi, I woke this morning for find my knob-tailed gecko had passed away, & I want to ask a few questions about choosing the right breeder.

I bought my gecko from a breeder nearly three months ago. Since then, I fed him every day & he barely grew at all. The breeder was very young & said that this was his first 'successful' hatchie. He kept the parents in what resembled a take-away chinese food container, & kept his snakes in containers roughly the size of shoe boxes. My geckos parents were very small, & looked very young to be breeding.

Since I've had my gecko, i've always had problems with feeding. I took him to numerous pet shops & specialists, all of whom just told me to feed him every day to try & get his weight up. This isn't easy when he would eat three crickets with no trouble for three nights, then seem to go on a hunger strike for the rest of the week!

From the moment I got him, he seemed to just lay down. He never dug, didn't really walk around at night..

I'm devastated about losing him & just don't know what else I could have done. Any input would be great.

Thanks


NOTE: I just read in a book I bought that the knob-tails are ready to breed after about 3 years - this breeder said he'd only had them for a year, got them as hatchies.

 

[AUSGECKO]

How big was his enclosure and what were your temps like?

 

[Shonfield]

Maybe they were dehydrated? did you spray them?

also many knob tails can breed after one year but it depends on their growth rate

 

[newcomer]

His enclosure was 15 inches squared, & his heat mat was in one corner, at generally was at 26/28 degrees.

 

[newcomer]

I misted him every day & made sure he had droplets to lick on the side of the enclosure

 

[Travisty]

'NOTE: I just read in a book I bought that the knob-tails are ready to breed after about 3 years - this breeder said he'd only had them for a year, got them as hatchies.'

Perhaps you should have read the book before you got them and if you had any doubts about the breeder and conditions he was keeping his reptiles in gone elsewhere.

 

[newcomer]

Travisty, considering this is my first gecko I took everything he said as gospel. Speaking to people on here now, I am only aware of these conditions thinking back.

Also, I bought the book about three weeks after I bought the gecko. I did as much research as I could before I bought him, but was also trusting this breeder to help me out somewhat, as he seemed keen to do, but I noticed after I had taken the gecko home, had a few problems & tried to contact him, I was unable to ever again.

 

[JasonL]

Most geckos (all that I have kept) will breed within the first year no problems, but you need to make sure they are perfectly healthy before breeding. Geckos are fast growing little critters and are prone to calcium problems if not heated and fed correctly. A juvie gecko that has calcium issues will be lethargic and reluctant to eat / move ect, and this is just a downwards spiral to it's death if not dealt with fast. When buying a hatchling levis. 1 - Never buy newly hatched geckos, as these could be low in calcium straight from the egg due to the mother being kept in inappropriate temperatures. 2 - Make sure it's tail is fat, showing it is eating well and 3 - make sure it is full of vigour, when lightly touched it should either puff up and squeal or run around the tub / enclosure.

 

[AUSGECKO]

Most geckos (all that I have kept) will breed within the first year no problems, but you need to make sure they are perfectly healthy before breeding. Geckos are fast growing little critters and are prone to calcium problems if not heated and fed correctly. A juvie gecko that has calcium issues will be lethargic and reluctant to eat / move ect, and this is just a downwards spiral to it's death if not dealt with fast. When buying a hatchling levis. 1 - Never buy newly hatched geckos, as these could be low in calcium straight from the egg due to the mother being kept in inappropriate temperatures. 2 - Make sure it's tail is fat, showing it is eating well and 3 - make sure it is full of vigour, when lightly touched it should either puff up and squeal or run around the tub / enclosure.

Thats a good guide jason, You should be able to apply them rules to most species of gecko. I would recommend anyone buying a gecko (especially thier first one) to follow these rules.

 

[AaronR]

hinsight is a wonderful thing but if you cant trust a local breeder who can you trust? It is a lesson lernt.

 

[levis04]

Well done jason great advice!