Does Your Leopard Gecko Have Any of These Health Problems?

The great news about leopard geckos is they can live long lives - up to and beyond 20 years! The bad news is they can develop health problems that shorten their lives significantly. If you know what to look for, have a vet who understands leopard geckos, and you pay attention to changes in their bodies or behavior you can circumvent any major problems.

5 Common Leopard Gecko Problems:

#1 - Injuries

This is very common, especially if you have two male geckos in the same vivarium. Male geckos always have a tendency to fight and thus, hurt each other. Don't keep male geckos together - male and female or two females.

Injuries can also occur if your geckos do not have their own space and the container is too crowded. Keep in mind that a 10 gallon aquarium is the right size for one gecko; two geckos will need a 20 gallon tank. Each of your lizards will want their own hiding place. The key to minimizing injuries is to pay attention - watching to see if behavior changes.

#2 - Infections in the mouth

If your leopard gecko has a mouth infection, the area around the mouth will appear swollen. Infections in the mouth can occur because of an accident, a cage that is dirty or possibly because of a fight with another gecko. Again, paying attention to any change in your gecko is critical. To treat an infection, you want to clean the area of the infection, check with your vet about getting an antibiotic.

#3 - Obstruction in digestive tract

Digestive tract infections occur when your gecko has eaten foreign substances - gravel, substrate, or sand. This substances can get stuck in the digestive system and lead to death. Be sure whatever substances are in the tank, that the particles are small enough to pass through the geckos system if ingested.

#4 - Infections of the respiratory system

Generally respiratory infections happen if the temperatures inside their vivarium are too cold over an extended period of time. You can tell if your gecko has an infection because you will see mucus bubbles around the nostrils and the breathing will be challenged. The key here is to keep the tank at the right temperature all the time.

#5 - Lack of needed calcium

Calcium is a necessary nutrient for leopard geckos - be sure that the diet includes enough calcium to keep this problem from occurring. Too much is not healthy nor is not enough.

It's a lot more fun to have healthy and happy geckos than to have unhealthy geckos - or even risk losing your gecko. Just by paying attention and knowing your gecko, these problems will not occur.

Jon learned the hard way (death of his first leopard gecko within 3 weeks) about the proper care, handling, and breeding of these lizards. Leopard geckos have a lifespan of 20 years if cared for properly. Start your mini-course today to learn how more about how to raise healthy, happy, beautiful geckos. Leopard Geckos, visit http://www.leopardgeckocaresite.com

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