Pathetic. Just pathetic.

[Melody]

Okay, as I've posted before I've got a small colony of perfectly fat and healthy Leos. And for months I had been looking for a breeding colony of dubias or meal worms to feed my growing colony. So a friend of my boyfriend who bred leos just moved into an apartment near us, and still had his geckos and dubia and meal worms back at his old house. He was going to give them to me because he had no more room for them since the reptile show was coming up. So he asked if we could partner up our breeding project, and i could house his three geckos and the feeders. I was very excited... until I picked up the animals last night. I was horrified!!
I was presented with three emaciated geckos(two females and a male). The male was honestly so skinny and lethargic, I didn't think he'd make it threw the night. His body was literally a the width of a stick. His hips bones and spine are clearly exposed, and his tail is shriveled and nothing but a twig. He could barely open his eyes. One of the females looked about the same, only smaller. The last female was pretty thin, but a lot healthier in weight. However almost all her toes are broken off and has two big, swollen looking bumps on her back left leg. I couldn't just leave them like that. I just didn't have the heart. They were such beautiful morphs too! One had 100% carrot tail! The meal worms were almost all dead and they smelled so bad, we just threw them out. A lot of the roaches were dead too, but we managed to get the live ones out and into a new, and cleaner tank.
I was so sickened by this, I felt like vomiting when i saw them. My boyfriend and I were actually going to have to two thinner ones euthanized, and attempt to help the other female but it looked bleak. However to our surprise, the two females ate! My boyfriend tried hand feeding the male, and astonishingly he accepted! And after i checked on them this morning, they all had eaten all of their food, and they were active and bright eyed! I couldn't believe it. I was almost sure that at least the male would be dead when I woke up. Of course they still aren't out of the woods yet...by far. But i am committed to doing the best I can to pull them through this. I know its a long shot, since I have no idea what underlying health issues they might have(especially the female with the masses), but as long as they still have fight in them, i will not give up. I am so appalled by the lack of care given to these poor souls. I will NOT partner with this person. And he will NOT be getting this guys back if they make it.
I would post pics but really dont want to bother them at all just yet.
i will post some in a couple of days... that is if they are still with us.
Keep these little angels in your thoughts, and cross your fingers for us!

[Flikky]

Best of luck to you and them!! Thank you for helping them I wish you the best.

[Coleslaw007]

Wow.... that's just horrible. It never ceases to amaze me how ppl will get animals and then not give them any of the care the deserve. I can understand that ppl get busy and can't always take PERFECT care, but if you can't take at least good enough care of your pets give them away! There's no excuse for that kind of blatant disregard for somethings life and that dude should imo be facing animal neglect charges, not that most of the authorities care about a few lizards.

Ugh that makes me mad. I'm so glad you have them now and that they may actually pull through. I hope they do. I would also personally warn anyone who may sell him animals about him so that hopefully no other creatures wind up at the mercy of that somethingIshouldn'tsayonapublicforum.

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[Argentra]

Oh man... well first, Kudos a plenty to you for taking in those poor dears. It's amazing and sickening what people will do to animals, and for what reasons. I've heard 'oh, it doesn't matter it's just a lizard/snake/etc.', also 'whatever. They don't feel like we do' Makes me sick...

Good luck on getting them back to health and hopefully getting some charges against the previous owner. I was SO happy the day they made animal cruelty a felony.

[EverEvolvingExotics]

I'm sure you will do everything in your powers to get them healthy again. It's always horrible to see such easier to care for animals in such bad shape.

[heathers*bps]

I have never tried it, but I have heard good things about using a uvb light with leos when they are sick. I hope the best for these poor things . Good luck.

[EverEvolvingExotics]

I have never tried it, but I have heard good things about using a uvb light with leos when they are sick. I hope the best for these poor things . Good luck.

If you don't have access or the need to purchase a UVB light taking them out in actual supervised sunlight. It can work wonders and will give large amount of UV with shorter periods of time. It's what I did with a very messed up crested gecko. Within a month of taking her outside for 15 minutes a day she was gaining tons of weight and looking healthy. Reptiles are great a survivers, I hope with your TLC they will become healthy again.