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!