Need some advice from the Rhac experts

[Kristy]

I have a Crestie that is 21 grams, has been eating very well and overall was in great health.

I had him in the 12x18x18 exo terra and it seemed as though it was kind of small. So I got him the 20 gallon long and turned it upright. This was a week ago roughly. He hasn't eaten much at all, he has been spending almost all of his time at the top wedged between the plants hiding. Well I checked on him tonight and picked him up. His skin is really loose on his body, almost like he is dehydrated. He is also really pale, Not the "not fired up" pale like sick pale. I sprayed him and he was just sucking down the water.

So my question is he is Obviously VERY stressed and not taking to his bigger environment. Should I go ahead and move him back to the smaller one? Or will this stress him more?

I do have the tank still all setup and hadn't cleaned it out yet due to the fact that I had just cleaned it. So it has all his old "stuff" in it.

Oh and Btw Temps are between 74 and 79 and then a very slight nighttime drop. I mist him at night and bring the humidity upto about 85% and then just let it drop to about 50% and mist again. Papertowel substrate. Fed CGD and Crickets. Lost of Foliage and branches and hiding spots.

Thanks,
Kristy

[SarahMB]

I'll be interested in seeing the replies to this, as the two Becky gave me aren't thriving like I'd expect. They don't eat much at all, and I'm pretty sure both are losing weight

[mlededee]

kristy, move your gecko back to his old enclosure for now and provide food in water in the same ways that you used to do so. give him about a 10 minute soak in lukewarm water if he will sit still and not stress about it too much to help hydrate him. the fact that he is drinking on his own is good, but soak once today and twice tomorrow if you can and it doesn't seem to stress him too much and mist often. do his eyes look sunken it at all? that is another sign of dehydration.

is there anything in the new enclosure that might have been cleaned with a chemical or might have any foreign material on it? when was the last time he ate crickets and did they come from the same place your normally get them? has he been in contact with anything that your leo was in contact with?

take a fecal sample to your vet and have it tested, and ask specifically for them to look for entamoeba invadens. this is extremely dangerous and fatal in cresteds but can be treated if caught in time. for more info on entamoeba invadens look here: http://www.ciliatus.com/content/inde...=42&Itemid=207. sometimes a healthy gecko will not exhibit signs until they are under some kind of stress, including a new environment--at this time they tend to go downhill quickly.

[mlededee]

I'll be interested in seeing the replies to this, as the two Becky gave me aren't thriving like I'd expect. They don't eat much at all, and I'm pretty sure both are losing weight

sarah, are you keeping your cresteds in a similar setup and feeding the same thing that becky did? how long have you had them and how old are they? are they noticeably losing weight or have you just not seen them eat? if they are declining rapidly or losing more than just a few grams while they settle in i would recommend that you also get a fecal sample done in order to eliminate the possibility of entamoeba invadins and any other parasite.

[SarahMB]

sarah, are you keeping your cresteds in a similar setup and feeding the same thing that becky did? how long have you had them and how old are they? are they noticeably losing weight or have you just not seen them eat? if they are declining rapidly or losing more than just a few grams while they settle in i would recommend that you also get a fecal sample done in order to eliminate the possibility of entamoeba invadins and any other parasite.

Yeah, Becky gave me their food and many suggestions on what they like it mixed with. I see them eat a little bit, but then the rest of the food just dries up and I remove it from the enclosure. Becky also gave me their setup and everything!
I ordered some Repashy gecko diet, and Becky is going to go shopping with me for some stuff to mix it with, I was just hoping maybe there was something easy that I was missing. Of course, Becky has been with me every step of the way, so it must just be that they are still settling in or I'm doing something wrong.

[mlededee]

is it cooler where they are now as opposed to where they were before? cooler temperatures slow their metabolism and a sudden change in temps will result in then suddenly eating less. that's not a bad thing unless it's too cold--like below 68 for extended periods of time.

[Kristy]

Thank you Emily. He hadn't been exposed to anything, at all. Only Healthy Habitat which I have always used to clean their cages and never had any problems with. All the fake plants were cleaned with it and rinsed with REALLY hot water. Other than that no. The Leo is confined to a completely different area than the two cresties I have established. The baby crestie and baby leo are still in quarantine. His eyes weren't sunken in a whole lot. No more than when you can kind of tell they are sleeping.

I gave him a nice warm soak and he tried to escape several times. So I put him right back into his old enclosure, I must have been thinking the same thing you were because I went ahead and didn't before looking for replies.
His old enclosure is exactly the same, I hadn't changed anything. I put his fresh food in the same place as I always do, I put him in the old tank and walked away. Went and washed my hands, came back and he was eating.

He also drank a lot more water. He fired up so he isn't as pale as he was.

I will get the first poo I see and take it to my vet asap. Just to be sure he is okay. I also moved his cage away from my Healthy crestie.

[mlededee]

great to hear that he is eating again and still drinking! that is a very good sign but still a good idea to get a fecal done just to be on the safe side. maybe the move just overwhelmed him or he felt exposed or something in the new setup...usually cresteds are good about transitioning to new enclosures but maybe it was just too big of a step up for right now. good luck with him and keep us updated!

[Kristy]

Oh and the last time he ate crickets was last week. They came from a little store I have been getting them from for over 2 years. I totally trust their stock.

So far being back in his old cage looks like it perked him up a little. He is back up in his favorite spot, on the hammock and under a leaf. I think the size of the enclosure may have been overwhelming. Of course he isn't completely back to normal. I have just seen a little different in the last half hour. I will keep a close eye over the next week or so and get a fecal to my vet like I said. I have to take one in for the baby leo and newest crestie too anyway.

The fact that he is drinking lots of water and ate some CGD is good though.


For future reference when should I move a crestie into a bigger enclosure? Or is the 12x18x18 big enough for one gecko? I had just read somewhere that 21 grams would be big enough for a 20 gallon like that. I guess it all depends on the gecko.

Edit: Thanks again Emily

[SarahMB]

is it cooler where they are now as opposed to where they were before? cooler temperatures slow their metabolism and a sudden change in temps will result in then suddenly eating less. that's not a bad thing unless it's too cold--like below 68 for extended periods of time.

Oh yeah, you know, that could be it. My house is definitely cooler, but no, not below 75, so should be ok. Thanks!
I hope I didn't hijack this thread, just thought maybe I could learn from the questions already asked, haha. I'm glad to have read the answers, too, didn't even know you could soak the critters. I'll keep that in mind for sure!