The Full Guide to Crested Gecko Diseases and Illnesses

Crested geckos are one of the best beginner lizards to keep at home and are quite hardy. You can prevent most of the crested gecko diseases and infections by providing good care at all times, as well as monitoring gecko’s health. Regular checks, optimal husbandry, weighing and monitoring can all help prevent your crested gecko from becoming sick. In this post, we will have the full guide to crested gecko diseases and illnesses, as well as their symptoms, prevention and treatment.

How to tell your crested gecko is sick? Sick crested gecko symptoms:

• Tiredness, sluggish behavior
• Refusing to eat
• Weight loss
• Can’t climb vertical surfaces
• Vomiting
• Eye discharge and swelling
• Soft bones, tail or spine kinks
• Retained shed
• Runny stools
• Floppy tail
• Prolapsed hemipenis

and many more… Let’s discuss each problem in more detail.

Calcium/vitamin D3 deficiency and Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD) in crested geckos

What causes MBD in crested geckos?

You have probably heard the term MBD many times before.

Severe MBD in a crested gecko

• MBD is a metabolic bone disease that causes soft bones and bone deformities due to inability to metabolize calcium, or mainly due to its deficiency in the diet.
• Another reason for MBD is lack of vitamin D3 in crested gecko’s diet. Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol. Vitamin D3 is required to absorb calcium in intestines, so if your crested gecko doesn’t get enough vitamin D3, it won’t be able to metabolize calcium. As most owners don’t use full-spectrum lamps, you will need to supplement the food with the vitamin.
• Calcium:Phosphorus ratio in the diet is crucial. That is why you must not feed your crested gecko any baby food or fresh fruits that have not been balanced. Too much phosphorus will remove calcium from the body. You must aim for 2:1 or 2.5:1 Ca:P ratio. Read very important info about supplements and Ca:P ratio in the diet post.

It is very hard to notice calcium deficiency from the start, and it will take at least few months before you start seeing any signs.

This is why it’s very important to feed your crested gecko a fully supplemented and balanced crested gecko diet mix (such as Repashy like this or Pangea). If you feed any live insects, you must gut-load them for 24 hours and dust them with supplements.

Symptoms of calcium deficiency and MBD in crested geckos include:

• Weakness and reduced mobility – few of the first symptoms that you can notice
  

  A full and visible calcium sac

• Kinking of the tail and spine. Tail can be crooked and have a zig-zag appearance. But some cresties have genetic spinal kinking.
• Lower jaw is soft, rubbery, and is jutting out (this tends to remain after treatment), as well as an under bite.
• Crested gecko walks and climbs less as well as reluctantly or doesn’t climb at all
• Deformed limbs
• Humped back
• Swollen, puffy limbs
• Shaking and muscle tremors – very common symptoms
• Poor feeding due to soft jaw bones
• Floppy tail might be also a sign, but not necessarily
• Crested gecko seems too tired and lifeless after laying eggs – she might have a calcium crash.
• Calcium sacs (2 sacs where calcium is stored) in the mouth become pale, flat and almost invisible in geckos with calcium deficiency. Calcium sacs are not fully defined until adulthood, so can’t fully judge juvenile’s health by looking at them only.

How to prevent and treat MBD in crested geckos?

A good balanced diet will always be successful in preventing MBD. You will need to supplement crested gecko’s diet (not meal replacement powder though, which already has all the supplements) with calcium, D3 and other supplements.

Don’t offer vitamin D2 – it is of plant origin and won’t be of any use to your gecko. But always be careful with supplements, especially not to oversupplement with vitamin D3.

Always gut-load and dust crickets and other insects that you are offering. Don’t feed your crested gecko baby food, fresh fruits and purees – these are only treats. It is very hard to make Ca:P ratio balanced purees. Also, crested geckos often refuse other food after eating fresh fruits.

Talking about female crested geckos, they might experience calcium crash after laying eggs. This is why you must create a cooling period between end of October to March, by reducing amount of light in a day and lowering temperatures.

This will stop her egg production. Feed her complete and supplemented diet throughout the year, but especially during this cooling period. That will help restore her calcium levels and prepare for a breeding season. Read our breeding guide to learn more breeding created geckos.

If you suspect that your crested gecko has MBD, start calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation. Take your crested gecko to a vet for an expert advice on how to treat your gecko’s condition.

n very severe cases, your might need to feed your crested gecko with a syringe (both food and supplements) and your vet might even administer calcium injections. Most mild cases can be treated, while severe cases might cause irreversible damage. Act quickly if you notice any symptoms. Read about supplementation here.

Floppy tail syndrome in crested geckos

Hanging like this can cause weakening of tail muscles, causing FTS

Floppy tail syndrome forms in crested geckos that spend lots of time hanging on terrarium’s walls upside down. Tail will be hanging down, over crested gecko’s head, for prolonged periods of time.

Hanging upside down can be one of the reasons of a floppy tail syndrome. Other reasons include MBD and calcium/vitamin D3 deficiencies causing weak bones, bending of pelvic bones or even broken bone at the base of the tail.

To prevent your crested gecko from developing a floppy tail syndrome, make sure it is receiving a good diet. What is more, don’t let it hang upside down for long periods of time.

Try introducing more foliage,  accessories and horizontal branches that will prevent your gecko from hanging like this. Read all about crested gecko’s tank accessories, branches and plants in this post. Don’t be scared to buy a gecko with FTS, as they are mostly fine and only have a kinked tail.

Prolapse of hemipenis in male crested geckos

When mating, male crested gecko uses his hemipenis, his reproductive organ located at the base of the tail. After mating, hemipenis should go back within an hour or so, but sometimes can take few hours and up to a day. You will see your crested gecko licking his hemipenis to help it retract.

If your crested gecko’s hemipenis doesn’t retract after 5-6 hours, make your gecko a sugar bath. Mix some water with sugar in a container and place your gecko in there for 10 minutes.

Repeat few times, and hopefully, hemipenis should retract. Also, make sure there is nothing stuck around the hemipenis that could prevent it from going back in. You can also pour some cold (not too cold) water on the hemipenis for few minutes.

If nothing has worked, take your crested gecko to the vet as soon as possible to prevent necrosis of the hemipenis. Y

our vet will try to push the hemipenis back in. But if necrosis happens (hemipenis turns black and dry), your vet will have to cut off his hemipenis. But don’t worry, your crested gecko has 2 of them, so he will be able to breed again.

Problematic shedding/retained shed in crested geckos

This crested gecko is about to shed

Crested geckos shed quite often – around each week for hatchlings and babies, and once or twice a month for adults. But what is also important is that crested geckos need high humidity levels in their tank, so that they can shed properly.

Optimal humidity in crested gecko’s tank is between 70-85%, and shouldn’t be lower than 55%. Use a humidity gauge like this to check humidity levels in the tank. You should mist your crested gecko and it’s tank, once a day for adults and twice a day for hatchlings and babies. Read more about humidity in crested gecko’s tank here.

If humidity levels in the tank get too low, your crested gecko will have trouble shedding. It is common for crested geckos to shed big pieces easily, but then small pieces of skin get stuck between their toes, around the eyes, tail and on the head. Another reason why your crested gecko can’t shed properly is because it’s sick.

Retained shed on a crested gecko’s head and tail tip

Retained shed is more important than it might seem – pieces of skin can constrict the blood flow to the organs, limbs and cause necrosis (death). Your crested gecko might lose toes and even the tip of its tail.

The skin that is about to shed becomes pale and wrinkly, and gecko should remove and eat the skin within two days. You must check if there is any skin left, and if yes, help your gecko remove it. You can give your crested gecko a bath with reptile shed aid product like this or rub the areas with warm water and cotton buds.

Also, make sure to check humidity levels in the tank and you can fill the hideout with moss for extra humidity. Your gecko might eat less during shedding period and climb less – this is normal.

If you don’t treat the retained shed, your crested gecko is likely to refuse food, loose a limb and eventually die. If you notice the problem too late, make sure to take your gecko to the vet.

Underweight crested gecko or weight loss

This crested gecko was mistreated and weighed only 19 grams

Your gecko might become underweight due to different reasons, such as poor appetite caused by internal parasites, bullying and others. Or maybe you have decided to house a crested gecko that has been living in improper conditions before and is underweight.

Skinny crested geckos will have pelvic bones sticking out and will be thin around limbs and neck.

Hatchling and baby crested geckos should grow quickly, and gain around 1-2 grams each month until they become adults at around 18-24 months. Crested geckos are often born to weigh 2 grams, and should be around 20 grams by the time they reach sexual maturity at 9-10 months of age.

While each gecko is different, adult crested geckos should weigh around 30-55 grams, and anything more than 65 grams is obesity. Less than 30 grams is too low.

This is a healthy juvenile crested gecko female, weighing 26 grams.

You need to weigh your crested gecko 1-2 times a month, using precise digital scales. You can use digital kitchen scales or jewelry scales like this, that read to at least 0.1 increments.

If your crested gecko starts losing weight, you need to find out the reason of it. Maybe it is bullying, stress, soft bones (MBD) that make eating hard, or internal parasites. Either way, it’s the best idea to take your crested gecko to the vet and perform a stool test.

Very often, crested gecko won’t eat for days and up to a week in a new home, because this is a very stressful time. In this case, don’t handle your gecko, make sure the room is not too bright and don’t allow any other pets or children touch the tank or gecko itself. Don’t transport your gecko unnecessarily.

Crested gecko not eating

If your crested gecko is refusing to eat due to any health issues, you might need to force feed it. To feed your crested gecko, use a syringe that is filled with a liquid complete diet.

You can touch its snout, which will cause a reaction and your gecko will open its mouth. Or you can also drip some of the food on its snout, and your gecko should lick the food.

Impaction and constipation in crested geckos

Your crested gecko might become impacted if it swallows a lot of substrate in the tank. To cause impaction, your crested gecko needs to swallow small or large objects, that are not digested and get stuck in the intestines, causing blockage.

Be careful with crested geckos that have loose bedding in the tank, such as coconut fiber. Hatchlings and babies are especially prone to substrate ingestion, as they are learning about their habitat.

Keep hatchlings and juveniles only on paper towels until they become sub-adults. Remove hatchlings from incubating boxes maximum one day after hatching, as hatchlings will ingest vermiculite or perlite and won’t be able to pass it.

Substrate ingestion can happen when feeding, so if you notice that your crested gecko ingests any substrate, start offering live food in dishes, with feeding tongs or in a corner of the tank with no substrate.

If you have noticed your gecko ingesting substrate, even if it’s an adult, remove loose substrate and switch to paper towels. Use fine substrate, that can pass easily if your gecko ingests it. Never use coarse or granular bedding, such as coarse sand or rocks.

It is often very hard to notice and understand intestinal impaction, and your gecko is very likely to miss regular pooping and refuse eating if impacted.

If you notice any signs, start offering warm baths, offering more water and vegetables that are higher in fiber. Limit insect feeding until everything clears.

Some signs of intestinal impaction in crested geckos are:

• Loss of appetite is a very big sign. If you are using coco fiber for bedding, place your gecko in a container with paper towels to monitor pooping.
• Weight gain. You can also weigh your gecko every day to see any changes. Gain of few grams in 5-7 days is a big sign of constipation or impaction.
• Plump belly that looks very round. Give your crested gecko a warm bath with belly rubs to help it poop.
• Irregular pooping. Healthy crested geckos should poop around 3-4 times a week.

Read about best substrates for your crested gecko in this post.

Tail loss or autotomy in crested geckos

There are few reasons why your crested gecko might drop its tail. Crested geckos drop the tail very easily, and unfortunately, it doesn’t grow back. But it doesn’t make a crested gecko unhealthy – it can lead a very active lifestyle. Many geckos in the wild don’t have tails, and this is normal.

Knowing the reasons why crested gecko might drop its tail can help you avoid this. Crested geckos, as many other lizards, drop the tail in life or death situations, and generally when very stressed or threatened.

Dropping the tail helps them run away and hide in the natural environment. While the tail is still twitching, a crested gecko can escape. Reasons and prevention for lost tail in crested geckos include:

• Rough handling and pulling by the tail is very likely to cause tail drop. If you want to handle your crested gecko, make sure it can see you first by approaching its tank and making some sounds to attract its attention.
• Male crested geckos might fight and bite each other’s tail. As a result, other gecko feels threatened and drops the tail.
• Even hatchlings and babies might fight for food and hideouts, so make sure everyone is getting enough food and you should have at least 1 hideout for each gecko. If they still fight, separate them. Never keep geckos of different ages or sizes together.
• Some diseases and vitamin deficiencies might cause kinky tail and even tail loss.
• Stressful situations.

What to do to help your crested gecko after it dropped the tail?

Crested gecko’s tail has fracture points at which the tail breaks. At the tail base, the blood vessels will constrict to prevent blood loss. So, your crested gecko shouldn’t lose any blood from dropping the tail. To help your crested gecko heal, provide it with a good diet and supplements.

Make sure you have the hideout for your gecko, as it will feel vulnerable and will want to hide. One of the most crucial things is to clean the tank more regularly, so the tail base doesn’t become infected. You can even transfer your gecko to a Kritter Keeper like this before the wound dries.

Egg-bound crested gecko

A female crested gecko that is unable to pass or lay her eggs might develop egg binding (dystocia). This is the syndrome when her eggs either can’t pass through the tubes to be laid, or when a gecko doesn’t choose to lay the eggs because she couldn’t find a suitable spot.

Remember that female crested geckos can start producing eggs from the age of 18-24 months, even without mating with a male. Many young female crested geckos lay infertile eggs even before they mate with males (many of them stop producing them after a year or two).

Always watch her behavior and prepare a nesting site at least a week or two before she needs to lay her eggs. Another reason why she might be unable to pass her eggs is calcium deficiency.

You will be able to confirm that she is egg-bound by looking and touching her belly – it will be wide on the lower belly and you will be able to feel the eggs.

Don’t apply too much pressure on the belly while she is gravid, or it can rupture eggs. Crested geckos lay eggs after roughly 30-45 days after mating.

Try to help her at home by making her a warm bath or increasing vivarium temperatures to 75 degrees if she doesn’t lay her eggs. As we have discussed, cold temperatures stop egg production, and slightly increasing the temperature (if this is the case) might help.

If a female crested gecko can’t lay her eggs due to any reasons, she will become egg-bound. Eggs will become hard in her belly (calcium will harden) and get stuck.

She won’t be able to lay hardened eggs.  In this case, you will need to take your crested gecko to the vet so they can surgically remove eggs from her body. Otherwise, she will die if untreated.

Read all about crested gecko breeding, mating, egg production in this post.

My crested gecko can’t climb the glass

Your crested gecko’s ability to climb the glass might be affected by multiple reasons. These are:

• Your crested gecko is shedding. Normally, crested gecko might have a problem with sticking to the glass few days before, during and after shedding. This should pass, but make sure there is no retained shed on toes.
• Crested gecko might be sick. Some crested geckos that are sick, for example, infected with internal parasites or developing MBD, will move less, and climb less as well. A neurological disease affecting coordination might also be an issue.
• Dirty glass can interfere with sticking. Make sure to clean the glass as well.
• The surface of the container might not be suitable for sticking/climbing. Crested geckos prefer glass and hard surfaces for climbing.
• Low humidity in the tank might prevent your gecko from sticking to the surfaces.

Diarrhea and smelly poop in crested geckos

Normal crested gecko poop should have solid piece of poop, urates (yellow) and some urine. Urates are solid and is urine in solid form, to minimize water loss.

You might notice your crested gecko having runny poop, but is it a sign of a disease? Usually, it only means that your crested gecko needs more rough food in the diet to produce solid feces. In this case, offer your crested gecko live or at least freeze dried insects, such as these crickets, once or twice a week. This should help improve the problem.

If you are already offering insects and runny stools were not a problem before, your crestie might suffer from parasites.

But this can also be stress that your gecko is experiencing, for example when shedding or switching tanks.

Also, check the humidity levels in the tank and make sure they are not too high.

If the problem doesn’t pass within a week or so, take your crested gecko to the vet for a fecal examination as these might be parasites. You will be usually able to see worms in feces with parasitic infections. But some parasites are only visible under the microscope, so stool test is necessary.

Wounds, bites, scratches and other injuries in crested geckos

Your crested gecko might also suffer from a physical damage. Causes might be different, and you have to always make sure that the living conditions are optimal. Crested geckos might suffer from injuries such as:

• Bites – when cage mates bite each other when competing. Also, a male can leave a bite mark on a female when mating (this is normal). Tail nips and bites by cage mates can cause tail loss. A bitten tip might become infected and necrotic (tail rot), and it might fall off (or you might need to amputate that part of the tail).
• Scratches, burns and other wounds – can be caused by hot lamps, accessories that have sharp sides etc. Make sure there are no wires inside the cage.
• Injury – for example when heavy accessories fall on top of your gecko. Make sure to seal them with a non-toxic aquarium sealant or fix them in a stable position.
• Intoxication with chemicals – make sure to always let any accessories that have been painted or sprayed off-gas before bringing your crested gecko back in. Wash accessories if possible to get rid of chemical residue so that your gecko doesn’t lick it off.
• Broken bones – your crested gecko might break any bones due to falls. Take it to the vet if you suspect broken bones.

This crested gecko has a broken jaw

To prevent any injuries and wounds, look around the cage and make any necessary changes if needed. Hide any wires, make sure lamps can’t be reached, separate cage mates if there is any bullying, file any sharp edges on the accessories and wood branches, secure accessories etc.

Wounds and bite marks should heal well, but make sure to keep the cage clean to prevent any infection. You can even move your crested gecko to a Kritter Keeper or other terrarium for the time being if there are any open wounds. Apply a little bit of antibiotic ointment on open wounds to prevent infections.

Eye problems and infections in crested geckos

Crested geckos might develop eye infections, and infected eyes should usually look swollen and bigger due to fluid buildup. If there is any discharge and swelling, then it’s most probably an eye infection.

But if there is no swelling or discharge, then it’s probably an internal eye damage or cataract. If you suspect an infection, use antimicrobial eye drops or rinse like this one by Fluker Labs, to treat infections. If it doesn’t pass or if you suspect a cataract, take your crested gecko to the vet.

Dehydration and regurgitation in a crested gecko

Your crested gecko might become dehydrated if it doesn’t drink enough water. Some crested geckos have trouble drinking water from a dish, especially if your gecko is young or if the dish it too deep.

What is more, if you feed your crested gecko only dry foods, it might become dehydrated. Complete powder diet must be mixed with water and if offering insects – have a water bowl at all times. Any sickness and parasites might also cause dehydration.

If you can see that your crested gecko can’t drink water from a bowl, or if your gecko is sick, apply water drops on its snout and it will lick them. Mist the cage once a day for adults and twice a day for babies and juveniles. Keep the cage humidity optimal (60-70%), and have a digital humidity gauge to check the levels.

Your crested gecko might suffer from regurgitation if you handle your crested gecko straight after feeding or if temperatures in the tank are too low.

These factors can prevent digestion, so don’t stress your gecko after feeding. Internal parasites can also cause regurgitation and vomiting. If symptoms don’t pass after checking temperatures and reducing handling and stressful situations, take your gecko poop for for a fecal test.

To prepare gecko’s poop for a stool test, collect it in a small bag with a zipper and refrigerate it. Do NOT freeze the poop.

Internal parasites in crested geckos

Coccidia

There are different types of parasites that can affect your crested gecko. Some parasites are normal and live in the gut flora, so stool test is necessary to monitor their levels if your gecko is sick.

Many worms are also normal in crested gecko’s digestive system, so tests are necessary to see if their levels in the feces are too high. Parasites that can affect your crested gecko are following:

• Protozoa – such as Coccidia, Cryptosporidium, Flagellates 
  
• Worms – roundworms, Nematodes (pinworms)
• Entamoeba

All internal parasites in extreme numbers will cause loss of appetite, lethargy, diarrhea, weight loss and dehydration. Take a stool sample, refrigerate it (don’t freeze) and take it to the vet for examination.

Steam cleaners can sanitize a vivarium and other surfaces with an up to 200 degree pressured steam

You will need to clean the tank and disinfect all the accessories to prevent reinfection. A very good way to clean crested gecko’s tank is by using a steam cleaner (can use a handheld one like this for comfort) that uses heated pressured steam that is heated to around 200 degrees F.

Cryptosporidiosis is one of the worst reptile infections and usually causes death if untreated (due to weight loss, digestive issues and malnutrition). It often infects leopard geckos, rather than crested geckos, though. They can be seen under the microscope and treated with anti-parasitic drugs.

If you notice any worms in the poop, quarantine your crested gecko straight away – move it to a simple container with paper towels.

Coccidiosis spreads very fast, and you need to be careful to prevent reinfection. Sanitizing the tank and accessories + moving your gecko to a smaller container will be the only way to prevent reinfection while gecko is receiving treatment.

Salmonella are bacteria that live in the gut of crested geckos, and other reptiles. They are a part of normal gut flora, and don’t cause any issues in crested geckos.

Owners might contract Salmonella, so washing hands after handling crested geckos or cleaning the tank is very important. Don’t eat when touching your gecko and don’t wash accessories in the kitchen sink. Salmonellosis causes fever, diarrhea, cramps and fever in people.

External parasites in crested geckos

Crested geckos might become infected with mites, but this doesn’t happen very often. Mites can be hard to remove and it will take time to clear the infestation. Red mites can be seen on crested geckos, but this is quite rare. To remove mites, you will need to use mite spray, or use cotton buds dipped in oil or alcohol and remove them manually.

Thank you for reading this article, and please share it if you have found it useful. But remember, this post is only a guide, and if you suspect a major problem, take your gecko to the vet. Make sure to read our other posts on crested gecko care on this page.