Parasites &
Other Illnesses

Questions and topics answered on this page:

  • Reptile parasites.

  • Cryptosporidiosis/Stick tail.

  • Metabolic bone disease.

  • Impaction.

  • Enigma syndrome.

  • Eye issues.

Reptile parasites.

I began creating an animated series on my channel, and I decided to create a video on reptile parasites, their symptoms, how they are detected and possible treatments for them. If you suspect your gecko of having parasites it is important to act fast and get the appropriate testing and treatment from your vet.

Cryptosporidiosis/Stick Tail.

Has your leopard gecko suddenly developed a painful thin tail? Is it rapidly losing weight? There are a number of things that can cause this, but one thing we want to rule out is the deadly parasite, cryptosporidium.

Metabolic bone disease.

Metabolic bone disease or ‘MBD’ can be easily avoided if proper care is given to your reptile, but sadly we continue to see this occur in geckos where their keeper has decided not to use the appropriate supplements and/or a UV lamp. In this video, I explain what MBD is and how to avoid it.

Impaction.

Please keep in mind this is quite an old video now, however, at the time many keepers used calci sand, a non-natural substrate that was one of the leading causes of impaction. However, it is good to keep in mind that a reptile can get impacted by its food if it is not kept correctly. Incorrect temperatures, dehydration and poor nutrition can all contribute to impaction.

Enigma syndrome.

Enigma Syndrome (ES) is a neurological disorder that affects the balance and cognition of leopard geckos. In this video, I attempt to explain what causes it, why it occurs, symptoms of it, and how to cope with it.

Eye issues.

One of my leopard geckos, Minnie, was born with a slightly deformed eye. Subtle deformities like this can be triggered by a sudden change in temperature whilst leopard gecko eggs are being incubated. Though this doesn’t set out to explain all eye issues and how to fix them, I do talk about Minnie’s specific eye issue and how we’ve dealt with it over her lifetime.