| |
Check the overall appearance of the gecko:
- Are there any lateral folds, or are the folds normal
for the species exaggerated in appearance or are there
more of them?
- Has there been a change in colour?
- Is the colour of the skin dulling, darkening?
Check for changes in feeding habits:
- Has food intake dropped off?
- Food choices changed?
- Are they selecting foods with higher moisture content?
- Eating more?
Look for changes in appearance, consistency and amount
of feces and urates:
- Is there less urates?
- Is it thicker, more viscous?
- Are the fecal masses smaller, harder, drier, runnier?
- Defecating less often?
Check for changes in behaviour:
- Is the reptile lethargic?
- Spending more time in hiding or in the cooler end of
the thermal gradient?
- Spends more time in basking area?
- Prolonged soaking in water bowl?
- More active, especially at odd times?
- Engaging in frequent or prolonged digging, scratching
or head-banging behaviour?
- Increased or decreased tongue-flicking when handled or
enclosure is opened?
Check for changes in shedding:
- Has the shed schedule become erratic?
- If the reptile should be shedding in one piece, is it?
- Are sheds taking much longer than usual to complete?
Check for physical signs of an injury:
- Is it gaping (sitting with open mouth) for long
periods of time?
- Increased or thickened saliva?
- Paling of the tissues inside the mouth?
- Prolonged eversion of hemipenes or cloacal tissue
after defecation?
- Limping?
- Swelling of digit, tail, limb, back, jaw?
- Loss of muscle tone/strength?
- Tremors?
- Shakiness?
- Less climbing or failure to climb?
- Difficult raising body off ground?
- Difficult or failure to right itself?
- Any lumps, bumps or bruised areas?
- Any scabs?
- Blisters?
|
Common
Medical Conditions and Health Problems: Signs of Illness
