Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Gecko's #1 Problem

Is your gecko impacted. This is one of the
leopard gecko's problems. What I mean can it go
to the bathroom or in other terms can it poo.
When a gecko is impacted, this means the gecko is
constipated because something is plugging up the
intestinal tract. This can happen if they ingest
sand that you might be using for a substrate. If
they miss their prey when they strike they could
ingest sand but they usually spit it out or try
to. This is why some people are against using
sand as a substrate instead using reptile carpet.
Some think they might eat sand due to a
deficiency. A reptiles body will sometimes tell
them if they are deficient in vitamins and
calcium and they could eat sand trying to correct
the needed supplements or deficiency.

You should be able to tell impaction by feeling a
hard lump on their belly. They should go to a
veterinarian but here are some home remedies.
Number one, give it a bath and number two, give
it a couple drops of olive oil with a baby
syringe. Do not force movement of the hind legs
if you notice your gecko has lost some movement
in the hind leg area.

Impaction is a severe blockage of the intestines
and if they still have a good appetite and are
pooing you can just about rule out impaction.
Gecko babies poo more that the grownup's do.

Impaction can be caused by feeding your gecko to
many meal worms because the exoskeleton of the
meal worms can be hard to digest. Crickets can
be their staple leopard gecko feed and
supplementing with other insects. Also feed them
phoenix worms, wax worms at times because they
are full of fat, dubia roaches, silk worms and
horn worms. Feeding the geckos the right foods
can lesson the chance of them becoming impacted.

Now that we have gone through all of that I will
list the things that will cause a gecko to become
impacted.

# 1 Loose substrate

Your little pet could possibly chew loose
substrate such as sand, gravel or coconut husks
and if they swallow any of this they can become
impacted because they can not digest any of this.

# 2 Leopard Gecko feed

The mouth of a gecko is small so the prey should
not be any larger than one-half the length of the
gecko's head. If it is too big he might eat it
but might not be able to digest it. Smaller
things should be watched to because if they eat
too much, like too many meal worms, that could
cause a blockage due to too many at one time.

# 3 Hydration

For a healthy and successful bowel movement and
just like us people hydration is one of the very
important things. The gecko needs to be hydrated
properly because if not the body will draw fluids
from other parts of the body like the digestive
tract. Available water should be there for both
your pet and also you.

# 4 Temperature

A gecko is a cold blooded creature and needs a
constant heat to stay alive. You can use a
heating pad or under tank heater to keep your
tank at the desired temperature. Body temperature
has a lot to do with the metabolism of a gecko,
the lower the temperature the slower the
metabolism. This in turn can cause the gecko to
improperly digest it's food. 92 to 95 degrees on
the hot side of the tank is the best temperature
for a gecko's digestion.

The best thing to do if you think your gecko is
impacted is to take them to a good vet. By
increasing the warm side of tank to 90 degrees
this will help to increase the metabolism. Give
them a bath in Luke-warm water a couple of times
a day to help soften the stool in their stomach.
A couple of drops of olive oil on their nose for
them to lick off will help in lubrication and act
like a laxative.

Do the things mentioned above and you will cut
down on one of the major Leopard Gecko problems
of ever becoming impacted.

----------------------------------------------------
E.S. Killian has done extensive research on the
subject of raising leopard gecko's and problems
that one might encounter. This is why he has
chosen to write this article. If you would like
more information on raising Leopard Gecko's then
please follow this
link:http://www.geckosale.com/leopard-gecko-inform
ation/

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