Tokay Gecko help

[basin79]

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So we went to the vet this morning. They said he was severely malnourished, dehydrated, retained some of his shed, has a mouth infection, and is missing teeth as well as has cracked teeth from forced feeding. He also has scabs. One on that spot on his mouth and one on his back from a probable bite.

I'm leaving him at the vet until this evening so he can get steamed and get his shed off. Theyre also giving him some fluids. Im coming home with antibiotics and anti inflammitories so he wont be in pain anymore. I was pleasantly surprised at the cost. It was only 265 at most.

As far as the vendor goes, i politely cussed them out and they offered to give me a refund of a whopping 16 dollars. Im explaining in a separate email that all of these issues are due to improper husbandry prior to my purchase and that they should step up to the plate and cover the cost. I'll give an update on that as well. Again, as a vendor who also has a local business, I would hope that they would be willing to make this situation right.

Dont mess with me and my children. I will fight for them. Thank you so much everyone for all of the support. I really appreciate everything <3

Really, really hope he improves rapidly with the help from the vet. Whilst I'm upset he was treated so badly at the start I'm absolutely made up he's with you now.

Sadly being so cheap I doubt the seller will care about the others he gets. If he sells just a few for him it's probably worth while. Those that die, die and he'll buy more.

 

[mantisfan101]

Force feed a tokay? Why? Oh man, I don’t normally keep reptiles but this has me rooting for him, hope he get’s better soon!

 

[TLSizzle]

Once he’s feeling better, say goodbye to a calm tokay. They are fierce!
Definitely more of a watch and admire animal.
We had one, Azula, for a few years. She was awesome in her very opinionated way. They are absolutely beautiful and deserve the respect of being left alone should they wish.
Good luck and thanks for fighting so hard for this fella!

 

[PeterPann]

Currently the seller is willing to cover up to $200 for a refund fee. I'm still going to attempt to get full cost back, but $200 definitely helps a lot.

The vet said he perked up quite a bit! I cant wait to have my gecko with anger issues in full health

 

[basin79]

Currently the seller is willing to cover up to $200 for a refund fee. I'm still going to attempt to get full cost back, but $200 definitely helps a lot.

The vet said he perked up quite a bit! I cant wait to have my gecko with anger issues in full health

Magnificent.

 

[Teal]

Dont mess with me and my children.

Yeahhh, except this is a *gecko*...

But anyways. That would be amazing if the vendor actually covered 200$ of his veterinarian costs. Did the vet do a fecal?

 

[PeterPann]

Yeahhh, except this is a *gecko*...

But anyways. That would be amazing if the vendor actually covered 200$ of his veterinarian costs. Did the vet do a fecal?

Geckos = scaly children.

The vet did do a fecal. So in a nutshell, here's what's going on... mouth infection, retained shed (they gave him a steam bath and removed it), may loose two toes because of the retained shed, has missing and cracked teeth from force feeding, has 4 different types of parasites, and the vet said the scabs looked like they were from either crickets biting him or from another gecko. Not to mention hes severely dehydrated and half the weight he's supposed to be. He was estimated to be about 8 months old, but his growth is probably stunted.

All of this cost me 283 dollars, not including the follow up visit in about a month. The vendor said he would issue a refund of 200, but I didnt ask for a refund, I asked for veterinary care to be covered for this visit. I'll of course be happy with 200, but I'm going to try to get thay full cost covered.

Here are the parasites he has: nematodes, flagellates, coccidia, and pinworms

Theyve got him on baytril for his mouth infection, metacam for his sores, silvadene cream for his toes, and three dewormers (panacur, metronidazole, and ponazuril).

 

[Teal]

Geckos = reptiles
Sorry, it's a pet peeve. Animals are not children, and thinking of them as such means you are anthropomorphizing them instead of treating them in a species-appropriate manner that meets their needs.

But anyways!

That all sounds right on track for what is wrong with pretty much all wild caught Tokays. He should be cleared of everything within a few weeks and then can start gaining weight!

I do hope you had him quarantined from any other animals and disinfected inbetween handling him and other animals/tools (other reptiles, at least... I believe most of those parasites, if not all, are species-specific and not zoonotic).

Please keep us updated on his progress. And you are AWESOME for doing your best to get him healthy... So many people wouldn't invest the time and money. He is a lucky little gecko

 

[PeterPann]

Geckos = reptiles
Sorry, it's a pet peeve. Animals are not children, and thinking of them as such means you are anthropomorphizing them instead of treating them in a species-appropriate manner that meets their needs.

But anyways!

That all sounds right on track for what is wrong with pretty much all wild caught Tokays. He should be cleared of everything within a few weeks and then can start gaining weight!

I do hope you had him quarantined from any other animals and disinfected inbetween handling him and other animals/tools (other reptiles, at least... I believe most of those parasites, if not all, are species-specific and not zoonotic).

Please keep us updated on his progress. And you are AWESOME for doing your best to get him healthy... So many people wouldn't invest the time and money. He is a lucky little gecko

I can see how that could be a pet peeve, but dont worry, I know he isn't like a dog that wants to be played with lol. The more I learn about tokays, the more I add to his care sheet

I don't have any other reptiles, but I do definitely wash my hands after handling and wash all six syringes that go into his mouth. Im paranoid about potentially contracting the parasites myself tbh.

I'll definitely keep the thread updated in the following weeks! Again, thanks for all of the support and suggestions. I don't think he would have made it without y'all <3

 

[basin79]

I can see how that could be a pet peeve, but dont worry, I know he isn't like a dog that wants to be played with lol. The more I learn about tokays, the more I add to his care sheet

I don't have any other reptiles, but I do definitely wash my hands after handling and wash all six syringes that go into his mouth. Im paranoid about potentially contracting the parasites myself tbh.

I'll definitely keep the thread updated in the following weeks! Again, thanks for all of the support and suggestions. I don't think he would have made it without y'all <3

Pay no heed. It's perfectly clear you "just" care about your Tokay and won't be dressing him up in clothes any time soon.

 

[The Snark]

Here are the parasites he has: nematodes, flagellates, coccidia, and pinworms

Sounds like a filthy/infested puppy(gecko) mill. Too many organisms and ailments for in the wild.
Should try to find out where the seller got him from. Maybe get a watch-for word out.

 

[Teal]

Im paranoid about potentially contracting the parasites myself tbh.

Nah, don't worry about that. Like I said, the strains/types he has wouldn't be zoonotic - meaning they are not transmissable to humans.

Pay no heed. It's perfectly clear you "just" care about your Tokay and won't be dressing him up in clothes any time soon.

Tokay fashion shows are awesome though.

 

[mantisfan101]

Aww poor guy, how is it even possible for a gecko to have that mamy problems? Hope he’ll get better soon, I always liked tokays even if I’ve never kept them before, their massive size and barks and attitude just seem so adorable to me

 

[Teal]

Sounds like a filthy/infested puppy(gecko) mill. Too many organisms and ailments for in the wild.
Should try to find out where the seller got him from. Maybe get a watch-for word out.

They catch/import, the stress of such weakens the animal's immune system and they catch everything under the sun in addition to what they came with. Internal parasites are incredibly common in WC reptiles because their prey are vectors.

 

[PeterPann]

Aww poor guy, how is it even possible for a gecko to have that mamy problems? Hope he’ll get better soon, I always liked tokays even if I’ve never kept them before, their massive size and barks and attitude just seem so adorable to me

Because of the parasites, the vet thinks his growth is stunted. She also says he's between 6 months to a year... so I'm running with he's 9 months.

On the plus side, he already looks less dehydrated and seems to be stronger <3

 

[schmiggle]

Because of the parasites, the vet thinks his growth is stunted

According to what I've read, ectotherms can modulate growth rates under different nutrient regimes without being harmed. So he should end up reaching a full adult size, just later than he would have otherwise. Fingers crossed.

 

[PeterPann]

Unfortunately, Fucker passed away today while I was at work. Im trying really hard to not blame myself because I know I did everything I possibly could have to help him regain his strength. He simply came to me in a really bad state.

He was a goofy little dude though. I loved him. He taught me so much in the little time I had him. I'm planning on finding somewhere nice to lay him to rest tomorrow. Thank you again everyone for all the support over the past couple weeks with getting him to a vet and also helping me make sure I did do everything I could have done to the best of my ability.

 

[mantisfan101]

Unfortunately, Fucker passed away today while I was at work. Im trying really hard to not blame myself because I know I did everything I possibly could have to help him regain his strength. He simply came to me in a really bad state.

He was a goofy little dude though. I loved him. He taught me so much in the little time I had him. I'm planning on finding somewhere nice to lay him to rest tomorrow. Thank you again everyone for all the support over the past couple weeks with getting him to a vet and also helping me make sure I did do everything I could have done to the best of my ability.

I’m so sorry about that...at least he’s in a better place where he doesn’t have to go through all of those diseases...

 

[basin79]

Gutted. I clicked on this 100% convinced it was going to be a positive update.

Poor little man. Doesn't change anything but he died in "better" circumstances than he would.

Really, really saddened to read that.

 

[PeterPann]

I’m so sorry about that...at least he’s in a better place where he doesn’t have to go through all of those diseases...

Gutted. I clicked on this 100% convinced it was going to be a positive update.

Poor little man. Doesn't change anything but he died in "better" circumstances than he would.

Really, really saddened to read that.

I just wish I could have saved him. I'm getting a sick tattoo in memorial of him though as soon as I can find a good artist in my budget. He taught me so much in the short amount of time that I had him. I'm glad I could at least make his transition to the other side easier.. I just hate that it even had to come to this. I really thought he was going to be able to make it.

I've decided that tomorrow is going to be when I put him in the ground. I'm going to find a nice spot near the river which is also elevated so he doesn't end up accidentally coming back to the surface. Hopefully with the next repticon, if it feels right, I'll be able to find another tokay that is much healthier.