Dragoon Gecko
Active Member
- Messages
- 1,262
- Location
- Europe
I would say this gecko looks VERY thin to me 
.
But at least it is for sure far too small and far too tiny for someone with almost no leo-experience. Therefore, I can only recommend to carefully watch this little one, house it alone (=quarantine), try to make it gain weight and let it check by your vet soon for inner parasites.
To the general topic: I for one love people with a big and caring heart, people who want to help. I am sure that the person who "saved" this gecko had good intentions. But when it comes to reptiles, it seems that most people have to learn the hard way that it is better to do something "good" in supporting the serious breeders who love & care for their geckos, instead of supporting any stores that sell geckos cheap and in a terrible condition. Every gecko you "rescue" in such a store makes room for 3 or 5 new ones. There will only be an end if there is no demand for geckos in bad condition anymore..
Needless to say that you are more happy with a healthy and tame gecko from a friendly breeder, than with a weak and/or sick one that has a high risk of dying..
Unfortunately I see cases like this little gecko almost every day in our clinic- and unfortunately a great part of such animals refuse to take food at some point due to their general weakness (and young age) and do not survive their "rescue" for long because the new owners do not lack at heart, but to the daily experience with handling weak geckos..
Someone here said that you cannot beat $15 for a gecko - I am respectfully going to disagree here.
In my opinion, you can beat $15 for a weak and small gecko with an unsure future - with $25-$35 for a larger, healthy and stronger animal from a serious breeder that will make you happy for the next 20 years for sure!!
The total costs of the equipment (terrarium, decoration, heatlamp etc.) and the regular costs over the next years make your investment in an healthy animal financially seen relatively unimportant. But maybe this is just my opinion...
Anyway I do not say this as a critic, but only as an idea to think about for the future..
/Rebecca
.But at least it is for sure far too small and far too tiny for someone with almost no leo-experience. Therefore, I can only recommend to carefully watch this little one, house it alone (=quarantine), try to make it gain weight and let it check by your vet soon for inner parasites.
To the general topic: I for one love people with a big and caring heart, people who want to help. I am sure that the person who "saved" this gecko had good intentions. But when it comes to reptiles, it seems that most people have to learn the hard way that it is better to do something "good" in supporting the serious breeders who love & care for their geckos, instead of supporting any stores that sell geckos cheap and in a terrible condition. Every gecko you "rescue" in such a store makes room for 3 or 5 new ones. There will only be an end if there is no demand for geckos in bad condition anymore..
Needless to say that you are more happy with a healthy and tame gecko from a friendly breeder, than with a weak and/or sick one that has a high risk of dying..
Unfortunately I see cases like this little gecko almost every day in our clinic- and unfortunately a great part of such animals refuse to take food at some point due to their general weakness (and young age) and do not survive their "rescue" for long because the new owners do not lack at heart, but to the daily experience with handling weak geckos..
Someone here said that you cannot beat $15 for a gecko - I am respectfully going to disagree here.
In my opinion, you can beat $15 for a weak and small gecko with an unsure future - with $25-$35 for a larger, healthy and stronger animal from a serious breeder that will make you happy for the next 20 years for sure!!
The total costs of the equipment (terrarium, decoration, heatlamp etc.) and the regular costs over the next years make your investment in an healthy animal financially seen relatively unimportant. But maybe this is just my opinion...
Anyway I do not say this as a critic, but only as an idea to think about for the future..
/Rebecca
