Gecko died!

[Bonney425]

I woke up this morning to a dead gecko!!!! I checked on them yesterday and everyone was fine, she hadn't had any problems I noticed. Temps and humidity good. Had the same geckos for around 4 years in the same tank, then this all the sudden, she had two other geckos with her that I now have in a different tank while I'm cleaning there tank and furniture. Was checking the temp. When I found her (just bought a new uth) as soon as I got close to the tank I noticed a horrible smell, so I started moving hides to find out what it was and I found her not moving, as soon as I touched her I knew she was dead, I flipped her on her back to look and her entire underside was black with a green looking tinge with a white square in the middle ofit. There is nothing in the tank she could have swallowed. she had been having shedding problems on her toes so I just soaked her yesterday morning and she seemed fine. I can't get pics to upload right now.....please someone help, I don't k now if my other geckos are at risk. And I want to know what happened

 

[ace bomer]

if they were having shedding problems, take them to a reptile vet immediately!

 

[LZRDGRL]

It might have been a stroke or inner bleeding; nothing you can do about this, and most likely didn't have anything to do with your husbandry. I had a gecko die of a stroke, and a necropsy revealed that. If you do one, you spend a lot of money, and if you don't, you'll never know...

Sorry for your loss. It happens sometimes. The green tinge and the white were probably from decaying. If the underbelly looked dark, it could have been inner bleeding. Some things don't announce themselves, and you don't see symptoms before they happen.

It's good you separated your other geckos. Just observe them for a while; they'll probably be fine, because if it was a stroke or inner bleeding, that's not contagious. Most contagious diseases have obvious symptoms, such as emaciation and lethargy, and can be noticed weeks and months in advance before a gecko's death.

Owning pets always brings heartbreak with all the joys. Sorry this happened to you!

Chrissy

 

[Bonney425]

Thanks for your reply, I guess it had to be something like a stroke, I can find no other explanations, their substrate is paper towels, I clean their water dish every other day, clean there tank once a week, thoughly clean and disinfect everything 2 times a month, their diet mostly consists of mealworms I breed myself and also make the "gutload" myself. I give them vitamins and calcium, they haven't had a vet visit in about a year, but they seemed healthy and I haven't introduced any new geckos or furniture and I don't breed them so I didn't think it was neccesary.....sry I'm rambling just heartbroken trying to think of something I could have done better. I really can't afford an necropsy, and nothing can be done about her anyway now, my other 3 have vet appts monday, all I can do is make sure they are healthy. ( my avatar picture is of her.)

 

[M_surinamensis]

Bonney, you have my condolences for your loss and my apologies for the tangent I am about to go on.

if they were having shedding problems, take them to a reptile vet immediately!

I'm usually very cautious about recommending home treatments in lieu of veterinary care; usually the people I trust to judge the difference between what they can handle themselves and what needs vet intervention are the people who don't have to ask questions about it... but minor shedding issues? A little TLC, all the way. Do not waste a vet's time or your money with the herpetocultural equivalent of a haircut.

Major shedding issues, skin damage, problems with the eyes and so forth... those might warrant a trip if someone doesn't feel confident and comfortable addressing them. Toes or flaking? Generally something that can be handled in-house.

More importantly though, this is strong evidence of the fact that you, Ace Boomer, should not be giving anyone advice or answering any questions. It is readily apparent that you're new and inexperienced; no problem, everyone starts that way. It is also apparent that you want to be helpful... but your half-assed answers are more dangerous than beneficial, because you don't know what you're talking about and every incomplete, inaccurate or incorrect answer you supply risks the health and well being of another person's pet. So please, in the interests of supplying solid and trustworthy information to the public, stop commenting on subjects you have no knowledge of. You have a lot to learn before trying to educate others.

 

[Bonney425]

Thank you for your condolences m_surinamensis, and no need to apologize for your tangent, I did not respond to ace bomers post because I didn't know what to say without being rude, I think you put it beautifully.

 

[sunshinegeckos]

im sorry for your loss

 

[animeavatar]

I'm sorry for your loss. DOn't worry! I'm sure your gecko knows you love her!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lillith]

I'm sorry you lost one of your geck-kids...it's never easy, and sometimes it's even worse when it's unexplained. I hope you have someone nearby to comfort you.

 

[Bonney425]

Thank you everyone for your condolences I really appreciate it.

 

[meaghani]

I think that the immediate response to a pet's death is guilt. They depend on you for everything - you can't help but feel like it was your fault because almost every aspect of their life is determined by you. In some ways, pet deaths are even more heart-wrenching than human deaths because of that immense responsibility you feel. Sometimes you forget that pets are just like people. You can do everything in your power to look after them but they still die and there isn't always a reason why.

Please don't blame yourself. You said it before - you did everything right. Even if you have doubts about a few things, it looks like you really loved your pet and took good care of her. *Hug*

 

[greedo11]

Im so sorry about the death of your gecko Bonney. *hug* xx

 

[geckogirl3]

I had a gecko die of unknown reasons to. death is the saddest thing to me :bigcry:

 

[Dimidiata]

The death of a pet is the worst of all, sorry for your loss. she was beautiful.