Gecko wetting substrate (paper towels)

Josh P.

New Member
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381
Location
Europe
Hello all,

Did anyone ever experience this? I have an adult leopard gecko that frequently wets the paper towel substrate. This wetting is clear like water but it smells like urine, even though gecko urate is often solid and white. Otherwise this is a healthy gecko that eats, behaves normally and produces healthy offspring. This situation has been going for a long while with no decay of health or visible issues.

What may be the cause of this? I have many geckos in my collection and none has this situation. All other paper towels are dry. First I considered that he was spilling the water dish but have verified not to be the case. He just wets the papel towels surface over a large area of the tub. It's really strange. I have also found the clear watery fluid on top of the plastic of a hide and it's like a puddle of water but it smells so it isn't pure water.
 

Neon Aurora

New Member
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1,376
Location
New Mexico
I have some geckos that tend to pass liquid with urates and some that don't. However, I wouldn't describe these spots as big. I don't use paper towels, so I'm wondering if the liquid absorbing into the paper towels makes the spots look bigger? Is it a lot of liquid when done on top of hides?

I think the reason that geckos sometimes pass liquid as well as urates is for osmoregulatory purposes. Say you have a gecko that has a higher thirst drive than average. That gecko will be consistently taking in more water and will need to expel water to maintain homeostasis. But that's just a guess.

I would say that if the gecko is healthy, than don't worry about it.
 

Josh P.

New Member
Messages
381
Location
Europe
I have some geckos that tend to pass liquid with urates and some that don't. However, I wouldn't describe these spots as big. I don't use paper towels, so I'm wondering if the liquid absorbing into the paper towels makes the spots look bigger? Is it a lot of liquid when done on top of hides?

I think the reason that geckos sometimes pass liquid as well as urates is for osmoregulatory purposes. Say you have a gecko that has a higher thirst drive than average. That gecko will be consistently taking in more water and will need to expel water to maintain homeostasis. But that's just a guess.

I would say that if the gecko is healthy, than don't worry about it.

Thank you very much for the reply.

I'm not sure how to describe the extent or quantity of the liquid. I have other geckos that do make a small spot alongside their faces and urates but this one is a very different case as the liquid spots grow to around 1/4 to 1/2 of the tub surface on paper towels. When I find this liquid on top of plastic it is not a huge sea of fluid but it's a definitely visible quantity of liquid as if a shallow water dish was spilled.

Could this be related with the process of osmoregulation that you mentioned to attain homeostasis?
 

Neon Aurora

New Member
Messages
1,376
Location
New Mexico
I think it's possible. I'm not going to pretend like I know for sure, but it makes sense. Of course, something else could be going on, such as a kidney problem. However, if the gecko is healthy than probably not.

That's my best guess. If it concerns you, maybe a vet visit could help.
 

Neon Aurora

New Member
Messages
1,376
Location
New Mexico
I can't tell you for sure, but l would guess that the first signs would be lethargy and not eating. A gecko with a kidney problem severe enough to cause excessive release of water like that probably would not live long.

If the gecko is completely healthy, I probably wouldn't be too concerned.
 

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