New addition, advice wanted

[sunnydaze]

Added this guy to the family tonight. I purchased him, habitat and all, from a teenager. I could use some advice on how to rehab him a little.

I'm not sure of his morph (could use an opinion if you have one)

His history:
40 gallon habitat, 1 inch of sand substrate, cold hide, heat rock. No warm hide, no damp hide for shedding, his cage contains some remnants of previous sheds and needs cleaning. He is rather thin. I was told he eats 5 crickets per week.

Rehab Plan
First order of business, add under tank heat pad, remove heat rock, add warm and moist hides, change the substrate. He's thin, and obviously needs to eat more than 5 crickets per week. I'm going to head to the local reptile store and get panacur (or other dewormer)

So is there anything else I'm missing that I should be doing to help him (his tail is not very impressive) and to ensure he does well. TIA for any help.

 

[tiedxupxinxknots]

Looks like your doing all the right things, make sure he gets vitamins and calcium. Also since he had no hot side and since he was placed in sand, chances are he might have impaction, id give him some warm water soaks to be on the safe side.

 

[LeopardShade]

Sounds like the gecko's previous owner didn't do much research, there's an abundance of red flags with the care (sand, heat rock, lack of hides, paltry food intake). Good for you trying to give him a better life and inquiring Gecko looks to me like a SHCTB (Super Hypo Carrot Tail Baldy), may have some Tangerine influence as well.

You sound like you know what you're doing, your rehab plan sounds great. Do you know the age of the gecko? Or how long he was kept on the sand substrate? I agree with Carlos, there is a risk that the gecko may have ingested some sand with the previous owner, warm water soaks would help clear out any sand he has possibly ingested. A drop of mineral oil administered works as a great laxative as well. In mild cases, impaction can be treated with these remedies. If the gecko begins showing signs of lethargy, loss of appetite, infrequent defecation, or thinning out, that's when impaction can become fatal and requires veterinary care to treat.

Make sure your temperatures are between 90-94 F to help with proper digestion, a digital thermometer would work best for monitoring the temperatures and ensuring it's not too hot or too cold for the gecko.

As for the Panacur, I don't believe geckos should be given parasite-treating medications unless you know there is a certain case of parasites in the gecko.

 

[Dimidiata]

Along with all that give him a luke warm soak for those toes.