Questions about rescue gecko

[queso]

There's a leopard gecko at a local pet store, not a chain store like pet-smart or pet-co, just some little family owned type pet store around where I live. They have leopard geckos but they are not cared for correctly, they have red heat lamps above the cage, no UTH, and have them on an eco earth type substrate. There is one poor little albino gecko that I've seen the past two times I've been in the store who is skinny and almost always has its eyes closed . It also shakes it's head and I've seen it spin in circles..pretty much a clear sign of ES. I feel so bad for it and I want to rescue it, but do you guys think it will be able to be nursed back to health? I don't want to get it and it end up dying..and I also don't have the money to keep taking it to the vet. If anyone has experience with rescue geckos please let me know! Thanks

 

[acpart]

Every rescue gecko is different. If a gecko is in bad shape simply because it hasn't been fed well, then it will improve if it gets more food. If a gecko is in bad shape because it has a large parasite load, then it will need antibiotics. If it has crypto, it will not get better no matter what you do. There's simply no guarantee. If you want to take it on, you should expect it will need at least 1 vet visit and you will have to keep it far away from any other geckos you have, care for it last, and wash your hands well before and after dealing with it.

Aliza

 

[queso]

Thank you for the response. One question, what exactly is "crypto"?

 

[Neon Aurora]

Cryptosporidium is a highly contagious protozoan parasites that affects reptiles. There is no treatment, and anything an infected reptile touches (its tank, hides, etc) need to be thrown out because it's so hard to get rid of. It's really nasty. I would really not recommend bringing a possible crypto infected gecko into a house with other geckos in it unless you can keep it in an entirely different room and follow careful safety procedures.

Not saying the gecko you want to take in has crypto, but it is always a possibility when it comes to underweight, sickly geckos.

Crypto - Leopard Gecko Wiki

 

[queso]

I did some research and found more out about crypto. From what I can tell and judging by the pictures the gecko I was considering rescuing looks nothing like ones with crypto. However I have decided not to take it in as I do not want to support the store honestly, because they'll just continue to get more shipments in when they sell what they have.

 

[acpart]

I did some research and found more out about crypto. From what I can tell and judging by the pictures the gecko I was considering rescuing looks nothing like ones with crypto. However I have decided not to take it in as I do not want to support the store honestly, because they'll just continue to get more shipments in when they sell what they have.

That's it, exactly. Good choice.

Aliza