Should I be concerned?

[warriah]

I started to notice one of my females really liking to stay in the moist hide ever since I changed paper towel out for coco fiber, I mean she isn't in there all the time but it is a drastic increase at least to me. Now in terms of behaviour there is nothing abnormal at all, no change in appetite, awareness, friendliness. The only issue I can see is that there seems to be what I think are air bubble under her front legs. She has shed at least twice with no problems and its still there, should I be concerned?

 

[Jordycakes]

there fat or calcium sacks its nothing to worry about mine have them

 

[Ozy]

Yea, a lot of people's leos have those bubbles. Mine doesn't though. Your's doesn't look overweight, so if you cut back on her calcium a bit they will go away. Personally I feed mine dubia and mealworms gutloaded with Fluker's High Calcium Cricket Diet, Roach Chow from westcoastroaches.com and gel water crystals. Once or twice a week I'll toss some greens and fresh fruit/veg into my roach colony. I dust every feeding with Repashy Calcium Plus and that's it. I don't leave a dish of calcium or anything in her viv and she is VERY healthy and strong.(And has never had armpit bubbles) Don't worry about the moist hide.. I used paper towels in mine when my leo was a baby and switched to Eco-earth once she got bigger. She is in her moist hide a lot of the time.. She has herself a little burrow dug out in there. She still comes out and eats, lays in her dry warm hide, poops and all that though.

 

[warriah]

Thanks, that's good to know. At least I don't have to worry now, because I had a calcium dish in my tank for the two females and both eat gut loaded meal worms but only one developed these sacks.

 

[SORROW89]

Soneone gecko in another forum had them and it was cuz the gecko was not warm enough. Once they bumped up the heat they started going away. Check your temps I know those bubbles are not a good thing.

 

[lisa127]

Soneone gecko in another forum had them and it was cuz the gecko was not warm enough. Once they bumped up the heat they started going away. Check your temps I know those bubbles are not a good thing.

I don't believe this is true.

My leo has the bubbles as well. A lot of leo's do as they grow older/bigger.

 

[cassicat4]

I've read that oversupplementation (i.e. calcium) or too much protein can cause these. While not a concern in and of itself, it can be an indicator that something in their diet needs to change. However, if you aren't overfeeding or oversupplementing your gecko, then the presence of them is just a normal part of their development and not something to be concerned about. The issue is if the bubbles are not air bubbles, but are in fact squishy/solid as this indicates the presence of fat which means something in the diet does need to change.

 

[Ozy]

Cassi.. I think a cute siggy for you would be.. Geckos and Dragons and Skinks.. OH MY! hehehehehe

 

[SORROW89]

I don't believe this is true.

My leo has the bubbles as well. A lot of leo's do as they grow older/bigger.

I really do think this lady knows what she is talking about. What she explained makes sense. I'll send you a PM .

 

[katie_]

Soneone gecko in another forum had them and it was cuz the gecko was not warm enough. Once they bumped up the heat they started going away. Check your temps I know those bubbles are not a good thing.

LOL.
This is WRONG.
They are calcium sacks. Thats not a guess. THATS WHAT THEY ARE

 

[SORROW89]

LOL.
This is WRONG.
They are calcium sacks. Thats not a guess. THATS WHAT THEY ARE

YOU ARE WRONG! How some geckos that only get their insects dusted once a week end up getting them?

 

[jessihall]

I'm with Sorrow on this one. Our leo had them when she was only getting her food dusted once a week. Now that she's nearly an adult, we've upgraded her tank to a larger one and added a calcium dish, and they have gone away. Her vet told us they were most likely fat deposit sacks, but mentioned other possibilities were calcium deposit sacks or a sign that her tank temp needed fluctuating (either up or down) and could be build up due to stress. They were gone within a month of going into her new enclosure, so I took her back to the vet for another checkup. He said that in her case, since her tank is larger & she is much more active, they were probably fatty sacks that she's "worked" off.

Either way, a vet visit may help clear up what is going on with your leo. Our vet said that they weren't a major concern for our leo, but that some cases may be a sign that something more serious is going on. Good luck either way!

 

[Embrace Calamity]

Soneone gecko in another forum had them and it was cuz the gecko was not warm enough. Once they bumped up the heat they started going away. Check your temps I know those bubbles are not a good thing.

I dunno about them not being a good thing, but I guess it could make sense that cool temps could do this. Being cold would probably decrease metabolism, which would possibly increase fat deposits (not that that's what's going on here, just thinking out loud).

~Maggot