Special Needs Cresteds

[JacksPythons]

I just purchased two crested geckos that were labeled as "Special Needs" due to birth defects (caused by poor incubation temperatures).

The first, which I call Lemon Drop, has a small head, and a very underdeveloped lower jaw, resulting in a massive overbite.

The second, which I call Zig Zag, is a bit larger than Lemon Drop (I would assume due to eating more easily). He has scoliosis and a noticeable bend in his spine. His back toes are also slightly curled all the time.

Both are still quite young, and haven't calmed down enough to allow proper handling yet, which makes further examination hard.

I currently plan to mash up crickets and mix with a small amount of repashy for Lemon Drop, eliminating the need for him to chew/chase food.

For Zig Zag, I'm not worried about him chewing, but I don't want his scoliosis to worsen, so I'll be dusting the crickets in calcium.

If anyone had further advice for me on how to care properly for these geckos, please let me know!

Thank you for your time.

 

[SnowStormGeckos]

any pictures?

 

[JacksPythons]

Yeah, here are pics:

Lemon Drop from the bottom

Zig Zag from above

 

[indyana]

Obviously feeding them a good crested gecko diet will also help provide supplementation. In fact, you really don't need to mash up crickets at all if you feed one of the complete diets (Repashy crested gecko meal replacement powder, Pangea complete gecko diets).

 

[JacksPythons]

I heard that feeding strictly repashy doesn't always provide necessary protein. Is there a certain brand that DOES?

 

[acpart]

Repashy has a new-ish food that's CGD with bugs mixed in.

Aliza

 

[JacksPythons]

Awesome! Thanks very much! Is there a certain way I should help Lemon Drop eat if he has trouble?

 

[indyana]

Both brands I mentioned (Repashy meal replacement powder, Pangea complete gecko diet) contain adequate protein sources. I've heard the Banana Apricot flavor of Pangea has a bit more protein than the other flavors. As Aliza mentioned, Repashy also makes a food with insect protein (Grubs 'N' Fruit), although I haven't heard of many people using that as a staple food for crested geckos.