The infamous armpit bubbles

[Josh P.]

Hello everyone,

One of my geckos, a SHTCB male, has the armpit bubbles for quite some time now but last week they appeared larger. They are soft to the touch and appear to be filled with fluid.

I have read a lot about this online and there seems to be varying opinions, although the most prevalent one is that these bubbles are calcium deposits while others believe them to be protein. Either way most say it's not a problem and that they show in healthy geckos.

While everyone says I should not worry about it I am here seeking some advice. Should I remove the calcium dish from within the terrarium for the time being? I am currently only dusting with calcium + D3 once a weak, should I also reduce that? Please share your experiences if you ever had this with any of your geckos.

Thank you!

 

[Phoenix1115]

Jelly says, "no I love my bubbles!"

I asked this question a while ago and was advised to just keep on dusting normally. They are indeed sign of good nutrition! I actually strive for mine to have these lol. However I suggest instead of doing the calcium + D3 switch to Repashy's Calcium Plus for dusting, and add a dish of pure calcium in the tank

 

[Josh P.]

Jelly says, "no I love my bubbles!"

I asked this question a while ago and was advised to just keep on dusting normally. They are indeed sign of good nutrition! I actually strive for mine to have these lol. However I suggest instead of doing the calcium + D3 switch to Repashy's Calcium Plus for dusting, and add a dish of pure calcium in the tank

Hi and thank you for the reply. I do have a dish of pure calcium from ExoTerra in the tank. Should I keep it even with such large bubbles? Shouldn't I feed him maybe less often?
The calcium + D3 that I'm using is also the one from ExoTerra, is it bad quality?

 

[Phoenix1115]

well it just doesnt have all the other nutrients your leo needs. Repashy's a great. I'd swear by it. How old/big is your leo and how often are you feeding?

 

[Josh P.]

This one is 2 years old with 60g and feeding depends on how hungry he is, but I often have mealies available on his dish. I also dust with ExoTerra multivitamins from time to time.

 

[Phoenix1115]

I'd feed him every other day or every two days and dust once a week

 

[lisa127]

I have a ridiculously large male who also has the armpit bubbles.

 

[LepoInc]

My largest male has bubbles. I don't even leave any calcium in with him as he never used it and a hatchling needed it.

It kind of makes me think its protein because I feed him supers and they don't hold Repashy very well. Either way, I believe its a sign of good health. I have great expectations for his first breeding season

Sent via Tapatalk whilst caring for Eublepharis macularis'

 

[Phoenix1115]

I'm almost positive it's vitamins or whatever because for a while I had a special needs baby that wouldnt eat anything solid or even slightly solid so I gave him a mix of just water and Repashy for a few days and he got the bubbles from that

 

[Josh P.]

So general consensus seems to be leaving the calcium dish in the tank and continue feeding regularly. Right?

 

[LepoInc]

Right. Unless your gecko becomes overweight

Sent via Tapatalk whilst caring for Eublepharis macularis'

 

[Josh P.]

Right. Unless your gecko becomes overweight

I don't think mine is but what guidelines should we follow in order to establish and adult gecko as being overweight?

 

[Phoenix1115]

If the belly makes him look gravid or if it's dragging on the ground lol. Also if they can't push themselves all the way up into a standing position

 

[OnlineGeckos]

The bubbles are caused by over supplementing and/or over feeding. If you are a breeder, this usually isn't a problem as the bubbles tend to go away during the breeding season when the geckos stop eating, and when females are gravid and laying eggs. But if you are a hobbyist, or have geckos that you don't plan on breeding, it's probably a good idea to cut back on feeding or supplementing when you see these bubbles. Your gecko is likely getting obese, and whether we want to spoil them or not, remember obesity can lead to other health related issues.

If you were dusting every feeding, it's a good idea to cut back to 1-2x a week. If you are feeding your gecko a lot, it's a good idea to cut back on the feeding just a tad. We tend to spoil our pets, be it cats, dogs, fish, or reptiles. But there's one thing in common with them all...and that is, obesity is bad and can lead to health issues.

As for how do you know if your gecko is obese, it's quite easy to see really. Balloon tail, a gecko's tail should be proportional to their body, not wider than their body. Stomach bulging and hanging, even though the gecko isn't gravid with eggs.

I usually don't worry about the bubbles if a gecko is under a year old, because leopard geckos do majority of their growing during the first year. It's natural for them to feed like a horse and grow rapidly. But once a gecko reaches adulthood (1+ year old), they don't grow as much, and they don't need as much nutrients and food to stay alive and healthy. Unless you are a breeder or plan to breed your geckos, which breeders have to treat their geckos differently due to the geckos needing all the nutrients they can get during the offseason in preparation for the breeding season. If you are a general hobbyist, it's a good idea to just cut back a bit on supplementing or feeding when you see these bubbles.

Leaving plain calcium in the tank is probably fine. You can control their calcium intake by how much you dust with D3. You should be using a multivitamin supplement with D3, and dusting should be 1-2x a week for adult leopard geckos, or every feeding for growing juveniles & sub-adults.

 

[KTyne]

I agree with the last statement there, I have only ever witnessed these bubbles in Geckos that are on the verge of being obese. It's where they store their excess nutrients and I believe is basically a sign of their body saying that you are giving them more than they need.

Cut back on supplements and/or food for sure if you see these bubbles, they are not a sign of perfect health.

 

[lisa127]

My large male has these. I have cut his feeding back to Wednesday and Sundays only. I give him 12 mealworms at a feeding and he usually only eats 10 or so and then stops. So he is probably eating 20 to 22 mealworms a week. The bubbles are still there.

As for supplementing I use Repashy calcium plus for Leopard Geckos. It is made to dust every feeding and that's what I do. Do you think I should only supplement one of the feedings?

 

[KTyne]

If you are only supplementing twice a week already I wouldn't cut back anymore. That's my opinion.
I would love it if someone would actually do a mini study to figure this debacle out, lol.