Hi everyone,
I really need help urgently — my banana gecko suddenly became unresponsive today.
For the past two days, he’s been acting strange — restless, not sleeping during the day, and moving around constantly. Normally he’s calm and only active at night, but lately he’s been hyperactive and anxious, sometimes hiding in tight corners.
Today we found him lying still with his mouth open, pressed against the substrate. He looked lifeless — no visible breathing at all. When we gently touched him, he slowly started moving again, but his breathing is still extremely shallow or almost invisible.
He hasn’t eaten for two days — he normally eats once every two days (about 3 crickets and some fruit puree). We had prepared his food today, and found him near the puree, frozen with his mouth open.
Here are the details of his setup and background:
No mucus, bubbles, or noises from his mouth or nose. No shedding problems.
Pupils remain dilated, he barely reacts to movement or light, and he occasionally freezes completely with his mouth open.
We’re keeping him warm, quiet, and in dim light right now.
Could this be respiratory distress, overheating, dehydration, or a neurological issue?
What can I do right now to stabilize him without a vet nearby?
Any urgent advice from experienced keepers would be hugely appreciated.
I really need help urgently — my banana gecko suddenly became unresponsive today.
For the past two days, he’s been acting strange — restless, not sleeping during the day, and moving around constantly. Normally he’s calm and only active at night, but lately he’s been hyperactive and anxious, sometimes hiding in tight corners.
Today we found him lying still with his mouth open, pressed against the substrate. He looked lifeless — no visible breathing at all. When we gently touched him, he slowly started moving again, but his breathing is still extremely shallow or almost invisible.
He hasn’t eaten for two days — he normally eats once every two days (about 3 crickets and some fruit puree). We had prepared his food today, and found him near the puree, frozen with his mouth open.
Here are the details of his setup and background:
- Species: Banana gecko (exact species unknown, possibly Phelsuma)
- Age: ~8 months
- Tankmates: Another banana gecko (~11 months old) living in the same terrarium — that one is completely fine
- Enclosure: Plastic terrarium, 61×62×40 cm
- Substrate: Coconut fiber mat
- Hides: 4 total
- Humidity: Sprayed twice daily (morning & evening)
- Temperature: Room temperature 25–27 °C (no internal thermometer)
- Lighting: Regular room light until midnight (no UV lamp)
- Diet: Crickets, roaches, and fruit/berry puree, dusted with calcium + D3
- Recent change: Central heating turned on about 9 days ago, air became noticeably drier
- Vet: Unfortunately, there are no reptile/herp vets nearby
No mucus, bubbles, or noises from his mouth or nose. No shedding problems.
Pupils remain dilated, he barely reacts to movement or light, and he occasionally freezes completely with his mouth open.
We’re keeping him warm, quiet, and in dim light right now.
Could this be respiratory distress, overheating, dehydration, or a neurological issue?
What can I do right now to stabilize him without a vet nearby?
Any urgent advice from experienced keepers would be hugely appreciated.
