Shaska
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- United States
We purchased a pictus gecko when he was a baby. He is now around 7 years old. He has been our first and only gecko, and lately things have changed with him. He never had any issues through the years that we noticed, and I'm wondering if some of these changes are due to his age. I haven't had much luck finding information specifically on this topic for pictus geckos, and am asking if anyone who has personal experience with this type of gecko may be able to share information on any changes that took place as your own pictus gecko aged. I have seen their lifespan listed as "up to 10 years".
In recent years he has been fed primarily on mealworms which are gut-loaded with carrots and dusted with calcium, and vitamins at other times. We never noticed any issues with shedding, and his appetite always seemed fine. We keep him on coconut fiber, provide him with three hides throughout his terrarium, one being the humid hide with the UTH under it, and a heat lamp overhead which is at times turned off. We also keep a large water dish in the terrarium as well.
He has never shown any sign of problems until the past few months. He seemed to lose interest in food, though it could be due to being unable to see it, as he now seems to be unable to see, though his eyes don't noticeably show a visible change. His movement also seems slower, and perhaps more awkward (which may be due to his sight, if not something else). We noticed the loss of interest in food first, the vision after, but it may be that the vision was an issue in the first place.
At first it seemed he simply didn't care when food was offered, and when trying to hand feed him, or use tongs, (which is the only way to get any food in him now, usually after mostly immobilizing the worms so they don't bump and disturb him while squirming), he often seems to want nothing to do with it, though I'm not sure if that is due to not seeing what's there. We've recently been able to get him to eat a bit more, with a bit of difficulty, and it's sometimes more successful than others. It seems if we can get him licking a bit, and patiently hold a mealworm very still in front of his tongue, he'll sometimes eventually bite it and eat it after licking for a while, at times taking it sooner than at others. During this process, he often turns his head away and tries to get away from whatever he senses touching near his mouth, and only with patience and continuing to try, will we be able to get him to eat.
As for his sight, we only assume there's a problem because he doesn't seem to see his food, or any movement around him, nor his surroundings, as he looks as though he is guided by things he touches or runs into. When feeding him, we have to make sure not to let the food touch his face more than just enough to get him to start licking (which I often use a bit of water for, or sometimes he may do it if the calcium/vitamins get on his mouth), or he will only try to retreat from the touch, as he often does, and we just have to keep following him around and being patient until he starts licking and eats.
If anyone with experience can share information, it may be helpful.
In recent years he has been fed primarily on mealworms which are gut-loaded with carrots and dusted with calcium, and vitamins at other times. We never noticed any issues with shedding, and his appetite always seemed fine. We keep him on coconut fiber, provide him with three hides throughout his terrarium, one being the humid hide with the UTH under it, and a heat lamp overhead which is at times turned off. We also keep a large water dish in the terrarium as well.
He has never shown any sign of problems until the past few months. He seemed to lose interest in food, though it could be due to being unable to see it, as he now seems to be unable to see, though his eyes don't noticeably show a visible change. His movement also seems slower, and perhaps more awkward (which may be due to his sight, if not something else). We noticed the loss of interest in food first, the vision after, but it may be that the vision was an issue in the first place.
At first it seemed he simply didn't care when food was offered, and when trying to hand feed him, or use tongs, (which is the only way to get any food in him now, usually after mostly immobilizing the worms so they don't bump and disturb him while squirming), he often seems to want nothing to do with it, though I'm not sure if that is due to not seeing what's there. We've recently been able to get him to eat a bit more, with a bit of difficulty, and it's sometimes more successful than others. It seems if we can get him licking a bit, and patiently hold a mealworm very still in front of his tongue, he'll sometimes eventually bite it and eat it after licking for a while, at times taking it sooner than at others. During this process, he often turns his head away and tries to get away from whatever he senses touching near his mouth, and only with patience and continuing to try, will we be able to get him to eat.
As for his sight, we only assume there's a problem because he doesn't seem to see his food, or any movement around him, nor his surroundings, as he looks as though he is guided by things he touches or runs into. When feeding him, we have to make sure not to let the food touch his face more than just enough to get him to start licking (which I often use a bit of water for, or sometimes he may do it if the calcium/vitamins get on his mouth), or he will only try to retreat from the touch, as he often does, and we just have to keep following him around and being patient until he starts licking and eats.
If anyone with experience can share information, it may be helpful.
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