Calcifer’s Story: One Year Later
Last October, I saw a post from our local reptile rescue asking for fosters for a pair of leopard geckos. The female was showing obvious signs of metabolic bone disease (MBD). The male had sores on his tail, swollen back feet, and since he was housed with the female, was likely also at risk of MBD.
Though at this point I’d never owned a leopard gecko before, I felt like I had done enough research on their care to help out at least one of the geckos, at least long enough to go through the medical treatments required. So I picked up the male, who I quickly decided to adopt. This is Calcifer’s story.
Unfortunately, Calcifer’s story isn’t uncommon. I see this happen far too frequently, and it’s really depressing. People pick up reptiles from pet stores or wherever without fully understanding how to care for them. Then they quickly end up with MBD, stuck shed problems, burns, and other common health problems.
Leopard geckos are pretty hardy creatures. They can even do well without UV-B as long as you provide the right supplements. (And supplements aren’t expensive!) Many people successfully house them quite cheaply. So it baffles me when people fail to provide even the bare minimum for these guys. This is why I always say if you’d like to get a leopard gecko and have done all the research, please look into rescues before buying from a pet shop or breeder. There are a lot of geckos out there who need a good home!
But back to Calcifer... We started Day 1 with a chlorhexidine soak and a dose of antibiotics. And this was his routine for the next 10 days, even though his swollen feet were already looking less red and inflamed by the second day.
And he seemed to recognize that I was trying to help, at least enough to put up with the treatment.
His enclosure setup during this time was very simple and sterile -- paper towels/cage carpet as substrate, hides that were easy to clean, etc. This was not only to prevent infection but because all new animals should go through a quarantine period. To properly quarantine a reptile, you should keep them in a separate room from any other reptiles in the house and in a setup that allows you to easily monitor for issues like parasites and diseases.
I was, however, experimenting with the heat source during his quarantine. I settled on the Deep Heat Projector, which you can read all about in my review. I also added a UV-B light and, once he was ready to eat again, started using Arcadia Earth Pro supplements. Due to the MBD issue, one of my priorities was making sure he was getting the best possible sources of calcium and D3.
For Calcifer, I knew his first shed in my care would help me gauge his progress, since his swollen feet came from stuck shed. And, much to my surprise, that shed came off perfectly -- not even the tiniest piece left behind.
He improved very quickly from there. His appetite came back in full force, and he started to associate me with food instead of foot soaks and nasty medicine. I started improving his enclosure, adding in natural rock, wood, and substrate.
It took a few months, but eventually his back feet were back to a normal size and his tail grew back. Unfortunately, the stuck shed issues in his past caused him to lose the tips of some of his toes, but he gets around just fine.
For a male leopard gecko, Calcifer seems to be on the small side. He averages about 45 grams. So even though he uses every inch of his enclosure, I haven’t felt the need to upgrade to a size up from the 18x24 Exo Terra he’s in now. (I'm not completely writing off the possibility though!)
Out of all my geckos, Calcifer is by far the most personable. He’s very curious and regularly pokes his head out of a hide or comes up to the door when I’m in the room.
Would I ever rescue a second leopard gecko? Well, it was definitely worth it to see Calcifer make a full recovery and watch his true personality come out. I didn’t fully understand how wonderful leopard geckos are until I brought this guy home, and that’s what makes it even harder for me to grasp how people can fail to give them the care and attention they deserve.
So, yes, when I have the space and resources available, I’d love to help out another gecko in need.
And if you read all this and are now thinking you’d also love to rescue a reptile instead of buying one, that’s great!
I’d encourage you to see if there’s a reptile rescue near you. Reptiles are becoming more popular, which unfortunately means that more of them aren’t taken care of properly. So if you don’t have a local reptile rescue yet, there may be a need for one soon!