I made a two huge mistakes that could have costed Rusty’s life.
First off I noticed the wood that was in his enclosure was moldy. Not the whole branch but just the base of it. We’ve been running the air conditioner a lot since it’s hot in our apartment and the tank just gets so dry if I don’t mist it 3 times a day. I think I’ve been keeping it too moist but the times I let it dry out all the way were the times that the tank got to a really low humidity.
So I’m going to a reptile expo today anyway and I was going to put Rusty in his carrying tank and get a new branch there, hopefully one that doesn’t mold so easily. I go to get him out and I’ve never seen Rusty freak out so much. He jumped from the top of the cage to the bottom and then jumped into the glass. Here’s where it gets really bad. I took my hand out of the tank and that again spooked Rusty and he ran out of the tank and started to run under the couch. So I go to block him with my hand and he runs into the carpet, which is in the middle of the room.
Mistake #2: I forgot to shut the door of the room Dodson was sleeping in. So he, presumably hearing something off, comes strutting out of my room and immediately sees the running gecko in the middle of the room. I pushed him away before he got the chance to touch Rusty or damage him in any way but it was enough of a startle for Rusty to drop his tail.
I feel so guilty that I let this happen. I feel so stupid and even though I’m a new keeper I should’ve known better. All of this could’ve been prevented if I had thought about the branch getting moldy. If I had remembered to shut the door.
Right now Rusty is in his travel cage in which I put a fake plant, some moss, and a cave. I covered it so it was dark and he could hide sufficiently and destress.
This is a really long post but I just feel the need to confess I guess. I feel terrible about this.