Jelly cups and crested geckos
june 20, 2016
This morning I recieved a message on my Facebook page. It came from someone who had a problem with her crested gecko. The animal's bottom jaw was bent downwards. It was clearly a case of severe rickets, or MBD (Metabolic bone disease). When I came to know what the animal was given to eat, it was obvious what the cause of the problem was. The animal got jelly cups, pure calcium powder and another 'meal' powder of a brand unknown to me. Unfortunately the owner had to decide to put her animal down. I've been wanting to write a text about jelly cups for a while, but this case definately motivated me to start writing right away. |
The effects of poor nutrition
With crested geckos, it's very important that they ingest enough vitamins and minerals. The skeleton of a crested gecko is build kinda weakly, for the weight the bones have to carry. If a crested gecko doesn't get enough calcium or vitamins through their food, calcium will be withdrawn FROM the bones, causing the bones to -literally- become soft. They will slowely bend under the weight of the gecko's body. The pelvis, back and legbones can bend. Also, the jaw can become so soft from the calcium deficiency that it can break by bumping into a branch or glass, hunting and eating insects or even by eating their regular food. A crested gecko with soft/bent/broken bones will suffer more and more, and will die slowly and painful way. MBD/rickets can't be reversed. If a gecko suffers from MBD, all you can do is take good care of it, give it the right food and hope it doesn't get worse. What to do? The first thing you need to do before you take a new animal friend home, is to read as much as you can about taking care of it! Don't blindly believe everything a pet shop employee or even the breeder says. Their are plenty of caresheets on the internet which explain everything about the care of a crested gecko, or any other kind of pet. You can also ask any of your questions on Facebook-groups for reptile keepers. Don't give jelly cups to your crested gecko, or give it only as a treat, and not too often. Feed your crested gecko a complete diet, as previously described, and the best thing is to also feed them live feeder insects. Do you really want to give your gecko a treat, then give it waxworms (they love it!) or a freshly mashed piece of fruit. If you have any problems, contact your breeder, or when it's not possible, find another reliable breeder that can help you with your problems. Conclusion I hope people can benefit from this story. And hopefully together we can ensure that no crested gecko or any other fruit eating kind of gecko has to suffer from calcium/vitamin deficiency by an insufficent diet anymore. The gecko that passed away today could have lived for 20 years, when cared for correctly from the date it was born. But instead this animal only lived up til the age of 1. The breeder of this gecko caused a lot of hurt and sadness for the gecko's owners by reccomending them to feed this diet and he/she should be ashamed. (Below: Photo's of the actual gecko with a bent/broken jaw) |
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List of sources:
http://www.beetlejelly.eu/blog/faq/what-is-beetle-jelly
With thanks to the owner of the crested gecko with MBD, for letting me use her photos. I'm sorry for your loss.
http://www.beetlejelly.eu/blog/faq/what-is-beetle-jelly
With thanks to the owner of the crested gecko with MBD, for letting me use her photos. I'm sorry for your loss.