Baskden a warm den for reptile folk · baskden.com Chinese Cave Gecko — Vet-Prep Sheet
🔍 Find a reptile / exotics vet — before you need one
- Search the ARAV Find-a-Vet directory (the Association of Reptilian & Amphibian Veterinarians), or in the UK the RCVS Find-a-Vet — or search "reptile / exotics vet near me".
- Call ahead and ask the key question: "Do you see reptiles?" Not every practice does.
- Ask the exam fee when you call. Knowing the cost up front removes the money-panic in a crisis.
- Find and save one now, while things are calm — not in the middle of an emergency.
📇 Fill this in now — before the crisis
Two minutes now saves ten in a panic. Print it and keep it with your care notes.
🚨 Is this an emergency now?
See a reptile vet promptly if you notice any of these:
- Cloudy, swollen, or discharging eyes, or eyes kept shut, see an exotics vet.
- Retained shed, especially rings stuck on toes or over the eyes, which can cause loss of toes if ignored.
- Lethargy, refusing food for an extended period, or noticeable weight/fat-tail loss.
- Signs of overheating: gaping, frantic pacing, or hiding at the cool end and refusing to move, check temps immediately, then a vet if it doesn't recover.
- Nasal discharge, open-mouth or labored breathing, or bubbling (possible respiratory infection).
- Lumps, swellings, mouth sores/discoloration, tremors or twitching (possible calcium/metabolic issue), or a prolapse, all warrant a vet.
When in doubt, a vet call is never wrong — most issues are reversible if caught early.
🚗 On the way / while you wait
✅ Do
- Keep it warm at a safe transport temperature — a cold reptile crashes fast (a warm car or a covered container with a warm, not hot, pack helps).
- Keep it calm, dark and quiet in a secure, ventilated container — stress makes almost everything worse.
- Bring it in its own container so the vet sees it as it lives.
⛔ Don't
- Don’t offer food, or any OTC, aquarium-shop or online-forum remedy — many are useless or harmful and can mask the signs.
- Don’t let it get cold on the way in.
- Don’t handle it more than you must.
🎒 What to bring
- A short video and a couple of clear photos of the behaviour or sign — it may not show it in the clinic.
- A note of your setup (basking, cool-side and night temperatures, UVB, humidity, substrate) and exactly what — and how often — you feed.
- Your reptile, transported safely in its own secure, ventilated container — kept warm (see below), not in a cold car.
🗣️ What to tell the vet
A general vet may not know this species. Come ready to explain its correct care:
- Temperature
- No hot basking spot. The warm end / warm hide should top out at 80-82°F (27-28°C) and never higher, this is a warm hide, not a heat lamp target. 70-77°F (21-25°C). A true cool retreat is essential; ambient room temperature is often close to ideal. 68-72°F (20-22°C); safely down to about 65°F (18°C). A natural night drop is welcomed and normal.
- UVB & lighting
- Low but beneficial. Use a low-output UVB such as an Arcadia ShadeDweller T5 targeting a UVI of just 1.0-2.0 at basking height (about 8-12 in / 20-31 cm away), or an equivalent low (5.0 / 2-5%) tube. As nocturnal shade-dwellers they need far less than a diurnal lizard, so provide plenty of shade and never overexpose them.
- Humidity
- 60-80% is a good working target, cycling lower by day and higher (up to ~90% in humid hides/microclimates) at night. Mist morning and evening and keep a moist hide; track it with a digital hygrometer probe placed mid-enclosure.
- Enclosure
- Minimum 24 x 18 x 18 in (60 x 45 x 45 cm) of floor-and-height space for a single adult (ReptiFiles); PetMD lists a comparable ~30 x 12 x 12 in minimum. Bigger is always better, and a planted, cave-like build with height suits them since they'll use vertical cork and backgrounds. A pair or small female group needs a 40-gallon-breeder footprint or larger.
- Substrate
- A moisture-holding mix, coconut fiber (coco coir) blended with organic topsoil and/or sphagnum moss, or orchid bark, at least 2-4 in (5-10 cm) deep so it burrows and holds humidity. Spot-clean daily; replace sections that get waterlogged or soiled.
- Diet
- Insectivore. Feed a rotating variety of appropriately sized live insects: crickets, dubia roaches, mealworms, superworms, and occasional treats like waxworms, hornworms, or calci-worms. Juveniles daily; adults every other day (about 3-4 times a week). Gut-load feeders and offer a shallow water dish at all times.
- Supplements
- Dust with calcium: daily for juveniles, every 2-3 feedings for adults. Add a reptile multivitamin once or twice a week. Because UVB is low, use a calcium-with-D3 product (or a multivitamin containing D3) rather than assuming they'll make all their own.
⚕️ Reptiles are ectotherms kept at species-specific temperatures — a cold reptile can’t metabolise medicines properly, so tell the vet your exact temperatures and keep it warm for transport. Reptiles are prey animals and hide illness until it is advanced, so early changes matter. Mention your UVB/lighting and any supplements or remedies you’ve already used, and ask for reptile-safe products and doses.
Then note which of the warning signs (above) you are seeing, when they started, and whether they are getting worse.
❓ Questions to ask
- Do you routinely see reptiles? If not, can you refer me to a vet who does?
- What are the likely causes — and could my setup or diet be contributing?
- What is the treatment plan, the likely cost, and what should I watch for at home?
- How do I prevent this from happening again?