Baskden a warm den for reptile folk · baskden.com Crested 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:
- A wavy, rubbery jaw or a permanently kinked "floppy tail" (signs pointing to metabolic bone disease / calcium deficiency).
- Gaping, lethargy, or collapse in heat — treat overheating as an emergency: cool it down and call a vet.
- Not eating with visible weight loss over weeks.
- Stuck shed on the toes (can cost toes) or eyes.
- A firm, swollen belly with no droppings (possible impaction).
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 zone needed. A gentle warm area up to ~82–85°F (28–29°C) at most — and no higher. Sustained temperatures above the mid-80s°F cause heat stress and can be fatal. Ideal ambient is ordinary room temperature, ~72–78°F (22–26°C). Night 65–72°F (18–22°C) — a natural cool-down they appreciate.
- UVB & lighting
- Low UVB is recommended (Ferguson Zone 1): UVI 1.0–2.0 at the basking branch (e.g. a low-percentage T5 ShadeDweller bulb). They can also get D3 from a complete diet, but UVB is a healthy bonus.
- Humidity
- 60–80%, allowed to dry back to ~40–50% between mistings — constant sogginess breeds mould and respiratory illness. Mist in the evening (and again in the morning if needed).
- Enclosure
- Adult minimum 18×18×24 in, oriented vertically (they're arboreal) and densely planted with climbing cover. Babies do better in a smaller enclosure at first so they can find food.
- Substrate
- Simple paper towel (great for beginners) or a bioactive tropical mix (topsoil/coconut fibre). Note loose particulate can pose an impaction risk to very small geckos (under ~13 g).
- Diet
- The easy part: a complete commercial crested gecko diet (CGD) powder — e.g. Pangea or Repashy — mixed with water, offered every 2–3 days. Insects 1–2×/week are an optional enrichment, not a requirement. No live food is needed at all.
- Supplements
- Generally none — a complete CGD is balanced. If you feed extra insects, dust them with calcium.
⚕️ 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?