Common Crested Gecko Health Issues and What Causes Them

Common Crested Gecko Health Issues and What Causes Them

Nearly everything on this list traces back to husbandry, specifically calcium, humidity, and substrate choices. Get those right and most of these problems never show up. See our Crested Gecko tank setup guide for the husbandry side, and our full Crested Gecko care guide for everything else.

Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD)

Caused by a deficiency in calcium or vitamin D3. It's progressive, which is why catching it early matters.

Early sign: a soft or rubbery lower jaw is often the first thing owners notice.

Advanced signs: floppy or weak limbs, a visibly misaligned jaw, a kinked spine, tremors, and difficulty climbing. Once the disease reaches this stage, some of the damage can be permanent even with treatment.

Prevention is straightforward: feed a complete crested gecko diet powder (Pangea or Repashy are widely used), supplement with calcium, and provide low-level UVB. A vet diagnoses MBD through bloodwork and x-rays, so if you notice a soft jaw, don't wait to see if it gets worse on its own.

Floppy Tail Syndrome (FTS)

The tail hangs over the gecko's head or sits at an odd angle relative to the body, typically from chronic upside-down resting against glass over time. It's sometimes associated with calcium or pelvic issues and occasionally overlaps with MBD, though it isn't diagnostic of it on its own. If you notice this, it's worth a vet visit to rule out an underlying calcium problem.

Impaction

This is the most common health problem in pet geckos generally, and crested geckos are no exception. It's a blockage in the digestive tract, usually caused by loose substrate (sand or bark), prey that's too large, or shed skin that wasn't fully passed.

Watch for: no bowel movement for a week or more, a visibly bloated abdomen, straining, lethargy, and appetite loss.

Prevent it by using solid substrate (paper towel or tile) for young geckos, and by keeping feeder insects no larger than the space between your gecko's eyes. A warm 15-minute soak can sometimes help a mild case. If symptoms persist beyond 24 to 48 hours, see a vet.

Retained or Stuck Shed (Dysecdysis)

Almost always a humidity problem. Shed skin sticks around the toes, tail tip, or eyes instead of coming off cleanly, and if left alone it can cut off circulation, in severe cases costing a gecko a toe. The fix is usually straightforward: correct your humidity range and provide a dedicated humid hide.

Respiratory Infection

Caused by an enclosure that's too cold or too wet. Look for open-mouth breathing, visible mucus, wheezing, and lethargy. This needs a vet, not a wait-and-see approach.

A Few Other Things to Know

• Dehydration shows up as sunken eyes and repeated stuck sheds.
• Skin and scale issues can develop from chronically high humidity combined with poor enclosure hygiene.
• Internal parasites and, less commonly, cryptosporidiosis are also on the list. Crypto in particular is serious and often difficult to treat, which is part of why a fecal exam is worth doing at your gecko's first vet visit.

When to See an Exotic Vet

Bring a new gecko in within the first 30 days of ownership, and plan on an annual wellness exam with a fecal test after that as a baseline, not just when something looks wrong. See a vet promptly for a soft or misshapen jaw, no bowel movement for a week or more, breathing difficulty, ongoing weight loss, or any neurological symptoms.

A gram scale is one of the most useful tools you can own for this species. Weigh your gecko weekly, weight change is often the earliest sign that something's off, well before other symptoms appear. Our Crested Gecko cost guide covers what routine and emergency vet care typically runs, or browse the rest of our Geckos care guide category.

Sources & Further Reading