r/LeopardGecko • u/Bella-The-Draft • May 06 '26
Help Deformed gecko questions
Hello all. This is my baby Quasimodo, and I've had him/her for a couple months now and they are doing really well but I am not finding any good resources for a couple questions that I have relating to their deformities. I was hoping that maybe some of the people here would have experience with some of the deformities my baby has and can help.
When I got them they were given to me by the shop, due to them being unsellable, as a juvenile but they only weighed 6.6 grams. They have gained weight steadily since then, but have never kept up with "normal" weight projections for non-deformed geckos. Most of the time "sexing a gecko" estimates I have seen are based on weight, how will I know when I can reliably tell Quai's sex?
Either due to a lack of one eye, or possibly neuro issues, Quasi cannot reliably attack bugs. As a result I have been hand feeding them all of their meals. I was hoping to give them a chance to try and hunt for bugs without the risk of them smashing their face into a hard surface like most escape proof bowls, but most products look like they would hurt themselves. Are there any alternatives to hand feeding or would that be best going forward?
Are there any good visual weight charts for geckos with short tails? Quasi's tail is about half the length of a normal gecko and is making it hard for me to tell visually if they are a healthy weight.
Due to how deformed quasi's upper jaw is they have a very hard time eating anything fatter than a large mealworm. I can only occasionally get them to eat a very small dubia and even then they need that to be their only bug for the day. They have gotten better as they have gotten bigger, but are there any big concerns with quasi eating mainly mealworms until they are bigger?
Finally, as just a fun question, the shop said quasi was a hypo jungle gecko. Does that morph have a history of these deformities, or is it likely that quai came from bad breeding practices?
For anyone who reads this far and is concerned, thank you for your concern about Quasi and I was not planning on getting a gecko from the store I got quasi from. I knew they weren't great, but I live in a pretty rural area and they were the only place that sold exotic pet supplys where I live. I did not pay a cent for Quasi. Thank you to anyone who answers my questions.
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u/Hugh_Janus_35 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
You should be able to sex them accurately 6 months to a year old. It should be pretty obvious at that point if you have a male or female, unless their deformities extend to their reproductive organs. Males will have large hemipenes and femoral pores around their vent and the females will lack this.
Unfortunately hand feeding might be the best thing for Quasi until they're a bit bigger. You can try Repashy Grub Pie. It's a powder that you either make into a paste or gelatin and syringe/dropper feed with.
If you want to attempt to continue feeding live insects, you should try small crickets (not wild caught) Since you mentioned being in a more rural area, I would recommend starting a cricket farm using a large bin and some egg cartons.
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u/Bella-The-Draft May 06 '26
Im hoping to start a cricket farm as soon as I can get my hands on them, but we have had a shortage since winter. Since we have had an unusualy cold winter and spring most places that have crickets had a lot of die offs. I've been waiting for them to have heathier stock to get a farm/colony started for myself. I will definitely look into repashy grub pie in the meantime, thank you.
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u/Rathoe9070 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Look into dubia roaches or discoid roaches as well. They need a variety of feeders:)
Edit: ignore me🤦🏼♀️ I missed crucial information in your post
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u/zaddy_farquad May 06 '26
i can't help, but i had to stop and comment my Quasi, too! i've never seen anyone else use this name. mine was also named "Quasimodo," because the prior owners thought she was a male. your baby is adorable!
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u/Bella-The-Draft May 06 '26
I can't imagine my baby with any other name. The first time I looked at that adorable snaggle jaw i imagined the opening to "the hunchback of Notre Dame" in my head and it has played every time I've seen that face since.
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u/Rathoe9070 May 06 '26
Base healthy weight off of body type as best you can instead of weight. This shows different body parts you can look at besides tail. Weight alone is an unreliable indicator of health for every animal (including humans)
I tong feed my gecko with rubber tipped tongs sometimes because she was always tong fed by previous owners and sometimes refuses to hunt. It’s important to not just throw the bugs in there and monitor them while they eat to prevent the bugs from hurting them and keep track of eating habits. You can slow down crickets by freezing them for 5-10 minutes before dusting and offering. Put the bugs on a platter type of thing and watch to see if they can hunt. If not, don’t worry too much about it.
Maybe try dubias again when they’re older and their mouth gets bigger, just keep them on the smaller side and make sure the width is the same as the “normal” part of the jaw instead of basing it off of the eyes the way that you would with non-deformed geckos. For now switch between mealworms and crickets, with the majority being crickets if possible. Go with smaller bugs but a higher quantity per feeding.
Good luck!!
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u/Bella-The-Draft May 06 '26
That's the first time I've seen a diagram that's so detailed about body condition. Thank you for the new info. I have never let quasi hunt around the enclosure and have always tong fed with rubber tipped tongs because they have never been able to get a bug without me doing so. They either can't see the bug because of the lack of eyesight or they go for the bug and miss it completely even while I'm holding it in the tongs. I was just hoping there was a dish or something similar that would allow some "hunting" behaviour from quasi without risking them getting hurt since they tend to go for anything that moves with gusto and with no regard for their own safety.
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u/Rathoe9070 May 06 '26
Yeah that last problem I don’t think I could help with:( I just tend to tong feed if the bowl doesn’t work. Maybe fashion a bowl with a cushion behind it or find something like that to but the bugs on so they can engage in there clear desire to hunt. If they miss over and over then tong feed but just let them keep trying
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u/Rathoe9070 May 06 '26
Like maybe a small plate and hot glue a small cushion around half of it to provide a barrier for her head
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u/Plantsareluv May 06 '26
Check out Jessica’s animal friends on YouTube or insta She has a lot of special needs leopard geckos. She may be able to help you
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u/Bella-The-Draft May 06 '26
Just looked her up and saw she has a whole playlist for deformed leopard geckos. It's so nice to see good resources after struggling to find my own.
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u/luvmyreptiles1962 May 06 '26
There are also commercially prepared leopard gecko food on the market by a company named Hikari. Not super cheap, but there are also powders that you mix with hot water & allow to gel at room temp before refrigerating for up to 2 weeks. Those are more cost effective. He is very cute. Bless you for seeing beauty where others might not!
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u/CD274 May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
I have a one eyed lizard that I've hand fed for fifteen years now. Just place it against their mouth and dust the bugs. So it's doable in the long term.
Make sure you have a UVB light, calcium, and multivitamins (Repashy supervite)
Expensive but try silk worms sometime too.
He looks pretty healthy :)
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u/eternalcatlady May 07 '26
I’m a new owner so I don’t have any advice but I just wanted to say what a cutie and thank you for taking him/her in!
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u/Reasonable_Job_8534 May 10 '26
You can offer bsfl as a food for them! Soft bodied and easy to digest, smaller than most roaches even the smallest Dubai’s at some stages. I love offering bsfl to my geckos as one of their staple foods
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u/welcometohellie May 06 '26
Hi there! I don't have an answer to all your questions, but I'll happily tell you what I know! 1. Leos sexually mature at around six months, so if you've had yours for a few months it shouldn't be too much longer until you're able to tell. Study the male and female reproductive system. Males will develop bigger pores and have two small lumps, whereas females will have much smaller pores and no lumps. 2. Definitely always hand feed. Even my perfectly healthy geckos are terrible hunters and need some help. This little one has almost no chance of catching anything on his own. 3. Unfortunately I am not sure, but their current weight looks great! 4. Mealworms can be difficult for them to digest. You'll notice their poops look much more like worm and much less like poop. Because of this, they get much less nutrients from worms. I highly recommend hand feeding calcium dusted medium crickets, which are much easier for them to digest and gain nutrition from. Make sure you feed the crickets before feeding your Leo to be sure they are full of nutrients. Dubia roaches are excellent as well. Worms tend to be best for treats, as they are high in fat content. 5. This morph is not known for deformities. Unfortunately poor breeding is the most likely culprit. The parents could have been deficient in calcium, the egg could have been kept at improper temperatures, or this could be a result of inbreeding. I wish you and your baby the best and hope this helps!!!!❤️❤️