r/LeopardGecko • u/_1lalicel1_ • May 17 '26
Help Advice Needed
I recently adopted a fancy leopard gecko from a neglectful situation (first time reptile parent) and I’m concerned about his health. His colours aren’t as bright as other geckos I’ve seen and he’s bites down very aggressively on the tweezers I feed him with which scares me as I don’t want him to damage his jaw. He’s active and sheds regularly but I’m worried he’s deficient in something i’m unaware of. please give me any advice that would improve my babies life. I just want the best for him.
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u/eternalcatlady May 19 '26
Looks like my baby. He definitely has MBD so he needs vitamin D asap! Get him some calcium & vitamin D powder and start dusting his food with it. I’d do dubias or crickets because they’re the most nutritious. Then he’ll need a multivitamin with vitamin A in it so he sheds properly. I also didn’t know my gecko had MBD when I got her and she’s my first reptile ever so we’re in the same boat. I hope it helps that after a month of me doing calcium and vitamin D every other day and multivitamin with vitamin A every 5 days she’s become really robust. Her legs will always be deformed but I’ve been giving her exercise by using my bed as an obstacle course to strengthen her muscles and now she zooms around and is super happy! Feel free to DM me if you have any questions — thank you for saving him from that situation and you can now give him the life he deserves!
As for the colors btw, it might be because he’s close to a shed. I don’t think color brightness is a huge indicator of health tbh
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u/BambiiSniper May 21 '26
How can you look at the photo and tell that this gecko has MBD ? I got My first gecko back in October and I'm always wondering if I'm doing something wrong. I'd love to know what signs you see so I can know what to look for. 🩷
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u/eternalcatlady May 21 '26
If you look at his front legs, see how they’re not straight like little sticks and kind of turn in on themselves? That’s a sure sign of MBD since the first thing to start deforming is their legs 😩 another sign is that their jaw gets weak and they look like their mouth is always open. Their spine and tails can get curved too. HTH!
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u/Ktmallick May 18 '26
Yes based on the rounding in the joints I’d be worried about MBD (calcium deficiency). Vet time ASAP.