Calcium Problems

Most crested gecko owners should know that calcium is a very important part of a crestie's diet.
Calcium helps with growth, strengthening bones, shedding and egg production. Your crested gecko needs quite a lot of it, especially when younger, pregnant or due a shed.

What are 'calcium sacs' and how do I check them?

'Calcium sacs' are quite literally sacs of calcium. They are white, spherical pouches on the roof of your crestie's mouth that store calcium for when it is needed. If your crested gecko is getting a decent amount of calcium within their diet, their calcium sacs will be full of calcium. They should appear large and an off-white colour. If they appear depleted, your crested gecko might not be getting enough calcium within their diet. However, it could be because of something else. For example, a female crested gecko uses a lot of calcium during egg production to build the egg. If your female is gravid or laying, all or most of the calcium will probably be used up from the sacs.

A healthy crested gecko's calcium sacs - www.pangeareptile.com

To check your crestie's calcium sacs, you just need your gecko to open his mouth. Some cresties will do this just by a simple touch at the corners of their mouth, which will allow you to peer inside. Some however will literally need prizing open! I've heard of a lot of people using credit cards and other thin objects to slip between the crested gecko's 'lips', causing them to open their mouths.

You shouldn't really force your gecko's mouth open unless you really feel the need to check the calcium sacs. This could be if you have suspicions or have noticed signs of a calcium deficiency, or perhaps if you believe your female is pregnant. You don't want to stress your crestie out unnecessarily, as this could lead to other health issues. Always play it safe!

A baby or juvenile probably won't use their calcium sacs as often, and won't have full calcium sacs. This is because they will be constantly using their calcium for growth. Don't panic if your hatchling or juvenile doesn't appear to have calcium sacs!

How can I tell if my crestie has a calcium deficiency?

Calcium deficiency in crested geckos is easily diagnosed by owners. It is very rare in well-fed crested geckos, although it can be life-threatening and crippling.

An early sign of calcium deficiency is a 'squiggly' tail. It could be a full-on squiggle like in the picture below, or just slightly crooked and bent. If you spot either, you should seriously attempt to check your crestie's calcium sacs. If you don't get them calcium quickly, serious health problems could occur.

A crested gecko with calcium deficiency - www.reptileobsession.blogspot.com

Other later, more severe signs of calcium deficiency are: a soft and flexible jaw and a curved spine. This is because calcium is used for the strengthening, growth and repair of bones. Once calcium is removed from the diet, bones cannot grow or repair themselves, and become weak.

In very serious cases, your crested gecko may lose the ability to walk.

What causes calcium deficiency?

This may seem fairly obvious to you: a lack of calcium! But how do you know that you're not giving your crested gecko enough calcium?

For owners who use Crested Gecko Diet (Repashy's or Komodo), the mixture already comes with the correct amount of calcium and multivitamins inside it. This is brilliant news for you, as you have no need to worry about calcium deficiency! However, owners like myself that have to apply calcium to our gecko's foods do have to worry.

It's fairly difficult to go wrong with this: you simply sprinkle your live-food with enough calcium to simply 'dust' them. This means covering them with a light layer of the powder. Imagine snow in the winter that just covers the ground in a light powder - you don't want it six inches deep!

www.vitalimpact.com

The problem generally occurs if you add absolutely no or too much calcium to your food. On the label it states that calcium can not cause overdose, which is correct, but it can cause an immunity. If you feed your crestie too much of a vitamin supplement that has calcium in it, it can prevent calcium absorption and have the opposite affect as stated. Be careful you don't add extra to 'just make sure'! It's probably okay once or twice, but not on a regular basis.

Make sure you always add calcium to whatever food you are giving if it does not already contain it. Check on a packaged food label, and it should state if it contains the correct amount of calcium. If you are giving your gecko a home-made fruit puree, shop-bought fruit puree or live food, you should make sure to always add calcium to the mixture.

What can I do if I spot a calcium deficiency?

If you spot the early signs of calcium deficiency, for example empty calcium sacs and/or a slightly wavy tail, you should at first try to determine the cause of the issue. Is it due to your feeding methods? Have you been feeding fruit to your crestie with no or little calcium? Have you been overdoing it by heaping calcium onto the food? Could your crestie, if female, be gravid or laying? Has your crestie been rejecting food?

When you come to the root of your problem, you should simply try to correct the issue. Recently, I had worried that Rocco might be lacking calcium after he'd been rejecting food for a while. I knew that he was constantly drinking, and loves licking at water from a cupped leaf in the vivarium. So, I experimented a little! I mixed calcium in with the water and held him to the leaf. He lapped it all up, and every single bit of calcium! I continued for a few days until I felt like it was no longer an issue.

www.megaray.co.uk

Try to find ways to give your gecko the calcium that he needs. It could be as simple as adding more calcium to his food!
If you begin to spot any serious signs of calcium deficiency, you should get your gecko seen immediately. Calcium deficiency can be deadly, and you probably need to seriously alter your ways. You should take your crested gecko to a vet, preferably a reptile specialist who will know how to resolve and treat the issue, and get immediate help.

If you have any more questions on calcium, you can contact me in the comments below!

Thank you very much for reading, and I will be posting again soon.

Elly. x