*warning* disfigured gecko

[monster]

i hope these photos are educational to some. my stomach is still turning a bit.
...not exactly eye candy...

last year i had spoken with the floor managers at my local PetCo about their diet of babyfood & crickets to the cresteds, and both times i was told they would leave a message with the reptile manager. i showed them how their crested geckos all had twisted spins and that it was NOT normal. finally in Feb i contacted the store manager because they were (and still are) feeding the same diet. one of the geckos from before was still available (quite bigger then the new ones now), his back was a solid S-shape. i was assured it was being "looked into" and the reptile manager would call me back...never happened.

today i went to my PetCo today for some crickets, on the way out i stoped for a look at the geckos. the person staffing the reptile section asked if i was "the girl with a ton of crested geckos." she asked if i would take the big one home because he was up for adoption, and the staff had been waiting for me to come back in (i'm famous?  ).

so here he is. he has two different colored eyes and i haven't put him on the scale yet, hes pretty freaked out from the ride home. i'll try and get a video posted showing how he jumps and walks, i can't tell if he's in pain or not. i'm going to let him settle this week before i begin poking at him.

[portal_reptiles]

almost looks like it hit its back might be  broken, and if it walks funny it could have, could have fell...but its hard to say...i have never seen anything like it in a gecko befor.....

[krazymuttzpuck]

awwwww...poor thing!

[firecrested]

That's sad.  Perfect example why not to feed baby food.  Have you tried contacting the Regional Animal Companion Coordinator for Petco?  I wrote to him about one of our stores about the cresteds high temps, no hides and feeding baby food & meal worms.  He met with me then went to check out the store.  Now they have a very small selection of reptiles:P  It turned out that he found problems with a lot of the other animals too.  He told me that it's Petco's policy to feed cgd and there shouldnt be baby food fed at all.

We were out of cgd at the one i work at & the manager said he would go to the grocery store & pick up baby food.  I told him about the problems it causes so he didnt get any.

[portal_reptiles]

the petco in my town feeds theirs diet food.....the girl thats takes care of them is also a local breeder too, so its not all petco's that feed baby food...to think about this is the first time i have heard this

[krazymuttzpuck]

im so outta the loop..i have never been to a damn petco....

[portal_reptiles]

im so outta the loop..i have never been to a damn petco....

your not missing much...i think i have more reptiles then they do...lol

[samanthajane13]

Julie-

MY GOD!!!!  What did those a$$es DO TO HIM?   

Poor baby...

Check your messages-I send you a couple of PMs.

Donna

[katatonia]

  That's terrible.

[KatiesCresteds]

Oh my, poor thing!!! 

[AMReptiles]

yikes! That poor baby, I hope it doesn't affect his quality of life  keep up updated on him for us!

[samanthajane13]

I think I'll be taking him in a couple of weeks.  Monster wants to get him stablized, and and I need to get the money to  ship him and get him a new tank.

I hope he switches over to the CGD with no problems.  I just picked up more supplies today, and when he gets here, I'm gonna start him on a weekly gut-loaded wax worm for a snack, just to pack as much calcium into him as I can.  I've got Jump-Start and Repta-Aid in case he needs it, too.

I'll be picking up a new 20 gallon high tank, screen lid and bag of moss for him.

[portal_reptiles]

in defence of petco, i asked the repytile guy about there crested's and i saw them feeding t-rex creted gecko food, and thats what i have seen them feed them for years now....they guy didnt know you counld feed baby food to them, which is good.....so it not all petco's that do that....thank god!!!

[markNcc]

Man, he would have been a nice looking crested if it wasn't for the twisted spine

You said you have seen it there for quite a while, right? It could be something genetic. Hopefully it doesn't know the difference.

PS. Have you thought about a name yet.......how about Gullum, or Smeagul........from The Lord of the Rings.....that was my first thought when i saw it, " that looks like Smeagul"

[samanthajane13]

He'll be winging his way to Buffalo, in a few weeks...

Katey and I are thinking Ice or Snow...or Sobe.

We're waiting forJulie to let usknow what he looks like when he's fired up.