Rescued Young Female Leopard Geckos Normal Coloration

Des Plaines IL

Description

These three young geckos all came from a pet store whose name rhymes with "go." They were quite young when they arrived, probably just a few months old, and lived there for at least five months before I couldn't take what I was seeing any more. I confirmed the information below with an inside source, and I think you'll agree that while this was not a traditional rescue, immediate intervention was necessary (and the store lost quite a bit of money on the deal, if that helps you feel better. They were "on clearance.") These are three from a group of four geckos who were deprived of calcium and vitamin/mineral supplements for their entire stay. They were fed on crickets and mealworms, and judging by the utterly blank response I got to the term "gut loading," I think we can safely assume their feeders were as dehydrated and malnourished as can be. I was told they were provided with UVA and UVB, but apparently it's the same bulbs they use for their bearded dragons, and I'd be willing to bet money no one knows how long it's been since they were changed. The reason I stepped in was that the one who is not being offered for adoption already had legs that twisted and collapsed from metabolic bone disease. These three don't show obvious signs of the disorder but it's safe to assume their skeletal health is not 100%. I immediately put them on calcium and vitamin/mineral supplements (Arcadia brand) as well as providing Reptisun 5.0 lighting. Their feeders have also been gut loaded and dusted since their arrival. They eat like champs, climb like monkeys, melt under their deep heat projector, and are generally having a grand old time. The gecko in that first photo is climbing *up* a nearly flat 3D background, and all three of them can scale it almost as fast as an arboreal gecko moves on glass. They weren't socialized, and I haven't had time or wherewithal to do so. Since they are young and have tremendous potential to be great pets for someone with time to work with them, I wanted to offer them up for adoption. I have no problem keeping them from now until the end of time if that's what's best for them, but freeing up cage space would enable me to take in other needy geckos down the road if the opportunity arose. I don't make a habit of this, but they find me... They will be adopted out as singles, not as a group. Right now all appear to be females, but I'm not 100% guaranteeing. Their adoption fee is negligible, especially compared to the cost of the equipment to care for them properly. I'm going to be extra extra picky about the husbandry in their new home due to their history of barely adequate care.