Gomez the Special Needs Leopard Gecko

Des Plaines IL

Description

Gomez hates you. Don't take it personally. Gomez hates *everyone.* That's the first and most essential thing to understand about this gecko. If that's a problem, he is not the pet for you. I use the term "pet" loosely. Most leopard geckos are absolute sweethearts. This boy is filled with as much rage as your average Tokay. He hasn't actually offered to bite anyone, but the underlying emotion is there. Gomez came to me as a rescue in dire condition last July. I don't have any history on him before that, but it was evident that he and the female he arrived with had been deprived of some calories and a lot of nutrition for a long, long time. Both were thin, but their biggest issue by far was advanced metabolic bone disease. Gomez was in by far the better condition of the two, but that's really not saying much. Even now, after intensive nutritional supplements, a fairly proper diet (more in a second), and correct UV lighting, his limbs bear more than a passing resemblance to octopus tentacles. While his spine isn't 100% perfect, it's not bad; he's laying on the side of a lump of substrate in this picture, which is most of why it looks weird. Despite his leg deformities, this boy can climb. All leopard geckos climb more than the hobby gives them credit for, but this guy loves and insists on doing so. I keep the objects in his enclosure low, although it's probably no longer necessary to do so. About his diet. Gomez likes crickets, is sometimes iffy on superworms, and refuses silkworms and hornworms. In other words, he's a surprisingly picky eater for a leo. He also hates eating while being observed. Because of this, gutloading his crickets is absolutely essential, and I hope for the best as far as the longevity of the high quality powdered supplements I both put on the insects and leave in a dish in his enclosure. He looks a thousand times better than he did upon arrival so I must be doing something right, even though he's still thinner than I'd like to see. God forbid you try to pick him up. He bolts upon sight of a human. When you catch him, he will do a perfect crocodile death roll (minus sinking his teeth into something fleshy) if you restrain him at all. Would his behavior improve with work? Probably, but I'm making no guarantees. In short: if you think you're up for providing sanctuary to a reptile who will hate you, who you will almost never see, and who will probably live a shortened life due to previous neglect, Gomez may be the gecko you're looking for. Drop me a note and be prepared to talk and talk and talk. He has a home for life here if that's what he needs, but I wanted to explore his options in case someone has a better situation for his future. (In case anyone is wondering, his mate Morticia survived, and is as fine as she's ever going to be. She is a permanent resident of my household due to her fairly severe physical limitations, and my emotional attachment to her).