# Dehydrated Crested Gecko



## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

For those of you who haven't seen my latest posts on the lizard section, i've been given a crestie from my friend who doesn't have the time to give him the attention he deserves anymore.

I already kept a crestie, so he offered him to me for free, as he knows he'll be looked after.

He had just finished shedding when i received him yesterday, and had quite a lot of shed stuck on his feet and his belly. I gave him a 'sauna' and helped get the shed off him, checked his calcium sacks (they're fine) but i've noticed he's very dehydrated and thin.

I was wondering what the best methods for rehydration are? All i've found when looking for information is to give the crestie a "sauna" for about a week or so.

He's rather lethargic and doesn't move around very much (day or night) and my friend said he doesn't notice him eating his CGD much either.

He always had water and repashy available with my friend, and was misted twice a day.

If there's any advice you can give to me i'll be very appreciative. 

Sorry if i'm rambling like a crackhead, i haven't been to sleep yet and had a very busy night.

Attached are a couple of pictures taken just after i gave him a 'sauna' this morning. His eye's have sunk in a little, and his skin doesn't fall back down after pinching.


----------



## pippin9050 (Dec 20, 2011)

a good way of hydrating them and is what i use is a dripper you can either buy one around £6 or make one which is what i do and i very simple you get a plastic cup and put a pin hole in the bottom fill water in a it will slowley drip out if you refill it when it runs out then your crestie will have a constant source of water:2thumb:


----------



## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

Do you know of any fast methods to get him back up to scratch? I presume the dropper idea is more long term (like a hamster bottle?) that he can Drink from? Or is that for better humidity?


----------



## CrestieLove (Mar 26, 2012)

I have used the powerade bath on my male crestie with great success. He was quite dehydrated despite proper humidity, so I did 10% powerade and 90% water 'sauna' for about 10 mins if it stays warm enough. They've worked very fast for me, depending how bad he is you can bath everyday or every other day. It's even better if you can get him to drink a bit, my fella quite likes the taste. 

This gave my fella lots more energy and his weight picked up fairly quickly


----------



## empirecook (Sep 1, 2009)

Is it really a good idea to give lizards (anything for that matter) powerade? seen so many people blabber on how it's so amazing. All that sugar and pointless crap (like colouring), surely can't be good for a lizard?

And please explain to me, since when on earth was heaps of sugar, and a bright colouring required to actually hydrate anything? Last time I checked, water is the only liquid that does the best job a hydrating. 


So f:censor:K powerade, use water! You could always add a sprinkle of salt (not sure if this is a dietry requirement for geckos/lizards.


----------



## CrestieLove (Mar 26, 2012)

empirecook said:


> Is it really a good idea to give lizards (anything for that matter) powerade? seen so many people blabber on how it's so amazing. All that sugar and pointless crap (like colouring), surely can't be good for a lizard?
> 
> And please explain to me, since when on earth was heaps of sugar, and a bright colouring required to actually hydrate anything? Last time I checked, water is the only liquid that does the best job a hydrating.
> 
> ...


Yes its sugary and colourful, but its full of electrolytes which helps hydrate faster, and if its not being used in large quantataties (hence diluting it) it can do more good than harm. 
Lots of people including myself have tried it with great results, it did wonders for a gecko I adopted that had a bad tummy, was loosing weight and severely dehydrated- he is a millions miles better for using it. 

Any who, what good is salt going to do other than make him more dehydrated!


----------



## empirecook (Sep 1, 2009)

CrestieLove said:


> Yes its sugary and colourful, but its full of electrolytes which helps hydrate faster, and if its not being used in large quantataties (hence diluting it) it can do more good than harm.
> Lots of people including myself have tried it with great results, it did wonders for a gecko I adopted that had a bad tummy, was loosing weight and severely dehydrated- he is a millions miles better for using it.
> 
> Any who, what good is salt going to do other than make him more dehydrated!


But how do you (and the others) actually know it was powerade that sorted things out? With 90% water, i'd be inclined to think that water itself was what re-hydrated said geckos/lizards...over the 10% of sugary rubbish. 

Electrolytes you say? And further dehydration due to a minimal amount of salt? You do realise that Electrolytes are solutions of acids or salts - Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and chloride to name a few. In fact, salt as you know it, is sodium chloride. :lol2:

Further more, these electrolytes are given to athletes to replace....SALT! And so, it brings me back to...why powerade? It has pointless sugar and colouring, when all you're after is electrolytes?

Ever tasted a drop of fresh sweat? It tastes salty! This aids in drying the sweat out quicker on the skin. 


By all means, you're welcome to keep on bathing your geckos in a pointless sugary/salty/acidic/colourful solution, but water and a little salt will do the job just as well (if not, better!). :lol2:


----------



## CrestieLove (Mar 26, 2012)

I didn't know that electrolytes replaced lost salts, but there's no need to be a d :censor: about it. I'll say it a million times the point of these forums is to HELP people not laugh at or have ago at people who aren't sure about things! 

For me I think it helped, as apposed to normal baths. Its never mentioned or is it a common practice to add salt to their baths for dehydration, therefore I wasn't aware of it.

That doesn't excuse you talking to me like that!


----------



## empirecook (Sep 1, 2009)

CrestieLove said:


> I didn't know that electrolytes replaced lost salts, but there's no need to be a d :censor: about it. I'll say it a million times the point of these forums is to HELP people not laugh at or have ago at people who aren't sure about things!
> 
> For me I think it helped, as apposed to normal baths. Its never mentioned or is it a common practice to add salt to their baths for dehydration, therefore I wasn't aware of it.
> 
> That doesn't excuse you talking to me like that!


Talk to you like what exactly? 

I may be a little sarcastic, but wasn't getting personal. I was also giving some advice, in more than one way infact! I've given you advice on how to save money! And what do i get in return? Someone who don't like someone prooving them wrong and saying that i'm being a dick? 

Maybe I could give you some more advice? Learn how to take advice, and don't throw your toys out of your pram...


----------



## CrestieLove (Mar 26, 2012)

empirecook said:


> Talk to you like what exactly?
> 
> I may be a little sarcastic, but wasn't getting personal. I was also giving some advice, in more than one way infact! I've given you advice on how to save money! And what do i get in return? Someone who don't like someone prooving them wrong and saying that i'm being a dick?
> 
> Maybe I could give you some more advice? Learn how to take advice, and don't throw your toys out of your pram...


Your sarcasm to me didn't come across that way to me, it didn't come across as advice either it came across like you were taking the mic from what I had said.
I most certainly did not `throw my toys out of my pram' I have no problem with someone correcting me if I'm wrong in fact I just told you I didn't know that was the case and I had misunderstood. I'm not interested in a row I obviously took your tone differently than you meant it.

From what I understood powerade had has not only salt but a balance of different things, and electrolytes which made it a balanced way and quicker way of hydrating them, just putting salt in there wouldn't have the same effect and could it not be potentially more harmful to load their bodies up with salt when we don't understand the balance their bodies need?


----------



## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

I wasn't aware you could do the powerade bath with cresties, or any lizard.

I've followed Wildlife Warriors rehydration thread (the powerade method) a few times with snakes before, so safe to say i know it works well.

I'll be trying this one today with the little guy. He's not eating his Repashy, and the previous owner said he never really noticed any missing from the bowls.

He happily sat in my hand and ate repashy off a spoon, biting the spoon and just sitting there with it in his mouth, while the repashy ran down into his mouth. And only bit me a couple of times :2thumb: haha i think he mistook my thumb for the spoon :whistling2:

The only problem i have with the salt method that was stated, is, i wouldn't know the 'right amount' of salt to add to the water. And surely the powerade is beneficial for not only salt, but also for the other nutrients it has in it?


----------



## empirecook (Sep 1, 2009)

CrestieLove said:


> From what I understood powerade had has not only salt but a balance of different things, and electrolytes which made it a balanced way and quicker way of hydrating them, just putting salt in there wouldn't have the same effect and could it not be potentially more harmful to load their bodies up with salt when we don't understand the balance their bodies need?


Basically, if you look at the ingredients here: 








(source: http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/brands/powerade.html )

You'll notice it says mineral salts and lists these salts in brackets. I'm not exactly clued up when it comes to a lizards exact dietary requirements - so you may need some more hardcore evidence but i doubt a couple of grains will do much harm - thus making your electrolytes! (Thinking about it, I believe calcium is a form of salt itself - and we know for sure that is required by geckos and many lizzards - so in theory adding some calcium powder to water, it could also produce an electrolyte - add couple off grains of table salt and i reckon you're fine) 

What i don't agree with on the powerade side of things is the pointless stuff they've added to it, obviously a gecko doesn't need bright colourings, or high amounts of sugar (when cresties get their own sugars from the food they eat). 


In relation to my sarcasm, I wasn't aiming anything at you (I understand it may seem otherwise - so i appologise) but it just annoys me how a massive company can charge arm and a leg for glorified water with sugar, salt, colouring and rubbish.


----------



## Mavis25 (Jul 4, 2012)

Can someone help me in how do you give a sauna to a gecko? I'm having some very strange but funny thoughts about taking Charlie to the gym with me. Lol


----------



## UKCrestie (Sep 9, 2011)

Mavis25 said:


> Can someone help me in how do you give a sauna to a gecko? I'm having some very strange but funny thoughts about taking Charlie to the gym with me. Lol


The easiest way (I say easy but you know how 'springy' geckos are :lol2
Is to get a large Tupperware dish or similar and put a few layers of paper towel on the bottom.
You then pour a couple of centimetres of warm (not hot) water in and the paper will absorb most of it.
If you can encourage your gecko to get into the tub (the hard bit) put the lid on and let him 'steam' for a few minutes.
He wont suffocate, just dont leave him for a long period of time.
There are some videos of it on youtube, if you have a search on there you should find quite a few : victory:


----------



## pigglywiggly (Jul 19, 2008)

try using reptoboost or avipro in the bathwater.

made for the job and excellent stuff.


----------



## Xerse (Sep 22, 2010)

pigglywiggly said:


> try using reptoboost or avipro in the bathwater.
> 
> made for the job and excellent stuff.


Will definitely give these a go. Thanks Piggly : victory:


----------

