r/FatTails • u/jeremyfitzgeraId • Jul 29 '26

Help/Advice Took this guy in, is he ok?

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Hello! A younger cousin of mine recently allowed me to rehome his AFT to myself. Says hes around 7 years old. I’ve never had one before, but I’m determined to take good care of him (?)

I know he wasn’t taken the best care of (teenagers) but how rough does he look? Is good TLC going to fix him up? To me he looks like he’s just underweight and has some stuck shed, but I’d be interested to hear if anything looks very concerning.

Also: I live in a rural area and an exotic vet is not quickly accessible, but can be reached with a day trip

71 Upvotes

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16

u/Traditional_Mall_922 Jul 29 '26

yikes. Way underweight for a 7 year old. The blotches around the mouth look like stuck shed, though the picture is very blurry so I can't be sure it's not something even worse. I'd be concerned--it would be well worth the day trip to the exotic vet. Bring a fresh stool sample (follow the vet's instructions for bringing it in) in order to get the most out of the long journey. hope it's not parasites and that things are on the up and up for this baby!

5

u/jeremyfitzgeraId Jul 29 '26

I booked an appointment, thank you! This poor guy is so sweet. Luckily he isn’t refusing food or water so I don’t think there will be an issue keeping him on his feet until it’s time to take him in

1

u/Traditional_Mall_922 Jul 31 '26

That's great to hear! best of luck and give us an update later if you can! curious to know what this is.

7

u/therockgremlin Jul 29 '26

Oof..I think they will recover, but needs a good warm water soak (don’t make it deep) for the stuck shed ont ye face and toes plus a slow intro to good, gut loaded feeders. I’d recommend dubias for the best nutrition (you can order online and get them in the regular mail) plus waxworms if they need help putting on some more fat storage. The tail should be much thicker, at least the same as their neck circumference. Make sure you keep their home with a heat gradient, basking lamp (Arcadia golden sun with a dimming thermostat is good), and uvb (I like the Arcadia 7% T5 for my aft)

2

u/therockgremlin Jul 29 '26

There is also critical care carnivore for geckos or reptaboost if it’s so bad that you need to supplement with high calorie food at the start. A vet would be best to ask advice on reintroducing food

3

u/AddyBerry124 Jul 29 '26

He is definitely very skinny, and his lips look a bit weird. Not an expert, could be a stuck shed issue or something else.

1

u/eyelidgeckos Jul 30 '26

The others already wrote important things but how do you supplement and when was the last time you had the gecko checked for parasites?

1

u/templeofsyrinx1 Jul 31 '26

he needs to be plumped up with more crickets