Giving liquids to geckos

[killimike]

Hi all,

I have to administer some liquids to my Diplodactylus.

I have frequently read that a drop of any liquid, such as calcium supplement or rehydration solution, can be placed on a gecko's snout for it to lick off.

For the life of me, I cannot get that to happen. The liquid beads and then just rolls straight off. I can balance a drop 'between the eyes', but that is way too far back for them to reach w their tongue.

I would be extremely grateful if anyone who has had to do this would contact me, or share their experiences.

 

[Smithers]

Hey Mike, I just painted the liquid calcium with a fine water colour paintbrush over the snout mouth area then it licked it off. Hope this helps

 

[notechistiger]

Would sitting the gecko in a shallow rehydration solution work? I have used this previously to get some fluids into snakes as they absorb some of the fluid through the cloaca. I'm not sure if this would be similar with geckos.

 

[killimike]

Thanks for the ideas guys! They are very much appreciated. I will try and put them into practice.

Brett, I love the paintbrush suggestion, I will go out and get one tmw.

Notech, absorbtion through the cloaca wall has been suggested for geckos by blue in the recent gecko help thread, so apparently it can be done like in snakes.

 

[Chris1]

great idea with painting the calcium on Smithers!!

spray bottles work well for getting little beads to form around their mouths,....(not with something like liquid calcium tho obviously, but im guessing the rehydration solution would))
mine get water every few days that way.