Check this gecko on night shift, not yours
Every part of a crested gecko health check depends on darkness. By day the animal sleeps flattened and motionless, its colours muted, and almost any handling verdict you reach will be wrong. Wait until the gecko has woken, licked its eyes, and begun its rounds, then work in dim light with slow movements. A healthy wake-up sequence is itself the first test: the gecko stirs, cleans both eyes with its tongue, because this species has no movable eyelids, and heads toward its food ledge or a favourite perch. A gecko that stays in its sleeping curl deep into the night has already given you the headline finding.
Grip, toe pads, and the landing test
Invite the gecko onto the clean glass door or a smooth vertical surface and watch it climb. The toe pads should grip evenly, each foot spreading and releasing in turn, with no sliding, slipping, or desperate scrambling. Look closely at the toes for retained shed, which dulls the grip and is the commonest fixable cause of a gecko suddenly living on the floor. Then watch a short, voluntary jump between branches or onto your hand: a comfortable gecko judges, launches, and sticks the landing in one motion. Repeated falls, aborted jumps, or a gecko that will no longer leave the ground turn a routine check into a closer investigation of limbs, shed, and condition.
Tail, eyes, and skull: reading condition on a small body
Examine the tail from above and the side. It should run straight and feel firm, without waves, kinks, or a soft, rubbery bend, and the gecko should carry it without trembling. Move to the head: the eyes should be full and clear after their evening clean, not sunken into the sockets, and the crest and jawline should look smooth rather than sharply bony. Viewed from above, a gecko in good condition has gentle fullness behind the head and along the flanks; visible hip points and a prominent skull outline mean reserves have been spent. Because this species cannot regrow a lost tail to its original form, note tail presence and condition at every check rather than assuming it.
The dish, the licks, and the scale
Read the food dish like a chart. Overnight lick marks in the prepared diet show appetite and a working tongue and jaw; a dish untouched for several nights in a gecko that normally feeds is a measurable change, especially if the gecko still laps water droplets keenly after misting. If the gecko tolerates it, weigh it in a small lidded tub on a gram scale and record the number, since portions eaten are too tiny to judge by eye. A stable or gently rising weight in a young gecko, and a stable weight in an adult, confirm what behaviour suggested; a falling line across three checks overrides a single lively evening.
Findings that should reach a vet
Seek an exotics vet promptly if the gecko cannot climb or grip at all, shows a wavy or bent tail with weakness, has swelling at the jaw or limbs, suffers a fall injury, or stops eating while its weight falls. Arrange a routine visit when grip, jumping confidence, or appetite fade steadily over a week or two. Arrive with weights, shed notes, and a description of the night routine change. Storing those details in KinsLe Pet Passport, as this gecko's gathered health record, gives the vet the trend instead of a single evening's impression.