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Reptile Imports
 
This is an adult wildcaught male marbled gecko a few hours after his arrival. He's still cold and docile, (and a bit dehydrated) from his trip and appreciating the warmth of my hand. He's also thin in these pictures, but waxworms will fatten him right up.
All the wildcaught lizards I buy are started on a 60 day quarantine process that involves getting sprayed down with WipeOut and getting Reptile Xtra anti-parasite formula mixed with water from an eyedropper as they're getting transferred from their shipping box into their individual quarantine boxes.
The quarantine boxes are just large tupperware containers with holes drilled around the top. I don't use any bedding until I've been able to collect the first fecal sample from the lizard, which is sent to the vet to check for health and parasites. Once I've got a fecal sample I use paper towels as a bedding until the lizard has moved out of quarantine. Paper towels are removed daily and can be observed for anything like strange colored or odd looking fecals, etc.
Unless the fecals show a need for stronger medicine, than Reptile Xtra anti-parasite formula mixed with water via eyedropper into gaped mouths will continue once a day for the first week. This asures that the lizards are getting water and a little food into their systems even if they are refusing to eat. WipeOut treatment is repeated two days after initial treatment and again two days after that.
If the lizards have refused to eat for two or three days I may encourage them to gape and drop a fat waxworm into their mouths. They'll usually chomp it aggressively and than get a funny, interested look on their faces as it pops in their mouths and deposits a big fatty meal right on their tongues. That's usually enough to get them to swallow it and lick their lips in appreciation. Any waxworm left in their cages over night may be gone by the next morning, but do try to encourage crickets rather than waxworms as the waxies are very high fat, and while good for the thinner lizards are too fatty for long term foods.
Here's a long term captive showing the great colors and size they can get. This one dived into the Bed-a-Beast as I was trying to catch him, so it's all over him in the picture. Not so docile now, these guys are feisty! Don't they have funny little upturned noses? They look like little snobs, and they act like them too!
 
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