It can happen that you notice your leopard gecko developing an air bubble under its armpit. An air bubble will look like a swollen blister or lump on the side of a leopard gecko’s body. Air bubbles can even appear in both armpits. In this post, we will discuss the reasons why leopard geckos get air bubbles, if they are normal and what to do to in this situation.
Why did my leopard gecko get air bubbles?
There are few reasons why your leopard gecko might get air bubbles. The reasons for leopard geckos developing air bubbles in their armpits include overfeeding, oversupplementation, and rarely – other health issues.
But don’t worry – air bubbles are not dangerous and often contain fat, protein, minerals or vitamins. Air bubbles are likely to go if you adjust the diet.
Reason for air bubbles number 1: Overfeeding
Many people think that you can’t overfeed a leopard gecko, but this is not true. It is actually easy to overfeed a leopard gecko, so you need to make a feeding schedule. Your leopard gecko will need to eat less as it ages.
Hatchling and baby leopard geckos need to eat every day, juveniles from 5 months need to eat 5 days a week, and adults that are 18+ months – only 2-3 days a week. Never feed your adult leopard gecko more than 3 days a week, as it will cause obesity and oversupplementation.
If you overfeed your leopard gecko, it is likely to develop the air bubbles. Some people are extremely determined to make their leopard gecko’s tail fat – but this should not be the aim.
You always need to think about your leopard gecko’s health first. Many leopard geckos look skinny until they hit around 35 grams.
What does a fat leopard gecko look like?
Your leopard gecko is probably fat if its tail is wider than its head. Overweight leopard gecko is also likely to have a very round belly that sticks out from the sides if looking from top.
The legs will be fat and look swollen, and the backbone will not be visible. Fat leopard gecko’s head will also look distended.
Some leopard geckos grow quicker than others, but it doesn’t mean that they need more food. Same goes with giant leopard geckos – they need to eat same amounts of food, and they are just genetically predisposed to grow bigger in size.
Some leopard geckos grow to weigh 90-110 grams when mature, but anything over that can indicate obesity. Visual inspection should help you with that, and you shouldn’t rely on numbers only. Weigh your leopard gecko 1-2 times a month using kitchen scales like these, and keep records.
If you suspect that your leopard gecko is overweight, adjust its diet. But never do it suddenly and never make your leopard gecko starve – starving will cause lots of stored fat to be released in the system.
An overweight leopard gecko’s liver might not cope with so much released fat. Instead, remove any fatty feeder insects, such as waxworms, butterworms, superworms.
Even mealworms are quite fatty if your leopard gecko is overweight (containing around 14% fat compared to around 6% in crickets).
Reason for air bubbles number 2: Oversupplementation
Your leopard gecko might also develop air bubbles if you oversupplement its food, and this is the most common reason. Please remember that you need to alternate different supplements on different days and not use the same one with each feeding.
Your leopard gecko might store minerals and vitamins in the ‘bubbles’ or sacs in the armpits. Air bubbles should be the sign that you might be oversupplementing your leopard gecko.
It is also easy to oversupplement your leopard gecko’s food. Some reptile vitamin brands in the market contain too much vitamin D3, some 100x more the limit.
When choosing vitamin D3 for your leopard gecko, make sure it doesn’t contain more than 45,00–50,000 IU/kg of vitamin D3. Also make sure that the Calcium:Phosphorus ratio is 2:1, or 2.5:1.
The quantities of vitamins is also important – only use a pinch to coat each insect, and make sure it doesn’t clump up.
A good brand for pure calcium and calcium+vitamin D3 and multivitamins is Zoo Med’s ReptiCalcium. You can find multivitamins here.
Leopard gecko supplementation schedule
To supplement your hatchling to baby (0-4 months old) leopard gecko’s food, dust with calcium+vitamin D3 the first day, then next day with pure calcium, then with calcium + vitamin D3, then with multivitamin, then calcium + vitamin D3, then with pure calcium.
This is provided you feed your hatchling or baby every day. Never dust with multivitamins back to back, leave at least 2 days in between.
To supplement your juvenile (5-18 months) leopard gecko’s food, dust with calcium+vitamin D3 on the first day, then with a multivitamin on the next feeding.
Then with pure calcium without vitamin D3, then don’t dust with the next feeding, and then, dust again with calcium+vitamin D3. This is provided you feed your juvenile leopard gecko 5 times a week.
To supplement your adult leopard gecko’s food, dust with calcium+vitamin D3 on the first day, then with pure calcium on another day, and then don’t dust on the third day of feeding.
This is provided you feed your leopard gecko 2-3 days a week. Spread the feeding days. 1-2 times a month, supplement with multivitamins.
Phoenix worms don’t need dusting or gut-loading because they have a good Calcium:Phosphorus ratio. What is more, gut-loading makes them smell bad and turns them into flies quickly.
Apart from them, you must gut-load all the insects, even if you don’t plan to dust them on that day. No-gut loading makes feeder insects practically have no nutrition.
So, to conclude, supplementation should be taken seriously. Oversupplementation can lead to toxicity over time. If you have noticed bubbles in your leopard gecko’s armpit, these can be stored supplements.
Cut on supplements, especially if you were oversupplementing with the brand that has too much supplement in it. What is more, never leave a bowl with calcium in a leopard gecko’s tank – it doesn’t know how much supplement it needs! Dust the food yourself and it will help reduce any chances of toxicity.
Reason for air bubbles number 3: Other health issues
If your leopard gecko has a bubble that is very large, this can be a different issue. Especially it is suspicious when there are few bubbles that are all different sizes. A large bubble under, on the side or on top of the armpit can be:
- abnormal cell growth,
- enlargement of a lymph node or lymph stasis (congestion),
- fluid buildup,
- It can also from a bite or burn, that caused an abscess (infection) – please don’t leave any uneaten crickets and don’t use any heat rocks,
- Some female leopard geckos also get air bubbles when their follicles become mature, or during the first period of pregnancy. In this case, bubbles tend to pass and it doesn’t need any intervention.
- In some cases, impacted leopard geckos might develop air bubbles, when they have any mass or a foreign object that is obstructing the intestines.
- Make sure that the tank is not too hot (especially the warm hide), as very high temperatures can cause lymph stagnation.
- Some female leopard geckos get a swelling on the side of the body, behind the leg, around the time when they are ovulating (breeding season). There is an endolymphatic sac that takes part in calcium transport, and it can swell a little bit around that time of the year, and this is normal.
If the fat bubble doesn’t pass after you made all possible changes, then this can be one of these issues. Make possible adjustments and if the lump is too large and doesn’t pass after a month or so, then take your leopard gecko to the vet. It can be hard to tell what it is, and the vet might perform a puncture to get the sample and analyze it in the laboratory.
“I am not sure why my leopard gecko has air bubbles, I think I do everything correctly”
Sometimes it can be hard to recognize the reason for the bubbles. Make sure to check on all points and change one thing at a time to see if it helps. This will help you find out what the reasons was, to fix air bubbles if they appear again.
- Are you sure that your leopard gecko is overweight? If your leopard gecko isn’t fat, then it shouldn’t be the stored fat in a bubble.
- Do you oversupplement your leopard gecko’s food? How often do you dust the food?
- Are you sure that the supplements are Ca:P balanced and don’t have too much of vitamin D3 in them?
- Do you leave bowl of calcium in the tank at all times? There is no need for that.
- How much supplement do you use to dust feeder insects? Does it clump up? You only need to use a pinch for each insect to lightly coat them.
- Are there any other symptoms that your leopard gecko is having? Bubbles could be caused by something else.
- What are temperatures in the tank?
- Is your leopard gecko pooping normally?
- What season is it and is there any chance that your female leopard gecko is gravid (pregnant)?
Please remember, that if your leopard gecko is not or doesn’t look overweight, don’t put it on a diet. Generally, air bubbles might appear when your leopard gecko is too fat, which needs gradual intervention.
If it is not overweight, review the supplementation techniques and frequency. But overall, air bubbles are not a sign of a disease and are usually there because of stored nutrients & vitamins.
Never poke or try to remove air bubbles in your leopard gecko’s armpits. Review the diet, temperatures, supplementation etc. before making any conclusions.
Always give it time and try to review the diet and the setup before making any decisions. Take your leopard gecko to the vet if possible.You can read more on leopard gecko supplements and supplementing frequencies in this post.