7-Day Monitor Protocol

Most gecko symptoms are not emergencies. They are mild signals worth watching. The hard part is watching them in a structured way instead of forgetting about them after day 2 and rediscovering them at week 3 when the trend is already bad. The 7-Day Monitor Protocol is what the keeper opens when the Symptom Triage Flowchart routes a symptom to MONITOR.

It is a structured wait, not a passive one. The keeper checks six things every day at the same time. Temperature. Humidity. Weight. Eating. Defecation. Behavior. After seven days, the protocol routes to one of three outcomes. Improved. Same. Worse. Each outcome has a clear next action.

What the document does:

It frames the daily 5-minute check, provides a 7-day tracking grid for filling row by row, and sets clear escalation criteria so the keeper knows when MONITOR becomes VET NOW. The day-7 decision converges to three outcomes with explicit next steps for each.

What is included:

• Six-item daily check covering temperatures, humidity, weight, eating, defecation, and behavior, with species-specific target ranges
• 7-row tracking grid for filling daily during the monitor window
• Four explicit escalation triggers (weight loss over 10 percent, new symptom, worsening symptom, behavior collapse) that flip MONITOR to VET NOW
• Day-7 decision tree with three branch outcomes (improved, same, worse) and the next action for each
• Phone-consult vet recommendation for ambiguous day-7 outcomes

Format and how it works:

Word version (.docx) for editing and a PDF version for printing. The print version is what most keepers use. They fill one row per day at the same evening slot. The 7-day grid is sized for a single page so the entire window is visible at once.

Why this version is different:

Most "watch and wait" advice for reptile symptoms has no structure and no end date. The 7-day frame and the three-outcome decision tree convert vague monitoring into a real protocol with a clear escalation point. Anything that worsens during the window flips to VET NOW. Anything that does not improve by day 7 forces a vet phone consult.

Who this is for:

For gecko keepers managing a non-emergency symptom (anorexia in an otherwise healthy animal, mild stuck shed, occasional skipped defecation) who want a real protocol instead of vague vigilance. Pairs with the Symptom Triage Flowchart (which routes here) and the Daily Husbandry Log (the long-term version of the same tracking discipline).

Get the protocol on its own, or open the bundle for the full kit at volume pricing.