Respiratory Infection Playbook

Respiratory infections in geckos are almost always bacterial, almost always caused by chronically suboptimal husbandry, and almost always treatable when caught early. They are also one of the few gecko crises where the right move is unambiguous. RI signs go to the vet today, not tomorrow. There is no 7-day monitor for an RI.

The Respiratory Infection Playbook is the document the keeper reads when mouth gaping, audible breathing, or mucus first appears. It names the symptom, walks the keeper through the immediate husbandry adjustments to make while waiting for the appointment, and sets the expectation that antibiotics are the treatment and husbandry correction is the prevention.

What the document does:

It splits RI signs into early (sustained gaping, audible breathing, mucus strands, wet nostrils) and late (pronounced gaping with neck extended, foam, lethargy beyond reduced activity). It names what RI is not (post-shed yawn, defensive gape). It identifies the five husbandry root causes (cold temps, high humidity for leos, dusty substrate, new-animal contagion, stress). It directs the immediate action and what the vet will likely do.

What is included:

• Early signs section with seven warning signals
• Late signs section with five urgent indicators
• Not-the-same-as section distinguishing post-shed yawning, defensive gaping, and normal breathing
• Five husbandry root causes ranked by frequency
• Immediate action checklist covering vet call, temperature raise, humidity drop (leos), substrate to paper towel, stress reduction, isolation from the collection
• What not to do (no OTC antibiotics, no aggressive mouth swabbing, no "hotter is better")
• What the vet will likely do (ceftazidime every 72 hours over 2 to 4 weeks)
• Recovery and post-treatment tracking
• Recurrence as a husbandry problem framing
• Prevention list

Format and how it works:

Word version (.docx) for editing and a PDF version for printing. The playbook is written to be read immediately when RI signs appear, with the husbandry adjustments running in parallel with the vet appointment booking.

Why this version is different:

Most reptile RI references frame the condition without naming the actual treatment expected at the vet (antibiotic course, typically ceftazidime) or the husbandry root causes that drive recurrence. This playbook names both, which gives the keeper enough context to fix the conditions during treatment instead of relapsing within months.

Who this is for:

For gecko keepers facing active respiratory symptoms and for breeders who want every buyer to recognize RI signs before late presentation. Pairs with the Symptom Triage Flowchart (which routes mouth gaping to vet-now), the Daily Husbandry Log (which exposes the chronic conditions that drive RI), and the Quarantine Setup Sheet.

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