Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i just got this gril today and did not notice this until i got home. i got her with another female & a male. the others are fine. will this go away with calcium supplementation or will she be like this for her life?

also, what should i do about breeding her? WILL she breed after calcium supp.?

thank you for your help....

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DUANE (aka HERP WHORE)

I am by no means an expert, but you should research floppy tail syndrome. Cresteds are susceptible to floppy tail syndrome and it usually leads to a pelvis deformation. A good indicator of floppy tail syndrome can be identified when your crested is on a vertical wall facing the ground. If the tail flops over, then its probably floppy tail syndrome. I recommend that you research this further using the internet. You may be able to find a more concrete answer to your problem.

Regards.

none
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DUANE (aka HERP WHORE)

First off, I'm not an expert, as I've only had my cresteds about a month. But the new Rhacodactylus book has a section on floppy-tail, and I agree that it looks like this is what you're dealing with.

I quote from the book: "This syndrome once it has occurred is not treatable. On the other hand, floppy-tail will usually not affect the gecko's health or its ability to reproduce. To prevent floppy-tail, provide adequate amounts of calcium and D3 and landscape your enclosre with bark and plants to reduce the probability of your geckos spending extended amounts of time on vivarium walls."

When the gecko spends all it's time hanging on the walls, gravity on the tail puts a lot of pressure on the pelvic structure, which can initiate this problem. The book notes that this also occurs in the wild, so it may not necessarily be due to an error on your part. Just something to consider. I'd highly recommend spending the money on the book - Rhacodactylus - The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care, by de Vosjoli, Fast, and Repashy. I got mine at giantgeckos.com. Good luck.

Jay
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1.0 Ball Python
0.0.1 Corn Snake
1.0 Leopard Gecko
1.1 Crested Geckos
1.0 Red Eyed Tree Frog
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"The more people I meet, the more I like animals."

n/p
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DUANE (aka HERP WHORE)

be carefull with D3 cuz too much of it is poison for cresties.