Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a Marble Gecko, and lately for the past week or so when he goes to jump onto the glass wall of the tank he doesn't stick to it like he used to. He just slides down the wall. He also freaks out and frantically jumps from place to place when I mist his tank. I was just wondering if anybody had any insight on any of this or not. It would be greatly appreciated.

I had this same problem with my tokay gecko. Turns out that he was simply shedding. They tend to stay near the ground and hide. They stop sticking long before the shedding becomes apparent (1-2 weeks before) and eat their shed when theyre done so you wont notice why he will suddenly stick. This is just my experience though but from I gather this is often the case. Raise the humidity a bit so it helps him shed.

I've never had that prob on my Tokays even when shedding. I do notice my hatchlings have a little more trouble especially after misting. I also notice when I remove the babies and put them back they have a little more trouble, could br strss. How old are yours and do you remove them often or at all, great care must be used to not pull them off a surface or it will damage their pads.
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My posts and replies are my experiences only
1.2.5 Tokays
1.4.0 Leos(3 albino)
0.0.2 AFT's

The reason for a tokay having trouble sticking when you put them back is the oils on your hands. Because a tokay's pads work on a molecular level the oils clog them up somewhat. Their pads are also self cleaning so you will notice after several steps they will clean off. Infact, if you put some dirt or bark dust or something on them and put him onto some glass, you will notice them getting cleaned as he moves. Last time I checked, nobody knows how they do this, but they do. Either way I think time is the best cure for this problem.

Incomplete shedding, Bacterial infection of the lamellae (toe pads), or tank walls due to be cleaned can all lead to "unsticky geckos".

Thanks for your help, if it is a bacterial infection how do I go about clearing that up?

I find that if the situation usually corrects itself after one or two thorough cage cleanings (2-4 weeks). Avoid constantly moist substrate or cage walls for the same period. Make sure any climbing material, branches, perches, etc. get cleaned and lightly bleached as well.

If it is a localized infection, you can normally see some indication when the gecko is on a transparent surface. Look for any inflammation or irregularities in the ridges of the toe pads. I've run across this a couple of times in different species, and its always been my own fault for putting off cage cleaning. The animals have always made complete recoveries.

Hopefully helpful