I have a Crested Gecko, approximately 6 months old, who is starting to display what looks like Floppy Tail Syndrome. When he is in a head-downward position, his tail will hang off to the side or sometimes forward over his back. I looked up the disease in my gecko book and online, and it said that 2 possible causes were insufficient calcium and lack of climbing structures.
He is housed in a 24" by 24" by 12" all-screen cage, with bark mulch substrate and cork sections and artificial vines as cage furniture. I feed Sandfire CGD mixed with a little fruit baby food nightly, and Miner-all (with D3) dusted small crickets every other day. I have no special lighting on the cage; he receives only ambient room light or indirect sunlight. Temperatures and humidity are within normal Crested Gecko range.
The symptoms started about a week to 9 days ago. The first few days, the symptoms were very weak; his tail didn't hang much at all. The "droop" seems to be getting progressively worse, though. I'm hoping that even if I can't reverse the problem, I can at least halt it. I don't think calcium could be a problem, as CGD is supposed to be a complete food, plus I see him hunt and eat the crickets while they're still dusted. What can I do to help my gecko? Is it possible to reverse the damage already caused?
I wrote the above portion about 5 days ago, and since then I added a very bushy artificial vine for "him" to climb and I've been mixing calcium in with his food every night. No change yet from observation, but I'll take him out tonight for a very close look.
Also, can anyone tell me about how much he's supposed to weigh? My book doesn't cover growth rates, but I finally bought a scale for my reptiles. Also, when should I start being able to tell "his" gender?
Thank you!!!
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