Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have two baby cresteds, and I'm worried about one of them. He has lost his sticky. It started about a month ago. At first i thought it was left over shed, but hes in shed again now, and in all this time has had this problem. He doesn't climb anymore, and lays at the bottom of the tank barely moving. Theres plenty of humidity, and a humidity box that he hangs out in. I also barely see him eating, and hes tail is all curvy. I've been feeding baby food with cgd, and crickets. But he wont go after the crickets at all anymore. I thought he might have a calcium deficiency, so I started supplementing him with a little liquid calcium a while ago, but he hasn't perked up at all. He's the less dominant of the two, so I seperated them. I'm really worried. Anyone have any ideas?

Also, he's been shedding regularly, but hasn't gained any weight in about two months. He's a may hatchling, and weighs 7 grams. Hes a bit skinny, but not overly skinny. The former cage mates (and sibling) weight is the same, and he also hasn't gained in a while, but I regularily see him eat, and he's not nearly as lethargic.
-----
Corn Snakes: Eden, Mars, Sierra, Lavendar, The Tweedle Twins
Crested Geckos: Parker, Emily Dickinson, Bonnie, Benz, Jude, Cali
Leopard Geckos: Paris, Helen, Annabelle, Artemis, Vesta
Jambea Dwarf Retic: Montague

the few instances where i've acquired animals with kinky, almost shriveled looking tails was due to dehydration i believe. as i recall they also did not feel very sticky. what i did for the first couple of days was placed the animal in a small deli cup ( like the ones people sell the animals in at shows) with a moist paper towel and then spray a little bit more once you place the gecko in there. leave it in there for an hour or two and do that for a couple of days. also, i would leave a water dish in the cage for atleast the next month and clean it every day so it can get as much water as it needs/wants.
after about a month of having the geckos that i felt were healthy other than the dehydration, even the tails have straightened out and the geckos have started utilizing them more.
good luck with it and definitely keep it separated until it starts doing better.

If nothing works and he's not getting any better, I would consult a veterinarian, not just any verterinarian, make sure you go to one that you are sure specializes in reptiles. Some vets don't know anything about reptiles. Be sure to consult the right veterinarian. Hope your crested gets better, best of luck.

Your gecko needs calcium and vitamins. You need to hand
feed it every dayhowever,it may be too late to have
it recover. It has not been eating as the other ones
probably have stressed it out.
You need to get a copy of new Crested Gecko in Captivity
book which gives you complete information on how to raise
healthy geckos.

Gook Luck,

i agree...ive always heard that kinked tails develop in young animals with some deficiency in their diet, often calcium.
-----
-Mike Martin
North Carolina

This guy DOES NOT have a calcium deficiency OR a vitamin deficiency. I explained that in the post. He has gotten supplements for a couple of weeks, it has not changed his condition.
-----
Corn Snakes: Eden, Mars, Sierra, Lavendar, The Tweedle Twins
Crested Geckos: Parker, Emily Dickinson, Bonnie, Benz, Jude, Cali
Leopard Geckos: Paris, Helen, Annabelle, Artemis, Vesta
Jambea Dwarf Retic: Montague

as i suggested, make sure you SEE the gecko drinking when offered water or the cage is being sprayed. the two juveniles i acquired were healthy, but had kinky tails. as i said before, they straightened out and regained use of them after about a month of being properly rehydrated.

Thanks. I have been seeing him drink, and although he still isn't sticky, he's starting to eat more now (with a little hand-feeding) and all in all is doing much better. Maybe it was just the present of a dominant sibling that was slowing him down.
-----
Corn Snakes: Eden, Mars, Sierra, Lavendar, The Tweedle Twins
Crested Geckos: Parker, Emily Dickinson, Bonnie, Benz, Jude, Cali
Leopard Geckos: Paris, Helen, Annabelle, Artemis, Vesta
Jambea Dwarf Retic: Montague