Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Welcome to kingsnake.com's message board system. Here you may share and discuss information with others about your favorite reptile and amphibian related topics such as care and feeding, caging requirements, permits and licenses, and more. Launched in 1997, the kingsnake.com message board system is one of the oldest and largest systems on the internet.

Click for 65% off Shipping with Reptiles 2 You
Click for ZooMed
Click here for Dragon Serpents

Floppy Tail Syndrome

rosey-b Jan 17, 2006 10:45 PM

I recently picked up a copy of Rhacodactylus: A Complete Guide to their Selection and Care. Fantastic book! In the "Disease" section, they mention floppy tail syndrome. While neither of my crested geckos suffer from it, one of them does have an indent in her pelvis. The authors mentioned that this is common in crested geckos, but also that it is a precursor of the disease. I've aready decided to rework their tank so that it includes more horizontal branches, but should I be worried? Does anyone have any experience with this disease? Am I just being paranoid?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Replies (2)

newticus Jan 21, 2006 10:33 PM

One of my geckos had it, and only doesn't have it now, because she died. She did not die of floppy tail but an overly aggressive mate. From watching her, her tail didn't seem to hinder or hurt her at all, it just looked funny. She had it when i got her as an adult. From what i've been told is that it may be caused by a number of things, like calcium deficiency, not enough space, not enough covering, like plants and stuff. It has also been suggested it might be genetic. Many discount genetics as a possibility, but as far as i know it is still a possible. I found Sabia (my crested) had only basic use of her tail for gripping. At first glance you wouldn't necessarily notice anything wrong with her. But a second glance would see hips that almost looked shifted over and tilted on a slight angle to the body. I'm not sure this helps at all in decerning whether or not your gecko has floppy tail, but it is my experience with it.
-----
- Melanie

2.1.0 cats
2.4.5 crested geckos
0.0.2 giant day geckos
0.0.1 whites tree frog
5.0.0 dwarf hamsters
1.0.0 Bernese mountain dog
1.1.0 red ear sliders
1.1.0 emperor scorpion
0.0.1 chilean rose tarantula
1 planted tank

rosey-b Jan 22, 2006 05:46 PM

Thanks for your reponse Melanie. My crested is only exibiting an indentation in her pelvis. I've heard that this often happens before floppy tail syndrome, but also that some cresteds that have the indentation never develop floppy tail. I'm going to add some more horizontal branches and plants to be safe. Thanks again!

Site Tools