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herpfeeder
05-02-03, 09:18 AM
Hi.. I have a small problem with my Uroplatus Henkeli (leaf tail gecko), I maybe freaking out for no reason, but better safe than sorry, so any comment or suggestions are welcome.

Here are the facts.
I brough my gecko to an exposition 3 weeks ago, it was only a show tank contest, so he wasn't handeled by anyone. But for this contest I had him in a show tank different from is usual tank at home. Since then he's been acting really strange. He's become very dark in color, before he was "beige", nos he's dark brown, with black specks ans there are alson white lines appeiring on is tail and body. But they are not wounds, it's really in the skin pigmentation.

He move alot less than before, even when I handle him.
I often see him laying on the bottom of is cage, before he was allways on is diagonal bamboo or upside down on a glass side of the cage.

I thought that moving him to the show caused him stress or maybe he was stresses by a mirror part that was a bit visible in is show tank, First time for him that he saw another gecko.

This show lasted 2 days, I thought that once back home in is usual cage things would come back to normal, but no.

Ten day ago I placed him in a "quarantine" tank with papertowel floor to see if he ate well and to see is poop.

He doesn't eat is criquets anymore and haven't seen any hard poop since, only spots resembling pigeon poop with no solids.

Is humidity is good, allways beetween 50 and 75%, he's misted 2 times daily and part of the top is covered with plastic, I use a 5.0 UVB and no source of heating, my home is at a steady 22 degres Celcius..

Yesterday we started giving him mashed apricot mixed with vitamins and calcium from a seringe since we think he might need some calcium because most criquets lose part of the dusted calcium after walking an hour in his tank.

He's a 1 year old male, can this change be normal mating behavior even if he doesn't have any female around ?

Please tell me what you think.

Wyzza

The_Omen
05-02-03, 09:53 AM
Well, considering the uroplatus henkeli is able to change its colors to blend with the surroundings, then I think it is showing stress of a type, by staying dark.
Chances are, the trip to the show, the show itself and being in a show cage added to the stress.
Another thing that would be wise to consider, is the show cage itself. There is no way to be absolutely certain it was free from any baddies, such as bacteria, virus, parasites, other sick animals etc, unless YOU cleaned and set up the tank your self.
And no telling how many species had recently been in the set up, (interspecies cross contamination) so I would strongly urge a vet trip to rule out any of the above, especially with the changed poop status.

Have you tried any other feeder bugs for it to see if it may be in an 'I hate crickets' stage?

herpfeeder
05-02-03, 10:56 AM
I tried silk worms... with no success.. I will try with other types of prey, we never know.

As for the tank, it was a glass tank I built myself and cleaned, so I can rule out the bacteria issue and all material were inspected, but since you bring it up, I'll take that tank out and take a close look at it, maybe I missed something.

thanks.