nouserpif
05-12-03, 07:34 PM
HELP! QUICK! My fantastic leaftailed gecko (uroplatus phantasticus) is in shed right now, but he is having problems.
The loose skin has stayed on him for the last couple of days, and he hasn't been to active. Today, I found him, looking like normal, and in his "daytime position", only his mouth looked like it was full of dirt. I got him out of the cage, and he barely moved his limbs (when, usually if disturbed in the day, gets right up and walks around for a minute).
I misted him lightly, and he didn't seem to react at all (he usually does). He had little twisted "ropes" of shed wound around his arms and chest, and back legs. I put him on a paper towel, and opend his mouth lightly with tweezers. There was dirt (well, coconut fiber) around the entrance of his mouth, but the throat was almost clean (one tiny piece by the back of his mouth, but it probably fell there when I opend the mouth) and when I rolled him onto his side, he did not move or anything... I realized it probably could have been three things:
1. The temperature was hot for the last couple days, and reached 76F in my room (they need high 60s to low 70s), and I was going to do something about that this afternoon, but when I went to put a cold bottle in there, I found him.
2. the humidity went a little low, and was 60% when I got home, and it needs to be like 75%-85% or about there
3. He shares a divided tank with two mourning geckos, and when I fed them yesterday, one snuck into his half of the cage, and I removed it this morning, and maybe they got in a little fight or something last night, or got it sick (but this isn't the first time the damn mourning gecko got into the leaftaileds half).
I will stay up late and observe him tonight, seeing if anything happens at dark. Any help would be great...
Dan Conner
The loose skin has stayed on him for the last couple of days, and he hasn't been to active. Today, I found him, looking like normal, and in his "daytime position", only his mouth looked like it was full of dirt. I got him out of the cage, and he barely moved his limbs (when, usually if disturbed in the day, gets right up and walks around for a minute).
I misted him lightly, and he didn't seem to react at all (he usually does). He had little twisted "ropes" of shed wound around his arms and chest, and back legs. I put him on a paper towel, and opend his mouth lightly with tweezers. There was dirt (well, coconut fiber) around the entrance of his mouth, but the throat was almost clean (one tiny piece by the back of his mouth, but it probably fell there when I opend the mouth) and when I rolled him onto his side, he did not move or anything... I realized it probably could have been three things:
1. The temperature was hot for the last couple days, and reached 76F in my room (they need high 60s to low 70s), and I was going to do something about that this afternoon, but when I went to put a cold bottle in there, I found him.
2. the humidity went a little low, and was 60% when I got home, and it needs to be like 75%-85% or about there
3. He shares a divided tank with two mourning geckos, and when I fed them yesterday, one snuck into his half of the cage, and I removed it this morning, and maybe they got in a little fight or something last night, or got it sick (but this isn't the first time the damn mourning gecko got into the leaftaileds half).
I will stay up late and observe him tonight, seeing if anything happens at dark. Any help would be great...
Dan Conner