Tail concerns with adolescent male...

[dirtyKDX]

Okay, my cresty is going on a little over 7 months old now, bulges are starting to form so I'm pretty sure now that its a male. On to the concern, lately he's been climbing and staying on the side on his enclosure and is commonly in a downward angle, nothing unusual yet, except that he's letting his tail hang loosely...he's never done this until the past couple weeks.

Could this be a nutritional issue? More calcium/vitamins? I keep a babyfood bowl (mango or apple/chicken) in there which he eats readily and I do powdered crickets 2-3 times a week.

Could it be an environment issue? I have quite a bit of branches and a cork tube and a pothos for him to climb on. But like I said he stays to the glass side most of the time.

Lastly, could it be a "growing pains" issue with the "balls dropping"?

I've been concerned about this lately, so any advice would be great. Thanks.

[StickyToes]

Sounds like the beginnings of floppy tail syndrome to me. Generally this isn't a nutritional issue, more of a environmental problem. It sounds to me like you have a lot going on in the cage for him to choose from, so it could also be a preference. From what I have read this is typically caused by a lack of climbing and hide spots in the cage, but that is also sometimes caused by a preference to hang out on the glass in a head down position quite natural for many species of gecko). The majority of wild caught adults are found to be tailess, so this isn't as much of an issue in the wild as it is in captivity.
Outside of rearranging the surfaces so that the cork hollows are more vertical or trying different surfaces there probably isn't too much else you can do.
On the upside FTP isn't either genetic or contagious, and won't really cause any serious health issues unless it is associated with a calcium deficiency.
Hope that helps a little!

[labomb]

mine often sleep on the glass with their tales flopped. a year ago I use to be real concerned about it. but there hasn't ever been a problem so i don't sweat it anymore.