A new forum for Uroplatus keepers

Discussion in 'Leaf-Tailed Geckos' started by justkev, Jun 1, 2011.

  1. justkev

    justkev Hi :) Staff Member

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    As unique as this gecko is, we have decided to dedicate a forum to it. So if you keep Uroplatus geckos or just enjoy looking at their pictures. This is the place.
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. SuspensefulSteve

    SuspensefulSteve New Member

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    Can't wait to see who else keeps these great geckos. It's really amazing how we are still continuously learning about the genus Uroplatus.
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. Evictoria

    Evictoria Embryo

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    Hi everyone. im brand new to this site and others and im so glad that we have a place like this to bounce ideas around. So im new to this breed, and about a month ago i obtained a proven breeding CB pair, who hadnt done much for their previous owner. I had some other ideas that he hadnt tried so i figured id give it a shot. well the female is nice & big, fat with nice big calcium sacs. but 3 days ago, she dropped her tail! i was so upset. there was one rock sticking out from the false background that i thought she could have hit, so i put moss on top to cushon it, although her tail was found under a branch. anyway, since that she has had a lot of trouble climbing, seems very weak, and seems to prefer being on the ground. i put a small heat pad on the side of the enclosure so theres a gradient, and her body temp is around 74. is there anything else i can do? could this have been from him trying to breed with her?
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    Welcome to the forums Evictoria = )

    Firstly, may I ask what species of Uroplatus you have?

    Their body temperature isn't always reflective of the temperature on the heat source; just ensure the the temperature above the heating pad you are using is in the ideal range for the warm end and the cool end is in the ideal range as well (we can discuss what these specifically must be dependent on the species). Take the surface temperature above the warm end, and if the temps are good there, no worries! Keep in mind the majority of their body is going to be exposed to the ambient air temperature around them, which will yield a cooler resultant overall body temp.

    Keep the area where the tail dropped off clean and apply a mild antiseptic like neosporin to the wound (just a small amount). Its fairly commonly to find W/C individuals from this genus having regenerated tails, its fairly common for those in nature to drop them due to stresses of breeding, predation, etc.

    The dropped tail could very well have been a result of an overly agressive male trying to breed her, or from some other stress factors since she did just recently move into a completely new environment.

    Can you give us a more throrough rundown of your setup and husbandry? Is she eating alright? What kind of supplementation are you using and how frequently?
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. Evictoria

    Evictoria Embryo

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    okay. So I feed them roaches every other day. Dust with multivitamins twice a week. The tank is a 40 gal tall with mopani branches. False bottom with coco fiber & spagnum moss. Springtails. Full screen face with saran wrap over 80% of it. I mist twice a day. She hasn't been drinking very much past 2 days. Just noticed her calcium sacs are strange. One is hard and the other super soft & droopy. I picked her up & she kept opening her mouth. Very lethagic. Ugh.
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. Evictoria

    Evictoria Embryo

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    I dust with calcium & multivitamins. Sry. Papa seems to be doing normally.
     
  12. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    I would definitely say that it could have happened during the breeding... is it possible to remove her to her own tank until she is fully healed?
     
  13. Evictoria

    Evictoria Embryo

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    i dont have one set up with a lid, but i could work on it now. they're sikoraes, btw.
     
  14. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    Hm... do you have a UV light on them at all?
    I haven't heard of calcium sacks being overly hard or overly soft for that matter, they're always a little malleable..... that's a little odd? And one is dropping? As in it's sliding closer to her throat than the other? She let you stick your finger in her mouth or are you feeling them from the outside? I wonder if one is getting softer because it's now being used because she doesn't have her tail.

    I know you said she really hasn't been drinking much, but have you seen her eat at all?
     
  15. Evictoria

    Evictoria Embryo

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    yes, theres a 5%uvb light on everyone. she died a few hrs ago. thankyou, everyone, for trying to help. im not exactly sure what happened. its just 3 days after she dropped her tail so she deteriorated quickly. her calcium sacs were very obviously strange looking from the outside. one very hard and the other soft and droopy.. it flowed around when i turned her. very strange. papa seems okay so ill update on him in a few days. im saving her for a necropsy when i can afford it. id like to figure out what the heck happened.
     
  16. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    I'm so sorry for your loss, Evictoria. My deepest condolences... it's never easy losing a pet. You tried your best to save her and I'm sure the last few weeks of her life were great under such a caring owner.

    Keep us updated on the results of her necropsy - and keep a close eye on that male. It sounds like some kind of disease to have caused her to deteriorate at such a rapid rate, thats just unusual.
     
  17. Evictoria

    Evictoria Embryo

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    thankyou so much for your kind words. i feel that i have a responsibility to this species, and want to do everything i can to propagate the captive bred population. i have a great zoo vet who will help me figure out what happened, and ill share all the details that i can to help us learn a bit more about our beloved leaftails.
     
  18. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry :(

    I'd bring in a fecal of your male to to vet run tests on asap so hopefully if he has the same disease you can catch it before he becomes as ill (hopefully not! But just to be safe...) Good luck and keep us posted. Again, sorry for your loss :(

    If you have a local herp vet they usually don't just run fecals without seeing the animal but sometimes if you plead your case to them they may just run the fecal for you, which I know around me, the basic fecal runs between $30 to $50... good luck! Hope he is ok!
     

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