Hmmm... ok.... I dont get it.

[Jeanne]

I recently noticed that Spidey has a problem, I believe it to be MBD, but cant figure out how or why. Spidey, came to me with Fiona.. both of them have been my problem cresties from the get go practically, very challenging but I am learning. When I first got those 2, I looked Spidey over and "thought" I might see a small kink farther on down toward his bottom along his spine after his hind legs (over/above his cresticles), but b/c I was not very experienced to begin with, I let it go not thinking about it anymore and hoping I was wrong due to inexperience...from that time on, I have fed them well, given suppliments, etc. I am actually quite anal about thier care and dont let ANYONE in this house but me work with them unless I am right there to supervise, even my beloved hubby. Fiona and Spidey are finally growing well and putting on weight, which is awesome, Fiona is normal and does not have the same kinky look Spidey has developed, she is in perfect condition, however, as you can see from the pics, Spidey has a problem. Any ideas on why or how this had happened despite my good efforts or something anyone experienced with cresties can give me advice wise, I am not sure why he has this issue, and I feel like a bad crestie mommy b/c even though I have done what I think is an excellent job caring for them and he is the only one with this. Currently, all my cresties get a mix of Clarks Crested and Clarks Gargoyle along with the T-rex Crestie and Gargoyle diets (all mixed together, seeing as though none of them will eat the t-rex stuff alone and like the sweetness the Clarks adds to thier food), plus they get Rep-Cal w/ d3 2 times a week and the herptivite vitamins that go with it 2 times a week. For the life of me, I cannot figure out how Spidey has this issue. Muchless since it seemed to have started before I got them why I could not prevent it from getting worse...maybe it did not get worse, maybe it became more visable as he has grown? The person I got them from only fed Clarks Crested Diet with no vitamins or anything. They are also currently getting mealies and silkies a couple of times a week.

Please dont mind the ink smudge by his butt, I was using one of my daughters old folders she used during the school year to put him on a back ground hoping to make what I am trying to show more visable.






Can this effect his ability to breed, could this be the reason he does not and has not produced even when he was with Fiona (yes, I actually witnessed them doing the deed a few times)? Should I not even allow him to breed and just retire him to the "perfect pet" status and replace him?

Sorry this is a long post and some of my questions seem dumb, but I have to know.

[mlededee]

when did he loose his tail? it looks like he had floppy tail syndrome before he lost it. a dent at the base of the spine like that is one of the characteristics of FTS and remains even after the tail is lost. also notice how the base of his spine is slightly twisted to one side--also a side effect of FTS. there is nothing that you can do about it at this point except keep him on a healthy diet--the vertebrae there are already damaged which is irreversible.

it shouldn't affect his ability to breed at all. most likely the reason that fiona did not become gravid is because she was far too small and not physically able to produce eggs (for which you should be quite thankful).

[Jeanne]

when did he loose his tail? it looks like he had floppy tail syndrome before he lost it. a dent at the base of the spine like that is one of the characteristics of FTS and remains even after the tail is lost. also notice how the bast of his spine is slightly twisted to one side--also a side effect of FTS. there is nothing that you can do about it at this point except keep him on a healthy diet--the vertebrae there are already damaged which is irreversible.

it shouldn't affect his ability to breed at all. most likely the reason that fiona did not become gravid is because she was far too small and not physically able to produce eggs (for which you should be quite thankful).

He lost his tail before I got him, I cant tell you exactly when or how long it truelly had been from the time he lost it and I purchased them both.

Emily, what causes FTS? How do you prevent it?

I am glad that I now know whats up with him, he always had the indent at the base of his spine, even when I got him.

[mlededee]

FTS is actually quite common and usually doesn't affect the gecko negatively unless the base of the spine becomes severely twisted. it is usually caused by either a calcium deficiency or by the gecko continually resting in a head downward or upside down position or a combination of both. sometimes it is unavoidable when the gecko insists on hanging this way--the tail is fairly heavy and eventually the vertebrae at the base of the spine just become too weak to support it. it can be prevented by making sure your gecko gets a good diet with enough calcium and by providing plenty of climbing and perching areas in its enclosure. however, sometimes no matter what you do your gecko will hang upside down, making FTS somewhat unavoidable.

[Jeanne]

FTS is actually quite common and usually doesn't affect the gecko negatively unless the base of the spine becomes severely twisted. it is usually caused by either a calcium deficiency or by the gecko continually resting in a head downward or upside down position or a combination of both. sometimes it is unavoidable when the gecko insists on hanging this way--the tail is fairly heavy and eventually the vertebrae at the base of the spine just become too weak to support it. it can be prevented by making sure your gecko gets a good diet with enough calcium and by providing plenty of climbing and perching areas in its enclosure. however, sometimes no matter what you do your gecko will hang upside down, making FTS somewhat unavoidable.

Thanks Emily! Well, at least I have an understanding about this that I did not have prior to asking. Nearest I can guess, maybe his FTS started from lack of calcium (guessing due to what they were prev. eating).. maybe he hung up side down alot..who knows, the girl I bought them from really did not give me as much info as I would have liked, I dont know that she really paid much attention to them either, seeing as though they were in her 6 year olds room on his night stand. So she may not have been able to give me the info that I had asked about as far as thier habits. I know that when I got them, they did not have enough climbing stuff at diff. angles and whatnot, only had a small plastic box to hide in and a cheesy small vine that was really not sufficient. I know they have plenty now, just too bad this happened to Spidey. Poor guy!