Uroplatus tail problem

hesh · #1 06-20-2011, 07:36 PM

Hello,

I woke up today to see one of my Uroplatus Fimbriatus' tail is really light colored while the body is still dark. Is this an incomplete tail drop? If it is, I'll take it to a vet. Does the tail affect the health or survival of the guy?

luevelvet · #2 06-20-2011, 10:15 PM

Can you provide a picture of the entire animal? At first glance it looks like stuck skin that hasn't shed from the tail, but either way it shouldn't be that "round". Make sure your humidity and hydration is up to par.

Cheers!

Luis

pakinjak · #3 06-21-2011, 02:27 PM

I don't think it looks very much like stuck shed, it's not milky enough. The bluish color is too bright. That being said, I don't have a better idea really. It looks like you took the tail from a completely different animal.

I too would like to see the entire animal, and I'd like to know if it's entire body is ever the color the tail is now?

Whatever it is, it doesn't look like a good thing. And Luis is certainly right about the tail, it should be flatter than it is.

hesh · #4 06-21-2011, 07:39 PM

Thanks for the replies. I picked him up last night to take a closer look and the tail just fell off, it had a bite mark on it, he is housed with another one. They are in a 3'x2'x5' tank. I've heard these guys will often die if they loose their tail. Is that true? I'm going to be closely monitoring his food intake.

LedgysLizards · #5 06-21-2011, 07:42 PM

i've never really seen anything like this, but good luck with it

pakinjak · #6 06-21-2011, 08:12 PM

I don't think it's as much that they will die AS A RESULT of tail drop, but that tail drop is usually a sign of a bigger problem that often leads to the death of the animal.

Good luck with him, keep us posted.

jadrig · #7 06-22-2011, 12:51 AM

It was probably bitten by the other animal in the enclosure. If the gecko that dropped the tail is eating...it will be perfectly fine. You should probably separate the two geckos because of the aggression. Are they of the same sex or opposite sex? Just about all of the fimbriatus and henkeli that come in as imports have regenerated tails. It is a natural occurrence in the wild...whether it be from courting or predators...it is quite common with these species. It is a survival technique for these larger Uroplatus. When you disturb a vertically resting fim/henk, the thrust their tail forward, as if it was their head. Birds, snakes, lizards, and primates always attack the head first.
Also, overly aggressive males seem to attack the tails of smaller males/females and non receptive females. As long as the animal is eating, It will be fine.
No Uroplatus die as a result of losing their tails...some of the species seem to drop their tail (like old bombers used to drop their used fuel tanks on long journeys) right before they die, coincidentally. If the animal is eating, it will be fine.