[d-prime]

Hello everyone,

Recently I saved a pair of sikorae from a chain pet store and the male is having difficulty climbing glass. He keeps trying and falls everytime. I feel terrible. They are both housed together in a quarantine setup and have been eating normally and showing no signs of aggression. It just bothers me to see the female doing acrobatics and the male struggling to do what geckos do.

Does anyone know what this could be and if there is something that could be done? I know from experience that this could happen before a shed, but from the looks of it he is not shedding anytime soon :s

Thanks in advance

[BonnieLorraine]

Does the male get tiny spasms in his feet when he moves? If so, he could have metabolic bone disease. I've seen a few sikorae from various importers this year that had it, and they seemed to have a lot more difficulty moving around due to the small tremors.

[Jameson]

well, this may be dumb and I have no idea of your experience so please dont take offense...

if he seems otherwise healthy and you have watched him closely for hours and havent noticed the tremors or twitching etc, it may just be a shed issue. I have seen this with many other species who shed fine except tiny areas like the toes, this causes them to be unable to climb as they should.

again, this may be a neurological issue or something on that scale but I would check feet for unshed skin first.

[d-prime]

I've tried soaking his feet in warm water for 10 minutes and have given an electrolyte solution. There is no excess skin on the toe pads.

He is still not able to climb glass and is becoming more and more lethargic. As for the tremors, all i have noticed is that his movements are not as fluid as the females.

I will be contacting the pet shop tomorrow morning.

[Jameson]

have you had a chance to contact the pet store? I would suggest calling a vet but...

[klondike4001]

I wouldn't recommend calling the store, it seems they were no help I the beginning. Find a vet in your area if you are so inclined to do so.

As for the glass issues, more than likely excess shed on his toepads 3 possible options for this, soaking the is generally stressful on the animals so I personally wouldn't recommend it. Next is a showerbox/rainbow you can google to find construction materials/ideas. The last is easiest and that is simply to mist more and/or raise humidity.

If you are noticing tremors or other possible mental/physiological issues you may be at a loss since there aren't any available treatments to date.

Please keep us posted on your progression.

[klondike4001]

Also just thought check for excess mites on his toepads. Could cause climbing issues.

How is he while climbing bark/branches?

[d-prime]

contacted pet shop and they agreed to swap for another male with no tail, i agreed because they refused to refund me. This guy isnt as lethargic but does have some trouble with the glass too, which is leading me to believe its a shedding issue. Im going to leave him be and keep the tank extra humid, hopefully it corrects itself. Ill post an update when the time comes.

[Graham_s]

Are they recent imports? It might be that he is a little weak due to stress, so if there is nothing obvious that is wrong with him, then it might be worth just leaving him alone as much as possible, making sure he is hydrated and comfortable in his new vivarium.

Conversely though, it could well be an issue that does need addressing. Its just very important to remember that with Uroplatus, sometimes less is more, as I am sure you know.

[Phantasy]

I don't mean to be weird or confrontational--but why call it a rescue situation when you just drop him back off at the petstore after he shows some signs of ill-health? It sounds more like you just bought some sikorae from a chain pet store. If you were interested in rescuing, wouldn't you have tried to give the original male some veterinary attention? Anywho, like I said, I'm not trying to pick a fight. I wish you the best of luck with your new pair, and hope that that second male makes a full rebound really soon.

Cheers,
-Matt