Tokay missing the very tip of the tail

[zuper8]

The tiny tip of the tail on my Tokay is now gone. You can see the pink flesh where the tip detached. The very end of the tail had been looking very dull and lifeless for about 2 months now. So.... what happened? I'm totally at a loss. He is housed alone. Do geckos get behavior disorders from boredom? Or was the end of the tail having an issue and he took care of it himself? Or did it fall off? I'm extremely worried, what should I do?

 

[drillman]

Poor shed?

I'm not an expert, but it could of been a poor shed that left some skin on the tip of the tail. If it is really dry where you are during the winter months some skid may of not come off the tail during a shed or sheds. That could choke off the blood supply to the tip of the tail. I've heard this can happen to lizards toes so it may be possible to of happene3d to the Tokay's tail tip. Do you have humidity gauge? What was the humidity in the cage this last December and January?

 

[thehotchik1000]

That is exactly what happened. The tip of the tail didn't not shed. It cut off blood supply and the necrotic part fell off. Nothing to worry about as far as if he'll be ok. You don't need to do anything to the tail to help.
But it does sound like you're having a humidity problem. What's your set up like? Humidity? Temps?


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

 

[zuper8]

ugh I am so having humidity problems.... I am doing everything I know how, I have known this is a problem for a while and am trying so hard... I mist the tank at least 8 times a day. I think I need a hotter CHE so I can turn off the heat lamp I have going along with the CHE to keep the temps hot enough. As soon as I turn that light bulb off, with CHE alone it stays between 60-80% all day no problem with some misting, and overnight it drops to 40-50%. But the problem with that is, the temp hovers around 75-80 degrees instead of the 85 I get with the light on. So when I am less broke I am going to get a higher watt CHE since that seems to not dry out the tank as much.

In another thread I asked a couple times about a fogger but no one had any thoughts on that it seems. I wonder if that would help my humidity problem without soaking the substrate and potentially having mold issues.

I have a detailed write-up of my setup and many photos here, I would so appreciate any advice you have. http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...d-etc/63715-my-tokay-its-house-lots-pics.html

 

[drillman]

Mister

A MistKing starter system and Monsoon will both cost about the same. I use a couple of the MistKing system and really like them. The timer for the MistKing can be set for for about any combination you can dream of on a weekly basis. The Monsoon is more of a daily programmable. I haven't used it, but there is a comparison of the two somewhere on the web.
If you have have a screen top it will be hard to keep the humidity in. It may be hard to to cover it and work around your light and CHE.

 

[thehotchik1000]

Well you could definately try to get the sub more damp. It will dry out during the day and keep your humidity up. Ideally you want your humidity to fluctuate. With the highest humidity being during the morning and let it dry out to afternoon and then doing another spray late afternoon. When I spray my cage they get wet. It's like a rainstorm. A towel folded to fit the bare screen also helps keep in humidity. I break my cages down into three parts. The top is the hotside which is 90-95. Middle 85 and bottom 80.f. These guys are from Indonesia where a cold day is about 90 and the muggier the better. Too much humidity all the time though will result in mold. Which is why you want a dry out period. Also I don't know of you use arboreal hides but PVC piping works really well. It gives them a place up top in the hot and muggy zone to hide which is important when they're shedding.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

 

[Marauderhex]

As for misters, stay away from the monsoon. I had one and it didn't even last a month. It's cheaply assembled and not even sealed properly to prevent water from getting to the electronics. After three weeks, it was a $100 paperweight.

 

[zuper8]

I have a monsoon, been using it for three months with no problem, but I don't like to use it unless I'm gone and can't be there to mist, because it just sprays heavily in one spot. Right now I am misting the cage so much the substrate never dries out completely, and still I am having shedding problems.

I am going to run to petsmart today and get some of that shed-ease bath, he has a lot of dry skin on the rest of his tail and I don't want to lose the rest of it!

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Have you tried using an under the tank heat source? That'll help a lot in drying out the substrate and raising the humidity. If you have a screen top, covering it with a piece of wood or plexi to various degrees will help retain humidity. It might take some experimentation. It's stuff like this that we all deal with. It's a balancing act between getting the right temps, the right humidity, the right amount of airflow, and not ending up with it too dry or to wet and getting moldy. And it's different for everyone because it depends on the particular climate you live in, and the conditions in the room that you're keeping the animal in. That's just one of the tricky parts about keeping reptiles. Keep working on it. You'll get it right sooner or later.

 

[zuper8]

I do have an UTH that I removed from his original tank. I haven't put it on yet because I've been told I need to hook it up to a thermostat, which I can't afford at this very moment, maybe next month. The ones I've seen are all pricey. Would it be terribly unsafe to put the UTH on without a thermostat? cause that's definitely something I can do right now. I also have a towel covering the screen top where it is open and doesn't have light housings on it.

 

[thehotchik1000]

Actually because the tokay wont be right on top of the uth I wouldn't worry about the tstat on that at the moment. Should you have one for all of your heat equipment? Yes. You can hook the Che and the uth to one set it to 95 and put the probe near high middle. But he's not laying on the uth and I imagine there's enough sub in the cage that the uth will just be releasing humidity and not too much heat.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Here's a thermostat for $27 shipped: Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden

Be careful with that towel as it could become a fire hazard if it comes in contact with you che. It really wouldn't be good to burn your house down...and that kind of stuff DOES happen.

Maybe try just buying a regular humidifier and running it in the room to raise the general humidity.

I think the uth would help do what you need done though.

 

[zuper8]

That's a relief to know I can put the UTH in right now to start helping things straight away. I will get the thermostat very soon, thanks for the link Ethan! I will be going to the Massachusetts Reptile Expo this weekend to get roaches, a hotter CHE, and now I will check out deals for a thermostat as well just to see. Otherwise I can get that one on Amazon for sure.

And thank you, thank you all so much for your advice. It means so much to me and my gecko, though he doesn't know it.

For short term help, we gave him a "bath" last night with Zilla Shed-Ease. It went really well. After some gentle convincing he decided we weren't trying to drown him, and he calmed down and handled the remainder of the 20-min bath like a champ. That stuff really helps, his tail looks much better now.