Toepad "fingerprints" missing?

zuper8

New member
Sorry, that is the best that I can describe it... I noticed my 2 y.o. Tokay had some black areas on her toepads, and upon closer inspection it looks like some of the ribby fingerprints are completely missing :shock: what should I do? She sticks to things just fine, even upside down. The last few times she shed I did not see any stuck shed. Really freaking me out, should I take her to the vet?

 

elchopchop

New member
I would just keep an eye on her - I wouldn't worry too much if she can still stick to things fine and is behaving normally and eating etc - is this a recent occurrence or could there be a chance that her pads have always been like that but you have only just noticed? I used to have a rescue Tokay that had half of his entire foot missing due to a fight with another male cage-mate and he got around just fine! Maybe someone can provide more detailed advice but I hope this helps...
 

zuper8

New member
Thanks for the advice... yeah, I guess she is functioning normally otherwise, good point. I do know it is a recent development, I first noticed it in the beginning of August and waited to see if it would get worse. It has gotten a little worse, not drastic but it certainly isn't going away. I also let her be loose in the house through July and part of August while it was 80 degrees inside, so maybe she got into something during that time. She mostly lived in the bathroom and around the refrigerator (very entertaining btw, haha).
 

elchopchop

New member
Thanks for the advice... yeah, I guess she is functioning normally otherwise, good point. I do know it is a recent development, I first noticed it in the beginning of August and waited to see if it would get worse. It has gotten a little worse, not drastic but it certainly isn't going away. I also let her be loose in the house through July and part of August while it was 80 degrees inside, so maybe she got into something during that time. She mostly lived in the bathroom and around the refrigerator (very entertaining btw, haha).

Haha cool, was she by any chance around the back of the refrigerator? I only ask as the elements on the back of most fridge units can get VERY hot - maybe when she was free roaming she grabbed hold of something a little too hot and burned her pads? I would monitor her while in her enclosure and as long as there is nothing she can get on in there that would burn her, if the pads get worse then maybe its time to consider a vet trip - lovely looking girl by the way! :)
 

zuper8

New member
yep, that is a likely possibility... I only saw her on the wall but that doesn't mean she didn't go back there at some point. whoops poor geck :( . I do feel bad... but boy she was so happy being a free house lizard. she loved it and I got to see her all the time, she was always running around doing important gecko things. I will probably let her out again next summer anyway in spite of the risk... she hates being locked up again, even though her new house is much bigger than her old one. Wish I lived in Florida so she could be a house gecko year-round!
 

billewicz

New member
Hello,

The black is scabbing and scar tissue. I suspect while free she was too dry and had a bad shed that she pulled off on her own.

I have 4 Tokay rooms that are hot and 'dripping wet' humid and include open fish tanks w/ Tokay friendly egress and misters for the open area and tropical plants. These rooms have free roaming Tokay for cricket clean-up. Once in a while one will get out into the rest of the basement which is cooler and much dryer and more comfortable for the pups & humans. Some of these guys can be out for months but once I catch them again, they usually have indications of dry sheds and need a good soaking to revive their skin. Home heating/AC systems are designed to remove the humidity from the air. Dry air is much more comfortable to us, but not so good on Tokay skin.

(I actually cut a Tokay Portal to allow these guys back into a snake room. This room is a bit warmer and more humid than the basement but not like the Tokay rooms. There is no full-time resident Tokay in the snake room because there are no escaped crickets. I do have to cover the pinkie bins, HA! I set up another Tokay 'fish tank' and a couple of easy-to-get-to vertical hides, and sure enough, they find their way in eventually.)

As noted before, check her feet just after the next couple of sheds to see if there is anything stuck to the scar areas. You most likely will not find anything if your enclose is up to Tokay humidity and misting levels.
 

zuper8

New member
First of all, that is SO COOL that you have 4 Tokay rooms.

Secondly, she is about to shed so I will keep an eye on her to make sure she sheds there alright. I don't have AC. I let her out when the indoor temps were between 78-83 degrees, and the humidity was 70-80%. Was that still maybe a little cold for her?

The humidity in the house was probably better than her tank humidity, which I still struggle with. I have an ExoTerra Monsoon mister AND I bottle-mist 5 times a day AND plexiglass over 1/2 the screen top AND it's a wooden tank AND I have a large water dish AND a humidifier in the room AND it's a planted terrarium. What else is there even to try? My next move was going to be a Repti-Fogger for the winter when humidity becomes especially difficult.
 

billewicz

New member
Tokay do not need to swim all day. Their typical day back in Indonesia enjoys ocean breezes that dry things out under the mid day sun and then big tropical thunderstorms prevail in the late afternoon.

Actually, in the winter, the winds shifts from tropical ocean to Australian desert air so they are a bit dryer in the winter, but they still get rain every couple of days. It's the actual soaking from rain that helps just as much as the humidity. This is the part that does not usually happen in ones living room, HA!

You can track Indo weather using the weather channel. Bandung Weather Forecast and Conditions - weather.com
 

zuper8

New member
ohhh haha I get it! That helps me know what to focus on more, thanks. I have always wondered... if my gecko hates to be misted directly, should I do it anyway? Is it good for her? From what you described it sounds like it would be beneficial... I use a fine mist but she gets annoyed and immediately goes for cover so I have been avoiding it actually. I just mist the tank/ plants/ soil.
 

billewicz

New member
My roughly 200 enclosures have an automated misting system so they may, or may not choose to sit in the mist. Generally only one side of each enclosure gets the majority of the mist so I do add water to dry areas and water bowls every couple of days and splash the Tokay as well.
 
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