Floppy Tail in Crested Gecko (MBD)

[Hedorah99]

Just noticing one of my female's tail is hanging down as she hangs upside down. Thought she was getting enough calcium, she obviously isn't. My question is will this be corrected by giving her more calcium, or will her tail always be floppy now.

 

[Michael Jacobi]

Floppy tail syndrome is not necessarily a result of MBD or any deficiency. Too many people throw the term "metabolic bone disease" around - leave it to vets based on an actual diagnosis, not conjecture.

FTS is common in geckos (especially Phelsuma but including Rhacodactylus ciliatus) when they spend a great deal of time perching vertically with their heads down. This situation is an artifact of captivity; they wouldn't hang out on glass in the wild.

Then again, FTS can be due to a calcium deficiency or an improper calcium to phosphorous ratio. Check the sacs in the inside rear of the mouth to see if the gecko has plenty of calcium stored. If it does, and its tail is not kinked at all, the problem is more likely related to gravity's effects during prolonged downward vertical perching. This affects the fragile vertebrae and musculature at the tail base.

Of course, the fact that your gecko is a female makes her more susceptible to calcium deficiency, especially at the end of breeding season. To answer your other question, FTS can be improved by calcium supplementation, but unlike minor tail kinking it typically is not reversible. I wouldn't recommend going overboard with giving her a bunch of calcium. Both vitamins and minerals are dangerous in excess. I would suggest offering a small jar lid of ground cuttlebone or calcium and letting her decide how much she needs. This is by far the best way to prevent calcium deficiency. If she'll eat snails, they're great too. (This works especially well for Uroplatus).

Regards, Michael

 

[GailC]

Well said Micheal I had a crestie that had floppy tail when I got him. I spent a few weeks re-training him not to hang upside down. I would just move him whenever I saw him hanging.
It also helps to add more foliage for hiding spots, I really like the big artificial greens from the dollar store.

 

[AneesasMuse]

Michael said it all, basically. I just want to add that I have a female that someone just gave to me and she shows slight FTS at the base of her tail. It's the end of her breeding for awhile. I don't think she was ever "cooled" after a season and I know for certain that her diet and calcium intake was not what it should have been.

I also have a male that I received as a freebie a few months ago... he was free cuz he had the beginnings of FTS... and now he has absolutely no signs of it at all. I'm a very new Crested keeper, but I have done lots of research and I feed my animals very well. I also monitor them closely. Flip, the former FTS boy, is fed high calcium content fruits (papaya, mango, strawberries, figs) with additional supplements in correct proportions and he has vast options for perching and hanging out in his enclosure... live plants, silk plants, branches, etc.

I don't know if all cases can be reversed or improved, but I think some can... Flip has, after all; and I am hoping that Val will improve successfully. I think it's all in the approach, too. I mean, I didn't take any drastic measures with Flip... I simply improved his diet and his habitat and over time, it gave results.

Good Luck with your female!