# Crestie tail rot?



## ukscott1972 (Jul 31, 2007)

I have 2 flexariums, each housing a number of crested geckos. I've just noticed tonight that some of the cresties in one of the flexariums have tail problems, 4 out of the 6 have what looks like a black crispy tip to their tail. Looks like it has been burnt as it is hard and black.
I handled some a week ago and they were fine then so whatever it is has happened very quickly. 
My first thought was a bad shed but the humidity is always above 50 percent, usually higher and i wouldn't expect most of them to all have it in the same place. The other thought i had was that it might be some sort of fungus as my other flexarium colony is fine and they have exactly the same set up, so could it be something that has spread in this one particular colony? 
Anyone have any ideas?
I will post some photos if anyone needs to see.

Many thanks


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## daisyleo (Nov 23, 2006)

What about viv mate agression, is there one that doesn't have it? if so I would say that she is your culprit :whistling2:


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## ukscott1972 (Jul 31, 2007)

I haven't seen any fighting but i have seen a few of them nip each others tails. I wasn't sure if this was accidental, maybe confusing the tail for a worm or if they were actually being aggresive. From the pages i have looked at on the net it looks like the tail is definately necrotic caused by tail biting. Does anyone know what the outcome is, will it travel up the tail as some have mentioned and should the tail be removed?


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## SWsarah (Aug 6, 2005)

Ive been reading up alot about crested geckos and found out that when housing a sub adult group togther they will fight to show who is boss. If you notice one is getting larger than another you must split them up. Tail loss naturally happens in the wild.


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## wohic (Jun 19, 2006)

I think it is a humidity issue, in their natural enviroment (new caledonia) the average humidity is 70 to 80% ,50% is way too low
the average humidity of the sahara is 25% which will give you and idea how dry 50% actualy is.


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## han (Feb 26, 2007)

Just out of interest, do you have any heating for them? And if so, what and where is it?


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## fairee (Dec 30, 2007)

i have two bearded dragons and one of them attacked the other ones tail and the end of it went black over night (i did not notice till the morning). maybe your cresties have been fighting? unless it is a humidity issue...


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## wohic (Jun 19, 2006)

Another thought (alsong with humidity and bites) is stuck shed that has cuased thiis. stuck shed that has caused this


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## Fudge Gecko (May 15, 2006)

One of my gargoyles has a black tip on the end of her tail: due to aggression. She came out best...the other one has half a tail! (They aren't together any more!)


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## Art_Gecko101 (May 6, 2006)

Ive seen this alot, not in my collection as i house all geckos except breeding groups singly, but in many others. If you go on my website, TreasureCrest- High quality Crested Geckos and go to the medical health section, there should be a paragraph about tail tips. Its usually caused initially by a cagemate nipping the tail. How old are yours? and are they in sexed groups? if they start showing tail nipping in may indicate you either have 1 overly aggressive gecko, or you have 2 or more males together. The reason i choose to house my subadults singly is because they know what sex they are before we do, so when keeping groups of unsexed geckos together you always risk male-male aggression. 

The humidity may also be a factor, esp seeing as theyre in faunariums, which wont hold the humidity in well enough, unless you've adapted it so that some of the panels are covered in something watertight, or you spray alot. once a gecko has a wound, even if it is tiny, it tends to make it harder for the shed to come off cleanly from the wound. I noticed this on one of my adults heads, she had the tinest little wound from where the male had grasped her for mating, and for the next few sheds there was always a teeny patch of skin that stuck on the wound for a little longer. If thats on the tail it may have not come off at all, and so you may have stuck shed retained on their too.

I would recommend you separate all the injured geckos into their own enclosures, spray regularly, and put a little tamodine or similar on the tail tip, just to help it along. If you want you could bathe the geckos, and try to soak the tail tip to encourage any stuck skin to come off.


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## ukscott1972 (Jul 31, 2007)

Thanks for all the replies so far. I don't think it is a humidity issue as i have no problems with my other enclosures and they have exactly the same conditions, just this particular one. 50's is the lowest it gets but after each misting it goes back up to around the 70's, from what i have read this is similar to New Caledonia as during the day there the Humidity level also drops.
I think it is more a case of tail biting, especially as most of them have exactly the same problem in the same place. I will obviously need to seperate them but unfortunately the damage is already done with some of them.
I don't have any heating as one person asked, just room temperature which is around 70 degrees.
Does anyone know if this condition will move up the tail? Will the black part fall off on it's own or does something need to be done to remove this?

Many thanks


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## Art_Gecko101 (May 6, 2006)

If the injury is bad enough, or goes necrotic it may spread up the tail, but this is unlikely to happen so long as you have hygienic conditions. I would apply some tamodine once or twice per week to each of the affected tails and keep and eye on them to make sure it doesnt get worse. Personally i would keep a photographic record of each geckos tail so that you can say for definate if it is getting better or worse.


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## ukscott1972 (Jul 31, 2007)

Thanks for the reply art gecko.
You mention you keep all your cresties in individual housing. If you have quite a few then what is the best kind of enclouse to use considering space issues?


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## Art_Gecko101 (May 6, 2006)

Well my subadults/hatchlings are in exoterra standard faunariums of various sizes. hatchlings in small, and then upwards... you dont want the flat ones though obviously.

Other than that i like the 30X30X45cm exoterra glass vivs for housing them singly, or you could fit 2 young ones in there for a few months.


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