meet Hugo

[tkshortee]

My boyfriend and I went to the reptile show last weekend and came home with two new gargoyles. I already had another one so now we have 3. I am posting pics of Hugo because I think he is really pretty. It looks like he's going to have some red/orange. He seems to be getting along with my other guy just fine. I'm actually not sure what sex they are yet, but I think I have one girl and one boy. So maybe breeding is in the future. For now, we just like to hang out.

 

[Holly12]

Very nice looking geckos I hope that oneday I will be able to get one they are awesome.

 

[fuzzylogix]

he's very pretty, but do you know where he got those tail kinks? i would make sure that you quarantine him properly, and wouldn't suggest breeding him. he could pass down a deformity to his offspring and you would have to cull the babies. as a pet though, he seems like he would be awesome.

 

[Joli]

Actually, the wavy tail is common in young aurics, and some of the other rhac species like cresteds, leachies, and I believe chahoua. It should straighten out it a little while. The concern should be if it continues to stay that way as it grows.

I certainly agree that you should quarantine all new geckos for at least 2-3 months before introducing to potential housemates. However, I personally believe that all gargoyles should be housed separately, they are an aggressive species and do better alone. Also, you avoid bullying, which could be detrimental, considering this is a brand new gecko and it has yet to even establish an adjustment period to it's new environment.

 

[F22]

nice color animal.

@joli, I'm surprised you feel that way about gargs, I keep a trio together and I have not seen any signs of aggression. It was originally just a pair, but I added a new female to the group last season and I haven't had any issues.

 

[Northstar Herp]

Gargs are notorious for bullying, resulting in tail drop, resulting in the eating of tails, resulting in uneven growth, resulting in more bullying, resutling in more tail drop, resulting in eating of more tails, resulting in more uneven growth, potentially resulting in the eating of entire geckos that are much smaller than said bully.

I have a pair that I keep together 365/year, and have never noticed any aggression, but they're ADULTS. It's the kids you have to watch out for.

I knew about the tail kink in leachianus, but not gargoyles. That dude must VERY young if he still has that, huh?

 

[tkshortee]

It has been a few weeks and I haven't seen any aggression or bullying going on between the two. However, it seems like Hugo is not eating much and he has gotten very skinny. At first he was doing well and getting fat and then a few days later I took him out and realized he is very light and not as energetic as before. (He was a jumper and now he just sits there.) Should I be concerned or is this normal? And what can I do to make him happy again?

ps. I have both of them housed together. Should I put him in a separate cage? Or does it even matter now that I already had them together?

Help!

 

[Queen Penelope]

Sometimes we don't really see "aggression" between cagemates because it doesn't manifest itself in obvious behaviors, but instead becomes apparent through symptoms like the ones your describing (weight loss, lethargy, etc.). Of course, this isn't the only possible cause, but it still seems like a good idea to separate them so that you can more easily monitor how Hugo is doing. With separate cages, you'll be able to tell whether he's eating/pooping, and you may notice that he becomes more active or that he prefers certain areas of the tank. Establishing a pecking order can be subtle business, so you may not recognize just how much stress he's under.

Good luck! =)

 

[WulfSC]

Hugo is really nice looking.

 

[tkshortee]

I separated him from the other guy this morning but I need to buy a bigger cage b/c this one is too small. It will work for a day or two but I need to get him something more comfortable. I feel so bad that he is stressed/sick. Thanks for the input! I will let you know how he does in a few days.

 

[tkshortee]

oh and another question....do you think I should wait a few days before handling him? Or will the time outside the cage be good for him?

 

[tkshortee]

I woke up this morning to find a dead gecko.

RIP HUGO

And last night he was looking good too. He was eating and moving around more. I guess I was too late in separating him. My other gecko is a bully and may just be destined to be an 'only child'.

:bigcry:

 

[Northstar Herp]

Very sorry to hear you lost him. Really I am. I just lost a prize gecko after days of tender lovin' care, and it can take a lot out of you.

 

[Adirondackgeckos]

he's very pretty, but do you know where he got those tail kinks? i would make sure that you quarantine him properly, and wouldn't suggest breeding him. he could pass down a deformity to his offspring and you would have to cull the babies. as a pet though, he seems like he would be awesome.

Is it common practice to cull because of a tail kink? Or would you just put them up for "Pet only"?

 

[Northstar Herp]

Selling a "defective" animal as pet only is irresponsible breeding, IMO, because the seller relinquishes any control over whether the produces offspring when the animal changes hands. There are really only two options in such a case- 1- cull. 2- keep it and don't breed it.

The scenario is bigger the just one animal or one breeder. Evry animal we send out into herpdom is helping to craft the future of the hobby, which is why many breeders would cull the animal.

This is a bit off topic, but important. I don't mean to offend the OP who just lost their new critter...

 

[Adirondackgeckos]

And yes I too am so very sorry for the loss Hugo. It stings.............

I guess my question was, culling for a kink in the tail, just wanted to know if a tail kink was appropiate for culling, thank you, no need for response on this thread.....sorry

 

[tkshortee]

It's okay guys. I am interested to know if the tail could have been a sign of why he died. Because my other gecko's tail isn't perfectly straight either. I hope he doesn't get sick.

But I am pretty certain the other gecko was bullying or being territorial because when I put them in the cage together they were both the same size. Now a few weeks later the original gecko Victor is MUCH larger than the new gecko. I think she was maybe keeping Hugo from eating all the food. Which would explain why Hugo ate so much once I separated him. Is it possible to die from overeating/eating too much too quickly?

I am going to email the breeder I bought him from since I had the gecko for less than a month.

 

[Northstar Herp]

What you're sharing is common among gargoyles. If you can find one, p. 109 of the Rhacodactylus book talks about keeping juvies together and why it's a bad idea. They give an example of exactly what you're talking about, except they mention the smaller animals tail getting eaten which results in the other becoming larger, then eventually eating the smaller animal sometimes.

It's hard to say a cause of death with any certainty, so I wouldn't even want to speculate. Also, I don't think any breeder is going to give you more than a few days warranty unless they're just the nicest person in the world, but you can go ahead and try anyway. You never know...

Kat, I wasn't meaning to go off on you, sorry if I came across wrong. I guess it would vary from breeder to breeder whether a tail kink is a deformity that should be culled or not. Hopefully my previous response adequately explains the rationale that would choose to cull such an animal.

 

[tlbowling]

OMG! I saw this thread when you first got him, but never commented. I just took another look, and read that he died! Im so sorry for your loss

 

[Joli]

I'm truly sorry for your loss.

A wavy tail and a tail kink are two separate things, from the pictures it looks like a normal wavy tail. I've had geckos shipped to me that have had this, and it straightened within a few days of arrival, most likely due to the stress of traveling. It doesn't matter if the gecko was very small, in order to have a wavy tail, though it is very common in hatchlings.

Unfortunately, I would say your gecko died from stress. Quarantine is a safe practice to prevent undue stress on the gecko. Stress from a new environment and being housed with another gargoyle (that most likely bullied him) before it could establish itself.

Quarantine is also a safe practice for your already pre-established geckos, to make sure you're not putting them in contact with a potentially sick gecko. Just remember that this is a learning curve, a sad one, but one that you can learn from. So that you will hopefully avoid more tragedies in the future.