Aloha, Elizabeth
I have started covering the top of her cage with some flexible window
screen we have and that does help. She is so cute when she stalks the
flies -- and she is getting better! It doesn't take many to fill her
tummy, but she gets hungry again quickly.
Actually, I probably have some tiny scissors in a travel sewing kit
somewhere!! Didn't think of that, as I seldom have need for them. I will
have to look for them. I have gotten pretty good with the Swiss army
knife, though. The hardest part is catching the flies and then getting
hold of them before they warm back up from the refrigerator! It doesn't
take long in our weather! ;D
Oh darn! I really appreciate the Sunshine Mealworms source, but they
said there is a nationwide shortage of mealworms right now so they
aren't accepting new customers!! I wonder why there would be a shortage?
I know my supplier got out of the business, but I don't think one person
could cause a "nationwide shortage!" I wonder what is going on?? Back
to google, I guess, and I will put a watch on them & try them again later.
I don't actually have a tank, I have one of those fold-up mesh screened
things that you can take out with you on "hunting trips". Since we
really don't normally keep them captive, it seemed like that might serve
better for when actually needed some kind of container. And we also had
the 10-gallon glass aquarium with screen top from when we had our rats
years ago, so we can use that, too. But I will check the fold-up one
very carefully before I put anyone into it to be sure there isn't any
way they can escape. We have already experienced their amazing escape
abilities when we have tried to keep hatchlings overnight for morning
release! ;)
I have been looking around for some nice rocks, branches, and the like
for the bottom of her cage. It should give her something more
interesting than leaves, too. Is there anything I should avoid that
might harm her? I have read that sand should not be used because they
might eat it and become impacted. Is there anything else I should avoid
or watch out for? I really don't want to hurt her!
Wow! 17.5 years is wonderful! That is so sad that she ran away. I wonder
if she survived, the poor little thing. Sometimes they are just too
smart for their own good. That was smart! We first visited the islands
in 1976 and I fell in love with the geckos, but I never thought about
trying to catch them and take them back with me! We were on our
honeymoon and I remember watching the baby house geckos all over the
place over in Hilo. They were so common back then. Of course, they might
have been mourning geckos, too! I didn't know that much about the
differences then. ;D
What kind do you keep now? I love some of the colors and would love to
be have some I could hold ... but of course none of them are allowed
into Hawaii. All the ones running around here do keep me busy, though,
so I can't complain. ;)
Sherron
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Mahalo, All~
Any chance you could buy a very small sewing scissors? My sewing
scissors have much smaller points and blades than the scissors on my
Swiss army knife.
I admire you clipping the wings of the fruit flies. I don't know
whether my fingers would be nimble enough. Sounds like "clipped
flies" is becoming a popular menu item at your home with four-legged
visitors and the like ;-] You might try covering the top of Li?i's
cage with a loosely woven cloth at feeding time to keep the flies in
till they are consumed. I cover the tops of all my cricket cages just
to keep them from escaping...even the 1.5 wos.
Melody and I order our crickets from Sunshine Mealworms
(www.sunshinemealworms.com, 1-800-322-1100) in Silverton, Oregon.
Perhaps they would be a fine and quicker source for your mealworms.
The Beanfarm (www.beanfarm.com) near Seattle, Washington carries the
pink label Rep-Cal Phosphorus-Free Ultrafine Powder with D3.
I have heard that the Exo-Terra tanks might have an "escape hole" in
the back where the tube outlet is.
I think the roughness of a rough rock or small branch would be good
for your rescued Gold Dust. Now it sounds as if she has more energy
than before and might even use such to rough up her toes and
especially her tail after a few more steam baths.
I was going to suggest "Mahalo" or the Hawaiian word expressing her
thanks, but I see you've already decided upon a name. I mean she owes
her life to you and Dennis!
I have only visited Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. I first visited Maui in
1984. I visited Kauai in 1988 and caught my first three
Lepidodactylus lugubris. At the time all I needed to do to bring them
home was take them to a Kauai vet who certified them as "healthy".
Then we were off to Seattle. One of those mourning geckos lived more
than 17.5 years and was still laying eggs! Then I inadvertently left
the screen top ajar and she escaped.
Cheers,
Elizabeth
Subj:*Re: [gecko]Question on hatchling Gold Dust Day Gecko having
trouble shedding ...*
Date:6/7/08 5:38:23 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Sherron)
Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Reply-to: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Aloha, Elizabeth
I really appreciate the help the GGA list has given me! We actually
tried getting the skin off before we posted to the GGA list, but it
didn't do much good without the "pre-soak" in the humidity chamber for
several hours first. There is nothing like experience to know what you
can do without causing more harm than good. That is always my worry
when trying something I haven't done before is that it may be worse
than doing nothing. :(
She is definitely interested in eating; always a good sign! And she is
much better at getting around without that gunky skin inhibiting her
movements. I will need to see what pet/supply stores there are in this
area. I don't think there are many, but I can always do mail order if
there isn't something local. There isn't a large selection of anything
here. ;)
We have named her!! Her name is Li?i, which is the Hawaiian name for
"small", and is pronounced lee-ee. The "?" is an ?okina which
indicates a glottal stop or short break/pause between the two i's. ;)
So I have also updated the web page on her and it is now located at:
http://hale-pohaku.net/gecko_lii.html
She is really getting around very well without the excess skin,
although I think she still has a little trouble with that right leg.
The toes on the right foot still tend to clump together a little,
although I suspect that she may grow to adjust to it and learn to live
with it. We see quite a few maimed geckos around and many of them do
quite well, all things considered. She certainly is doing much, much
better with it. She doesn't "lurch" anymore, but actually uses it
nearly like a normal leg. ;)
We sure don't want her to lose any toes or her tail if we can prevent
it, so like it or not, Li?i is going to get steam bath! Or two. If we
could keep her still, we could probably do it quicker, but there is
not much to hold onto and she is a fast little devil! ;)
She sure has lots of friends, thank goodness!! ;)
Mahalo nui loa,
Sherron, Dennis & Li?i
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Sherron ~
You are totally welcome for the assistance I was able to give thanks
to this Global Gecko Association listserv!
I really appreciate your detailed photos. As they say, "A picture is
worth a thousand words."
If judging by photos is a reliable sign, her belly definitely seems
to be full of the bugs you've been catching. If she proves to be a
long-term captive you may want to dust her bugs with a calcium
supplement. That will be easier once she is eating bigger stuff ;-}
I recommend Rep-Cal Phosphorus-Free Ultrafine Powder with D3. Can
you get that on the island?
Your survivor needs a name! You've given her a new life!!! How is
her gait since you've removed the excess skin except for her tail?
In your recent photos her right leg seems to bend like normal.
The thing about retained skin, which may have ultimately been
affecting her breathing (?) is that the digit (toe) can become
necrotic and then slough off. That is why I'm worried about the
retained skin on her tail as I said in an earlier post tonight. You
have resolved the crucial things first while still saving the
"patient". So in a few days you can try again with her tail.
Cheers!
Elizabeth
Subj:*Re: [gecko]Question on hatchling Gold Dust Day Gecko having
trouble shedding ... Ok! But what about the tail?*
Date:6/5/08 11:07:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (Sherron)
Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-to: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Aloha, Elizabeth
Oh, she is VERY active!!! She doesn't hold still for more than a
few seconds and she is so tiny, we are afraid to try to hold her down!
But we have now managed to get everything off except the skin on her
tail. We had hoped that she might be able to chew it off since that
is all that is left, but she doesn't seem to be doing so. Will the
skin wear off by itself just from her moving around or do we need to
make sure it is off, too? We are just so afraid of the tail
breaking off.
We did notice that she has a toe on her right foot that seems
blackened and crumpled. And the lines on the bottoms of her hands
don't seem very well developed.
Right foot Right hand
We had to repeat the steam bath/clean-up routines multiple times and
she didn't like it, but she was really a good girl. She is very
alert & curious and always comes out to look at us when we go over
to look in her cage. ;)
We thank you all so much for your help. I am afraid she would not
have made it without your assistance. I have never actually held a
live gecko before, although I have had them jump or fall on me
quite a bit. It is really nice having her around. ;)
I am trying to put some photos of her up on the web and I will post
the address when I get them up. We have taken lots!! ;)
Mahalo nui loa,
Sherron
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Do you have a small scissors for sewing (or even perhaps a straight
pin) that could perhaps begin a split/tear in her skin at the neck?
I don't know how active she is, but you might be able to hold her
firmly against some solid padded surface like a table. Hope that
something works for you both.
Elizabeth
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Sent: Mon, 2 Jun 2008 11:52 am
Subject: Re: [gecko]Question on hatchling Gold Dust Day Gecko
having trouble shedding ...
And Aloha Sherron ~
Thanks for these details. Please try the humidity chamber near a
lamp for a few hours. Use a wet washcloth that has been wrung out
and place it in the vented, plastic container. Watch the water
droplets form. After only a few hours I imagine her skin might be
loose enough to start a split.
Another idea! Have something like a twig, small branch, or a
section of choya wood --- something rough that she could snuggle up
against to assist in the shed.
I hope the skin shed helps her right leg work more efficiently!
Keep us posted!
Wish I lived near the beach in a place warm enough where geckos
roamed freely ;-]
Elizabeth
Aloha, Elizabeth
She is about 3/4" from nose to vent -- she is the smallest day
gecko hatchling we have ever seen, although some of our mourning
gecko hatchlings are even tinier.
This sounds like it might work! If it would just soften enough to
pull off her or get a split started, I think we could get the neck
skin off. We have been misting her little cage and putting a
heating pad next to it, but that only helps a little and wasn't
keeping the humidity up high enough.
She has never seemed to be able to fully control her right leg,
and her right foot is smaller than her left and the toes kind of
clumped together. She often tends to move the joint and leg
together as a unit, so there may be something wrong with the
joint, too. Although in watching her with the skin problem, some
of that may just be the skin being so tight it restricts her
movement.
Usually when we find the hatchlings, most of that first skin has
already been shed, but she was fully covered with it and it has
only recently started splitting. We do think it hinders her use of
her limbs -- her arms are only about the size of thin pencil lead,
and the skin seems to fully coat those.
She has been doing okay up until the last couple of days, though,
when the skin (I hope that it isn't something else, too) started
really becoming a problem. She now gets around by lurching her
body back and forth because her little arms & legs are still
encased in the skin, although it has come off some of the back.
And she is green underneath, not gray!
We haven't ever actually kept any of the geckos before, as they
run all around our house, lanai and garden (Phelsuma laticauda,
house - Hemidactylus frenatus, & Mourning - Lepidodactylus
lugubris). But we had to make an exception in her case, since she
couldn't fend for herself. Usually we just take the hatchlings
outside so they have a better chance of survival -- we have lots
of big geckos running around inside and they don't last long if we
don't get to them first. :(
Mahalo, Sherron
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hello Sherron ~
Try the humidity chamber trick. I can't view your photos at home
because my laptop is really memory-challenged, so I don't know how
big this gecko is! However, my mourning geckos are 1" 3/8" at
hatching. Try placing your gecko in a *vented* plastic container
with a damp washcloth inside. Place this near a light. Almost
immediately you will notice beads of water accumulate on the
sides/top of the container. After a few hours or so perhaps you
can remove the rings of old skin around her neck gently with a
tweezers or small scissors.
What is the problem with her right leg? Might you have a new pet
here?
Elizabeth
Subj:*[gecko]Question on hatchling Gold Dust Day Gecko having
trouble shedding "egg skin"*
Date:6/1/08 4:16:39 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (Sherron)
Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-to: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
We found a tiny hatchling on May 13 that was a little underdeveloped
and was still in that grayish skin they have when they first come out
of the shell. She was dehydrated and has a problem with her right leg,
but is spunky.
We haven't been able to release her outside like we do the rest of the
hatchings we find, as her bad leg has kept her from being very mobile,
but she has been doing pretty well eating tiny bugs & aphids I collect
for her. She has also shown a real interest in the fruit flies around
her papaya, but I don't think she has managed to catch any yet.
But she started having trouble yesterday and was real cold & clammy,
so we put a heating pad near her cage to help warm her up. It seems to
have started her molting her "egg skin", but she has a bunch of it
around her neck that she can't get off.
Is there anything we can do to help her? She is so tiny we don't see
how we could try to cut it off! The rest of the skin except for around
her neck should slough off okay, but the stuff around her neck is
several layers and is a ring, so it may be another matter. :(
Any help would be greatly appreciated as she is really a spunky little
girl.
Mahalo, Sherron
*Elizabeth**
~~~geckos make my heart sing (and dance)~~~
*
l l l
^^ /..\ ^^ /..\ ^^ ^^ /..\ ^^
l l ^^ llll \\\
l l llll ///
l l llll \\\
l l ~~ llll ///
~~ ( ~~ ) ~~ ~~ ( ~~
) ( )
( ) (
) ( )
lappert(a) robert(a) hubert(a)
17.50 yo r.i.p.
r.i.p.
(All */Lepidodactylus lugubris/*!)
**************
Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with Tyler
Florence" on AOL Food.
(http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4?&NCID=aolfod00030000000002)
--
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Gecko aka Sherron, Kailua Kona, Hawaii (on the Big Island of Hawaii)
Homepage: http://hale-pohaku.com/sherron - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
See our rats: http://hale-pohaku.com/dennis/ratgallery.html
