I have a Crested Gecko, and in his tank there's a Pothos plant. Today I was looking at the plant and noticed weird little growths on a few stalks of the plant, that look like this:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/151/img0802r.jpg/ (image is kinda blurry but you can definitely see the growths)
I don't really know anything about plants so I have no idea if this is normal or bad or anything, and I'm not even really concerned about the plant, just the health of my gecko. If someone could identify it so that I could find out if it's gonna be harmful to the little guy I'd appreciate it, or if you happen to know whether or not it will hurt him that'd be even better.
Obligatory pet picture because he's adorable:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/525/28135020491204625831081.jpg/
Edit: Someone on a crested gecko forum said that it looks like the start of roots, could that be it?
Posts
Ahem.
do you have another camera available that can take a clearer image? I couldn't tell you much without one.
I don't know why it is, but I doubt it will hurt him. If you're concerned just pull off the affected leaves.
I agree that it will not likely harm the Gecko, but I'd want a higher resolution shot first to make sure it's not mites.
EDIT: That gecko is the coolest looking little animal I've ever seen. Those eyes.
On topic I can't see the plant well enough to say weather it is roots or what.
You most likely have some sort of galling insect. If you can get a clearer picture I could be more definitive, but that is what my gut says.
Thrips have been known to produce gall attacks on plants in the genus Pothos, but I think the "Pothos plant" has been moved to a different genus. Regardless, I would suspect some sort of insect gall.
The good news is, it is extremely likely that this will have no effect on your little gecko. Hell, if whatever formed the galls emerges, he may even have some food!
@The Ender Yeah, it's the weird brown things coming from the stems. And his eyes never close! He has no eyelids so they're always like that
@Mom2Kat yeah I hear their tails drop easily but I didn't know they'd do it because they got spooked, I thought they just pulled off pretty easily but maybe I'm wrong. Poor little thing
You can let it vine or you can trim the plant back. No matter what it's going to try to outgrow it's space. Its a highly invasive plant in tropical environments so you can be pretty aggressive about keeping it under control.
My own Pothos and it's rootlets:
It doesn't mean the plant's unhealthy, either. Actually it mean the opposite, that the plant is thriving enough (it's hard for Pothos to not thrive) that it's trying to grow as fast as it can.
3DS FC: 4699-5714-8940 Playing Pokemon, add me! Ho, SATAN!
Melinoe's boyfriend here, wanted to thank you all for identifying what was up with my lizard's plant, and post a couple current photos of him and his plant. That one at the top is from about six months ago and he has at least doubled in size since then. Still adorable though.
Anyway, thanks a ton.
EDIT: Also, also, @Mom2Kat, afaik, they don't let go of their tails very easily. Because they don't grow back and because they are prehensile and they use them so extensively for balance and tethering themselves to things while climbing, they tend not to let go of them unless they're actually being hurt. I grab it, gently, all the time, and hook my finger under it to make him hang off my finger/move him. Only time I've heard of them letting go of them from people who own them is when they get pinched in the door of a cage, or bit by another gecko, or grabbed by a toddler, apparently.
this is something I need to know too. Also would they be friendly to other gecko(es?) kept in the same habitat? I want an army of these little guys.
@acidlacedpenguin I'm not totally sure about other types of geckos, but from what I understand they'll be pretty friendly to each other as long as they're all females. Males can get territorial and fight. So you probably won't be able to get itty bitty ones if you want a bunch because it takes a while to be able to sex them; we're still not entirely sure that ours is a he, it's just easier to assign a pronoun until we figure it out for sure later.
Also, because they are arboreal, a good way to get them to move when you're handling them is to extend your arm with your hand down at your waist and they love to run up your arm as they naturally like to climb to high places. With some practice you can get them to hop from hand to hand pretty reliably too.
The only thing to really consider when asking if they're right for you, is whether you can commit to keeping them for their lifespan. They come from New Caledonia and were thought to be extinct until 1994 when they were rediscovered, and they are so long lived that an average lifespan hasn't been established yet. Estimates are currently at 20-25 years. Since being rediscovered they have become one of the most widely bred reptiles in the pet trade because of their ease of care and friendliness. As a result of extensive breeding they can be bought at places as common as PetCo and come in a variety of colors:
http://www.rhac-shack.co.uk/9.html
@acidlacedpenguin As long as you've only got one male in the enclosure they should be fine. They do even better if it's all females, a 30 gallon enclosure should be good enough for three geckos. You can't tell from the most recent pictures but he's about 5 1/2 to 6 inches long now. They get up to between 8 and 12 inches and reach full size at about 9-12 months. As far as other species I've heard of limited success with Gargoyle geckos but sticking to Cresteds would be easiest.
More details on care are here: http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/crested-gecko-care-sheet-en.html
Also the wiki article about the species: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_gecko