So I was watching Inara tonight licking water droplets from inside her humid hide (there is a gap in the fake leaves on the outside so you can see her... only if she moves though!). I read somewhere that viper tails are for water storage like camels humps rather than fat like leos. Does anyone know if this is true?

um, im not sure about the vipers, but camels dont store water, they store fat, just like leos. i think the same would go for the little geckos

Yes Jill, I've read that as well. Assuming since they are desert reptiles, and theres generally a shortage of water their tails are for storage.



Source

And to back that up I've noticed Gex's tail change shape as well.

thanks jess - I knew I had seen it somewhere! I have noticed a lot of variation in the younglings but its tough to know what it is down to... if they don't get fed every day and sprayed it gets smaller but as I always do one when I do the other I can't be sure which it is down to. The adults always have fresh water in a bowl and their humid hides.

No problem. I bet it is difficult. Since they don't get sprayed daily and the little ones are so fragile you would almost be afraid they would drown in a dish of water. So I definitely see where you are coming from.

It would be helpful to find out exactly when its below the limit. I wouldn't suggest dehydrating any animal. It would just be helpful for us hobbyists.

On a side note. Gex's cage on the warm end usually ranges 87-90 degrees. Being 90 in the daytime and 87 at night. I often notice in the mornings when I wake up she likes lying in the crevices on the outside of her humid hide. Does your's do that? Or do you think it might be too warm for her? (label him as a her now, since she's definitely old enough to be sexed)

mine move all about the place... they sleep under the warm hide during the day and in the evening move out and sit between the two saucers (there is a gap of about 5cm and the gap is covered with an extra hide so it forms a little tunnel). This is where they both hunt from... they sit there, head out waiting for food. Then they shoot out, grab it and drag it back into their tunnels.

I'd double check your temps... but I suspect that she has just found her favourite place to sit.

true, yeah she loves lying between the cracks of that hide. There's a hole in the top of the humid hide, and I often find crickets in there, so it could be possible she's waiting for them to climb out the top and eat them.

But yeah I'll definitely check the temps.

The tunnel idea is cute. At night I often find gex beside the ceramic hide I made her. She loves lying beside it and waiting for the crickets to come to her. Then in the early morning ours she's in the cracks of the humid hide.

I still have to admit, my Viper Gecko is smaller, but a much better hunter than the Pictus. I'll have to post updated pictures of all of my crew, esp the Pictus you won't believe how big they've gotten!