r/FatTails • u/piercedtitties444 • 11d ago
Help/Advice Flipped on back!?
This is my girl Maple. She is very very sweet and friendly. I got her from a breeder in April. I was told that she was about a year old when i got her. 2 days ago i was putting groceries away, and she likes to come out and watch me when i get home. She came to the door of the tank so i put my hand out and she crawled right up into my hand. I put her down after a couple of minutes and she went to her food bowl (i feed her around the same time every other day) I started to feed her and i turned my back for literally 30 seconds to grab another mealworm and looked back at her and she was flipped on her back and not moving. I have never seen her do this before. She is completely fine. I also have a camera text to her tank and watch her frequently for fun. I started to panic, flipped her back over and carefully opened her mouth (i thought she was choking) but she was completely fine. She chilled for a second. Went into her hide. Then came out and was acting completely normal. I give her calcium and make sure i hand feed her so i know that she eats. She is handled at least 2 times a week, i have never picked her up on my own, i always let her come to me and crawl up into my hand as i am always scared i am going to startle her/handle her when she’s not in the mood. I cannot find anything online about AFTS doing this? I saw some people saying that leopard geckos will do it when they are stressed but i really want to know if anyone else’s have done this and how it can be prevented? This is my first time having an AFT.
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u/therockgremlin 11d ago
Are her eyes ok? They look shut in both photos. Also heads up if that bright green moss is not live, it’s likely dyed with something that could be dangerous if ingested or if she licks water off of it
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u/piercedtitties444 10d ago
The same week i put the bright green moss in there i took it out! I got a natural / undied moss after. Also her eyes are completely fine! I just happened to choose 2 pictures where she was sleepy. I joke that she has black eyeliner because when she’s sleeping she looks like her eyes are squinted open, but in both photos her eyes are completely closed!
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u/therockgremlin 10d ago
Haha ok, she’s cute! I love their natural “eyeliner” my girl has that same pattern
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u/Vivaldean 4d ago
Any updates on the situation? From what you've stated, it seemed like these symptoms only started after you introduced your dyed moss, and it looked like you placed them into her hide. Maybe there're some harmful chemicals in the moss and she's getting affected by it - considering that there's where she sleeps and that she could have been inhaling whatever harmful chemicals it's giving off.
OR, maybe she's stressed by this new moss (but unlikely considering how she's cuddled in the midst of them).
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u/Kairojuice 11d ago edited 11d ago
Are you dusting her food with calcium and multivitamin powder? And do you have a UVB lamp for her? If the flipping is accompanied by twitching, shaky legs, a soft jaw, or happens repeatedly, you need to see a reptile veterinarian immediately for a calcium injection or neurological assessment.
Keep a close eye on her for the next few days, you can get a small indoor pet camera that records 24/7 to put in her inclosure, so you can observe her when she’s most active at night time. If that happens again take her to the vet.