Jing Jok

[eek]

A little jingjok moved into my place several months ago and im amazed hes still here as there doesnt seem to be much for him to eat around here.

He has a favorite hiding spot and any time i disturbed him he would run off like he had a firecracker up his jacksie!

Today noticed something really odd. Hes lying out in plain view on one of my shelves. At first i thought maybe hes dead. Then i used a straw to gently touch at his side arm. He retracted it in, but didnt run away. Hes just been lying in that same position now.

Is he dying? Didnt get enough food or what? Should i just leave him or try put him outside?

I guess might sound silly to worry over a little lizard, but i enjoy watching him at night running around my walls. Hes like a little house pet now!

tnx..

[Tywais]

Only one eek? Remarkable. I probably have a couple dozen spread throughout the house, usually see at least 6 at one time on our front porch at night. I personally like them around, like having a carefree pet. However, regarding his inactivity, that is not a good sign especially if you can touch it. We have large ones and newbie small ones and getting within a foot of one is even tricky much less touching one.

They eat insects, mosquitoes etc. and if you keep a very clean house perhaps a problem for food or do you put out any insect powder or similar? Also, always wonder where they get water to drink - never see one in my sinks.

//edit - you mention several months ago and if he is still small then either not eating enough or just ill. Ours get to be about 10 centimeters long when grown. Don't know what the life expectancy of them are either.

[PoorSucker]

[eek]

Same little guy has been here for months..and still very small . I dont have much bugs coming in, just some ants really. Ive left my patio door open (and usually do during the day), in the hopes something will fly in for him. Hes still lying in the same place but has moved a little bit. I dont know how a healthy jingjok is supposed to look really, but I think he doesnt look too great and im sure he looked "plumper" and healthier before when i got some covert chances to observe him. (Took a pic of him just now, see attachment). (Actually, i bought a couple of fake plastic jingjoks to send to my nephew and i thought somehow one of them got onto my shelf!! I couldnt believe it was actually my little real jingjok)

Im wondering what i can do to maybe get him back on his feet again so to speak, even if it means putting him outside somewhere(although worried about preditors if he is very weak). What about bringing him some kind of food?? I wonder about the water thing myself..maybe they get moisture content from the bugs they eat?? Any ideas? Dont want to just watch him waste away.

[eek]

Oh and I would say he is around 9cm..so thats not so small then? Im clueless on this! Im very glad to have him around. He had company at one point, but he/she seems to have left. Was hoping it would be a little romantic encounter for him Can i assume they would not be dumb enough to hang around in the same place if they cant get enough food? I always hoped that he would go out if he didnt get enough here, not just hang around till he dropped dead of starvation! I dont put any powder or sprays around, but i do quite a bit of cleaning around because its kinda calming for me (as weird as that sounds). Ive deliberately held back on cleaning up a little ant trail just so he would have something coming in for him.

[phetaroi]

"Ours" scared the heck out of me the other day. Apparently he was on top of a book, but I didn't see him. I picked the book up and he landed right on my hand. Eek!

[Tywais]

Oh and I would say he is around 9cm..so thats not so small then?

Yeah, that's about a normal adult size. The tiny newbies I sometimes see are only about 2.5-3cm and slightly more approachable since they don't know what that huge thing walking towards it is.

I've had them fall on my shoulder, on my hand and a couple of times on my head (supposed to be good luck I believe if on the head).

[eek]

Really worried about him. He has shuffled about a little bit in the same space..but hes just not moving about much at all.

Going to ask a friend to take a look at him later.

edit: guys..in the pic..is that how they normally look..or is he looking a bit ill? Anyone know what their life span roughly is?

Edited November 15, 2009 by eek

[Tywais]

Anyone know what their life span roughly is?

Some stats I just found and that they average from 7-15cm in length and a life span of 5 years. The odd thing is that I've never found a dead chingchok except accidentally caught in a door jam. So not sure where they go off to but the behavior of yours is not promising from the experience of all the ones at our house.

[Tywais]

Here is a picture I took of one on the wall some time ago using a zoom lens.

[Thongkorn]

They are harmless , My Too ker eats them ,

[sbk]

Anyone know what their life span roughly is?

Some stats I just found and that they average from 7-15cm in length and a life span of 5 years. The odd thing is that I've never found a dead chingchok except accidentally caught in a door jam. So not sure where they go off to but the behavior of yours is not promising from the experience of all the ones at our house.

I've found a few dead ones, not squished either. Saw one on the wall once, thought he was just sort of doing his gecko thing, but he was motionless for too long. Went to touch him and he was dead. Just died on the wall. It was kind of weird.

But no, motionlessness like that is usually a sign that he is injured or ill.

[eek]

Here is a picture I took of one on the wall some time ago using a zoom lens.

See! This one looks great! This is how i remember my little guy. He looks all shriveled up and skinny now. Oh well...

[londonthai]

he has probably follen from the ceiling or wall and injured himself - usually they kill themselves when falling. Put him on the patio, where he might have some greenery and more food, than at room.

as they are eating insects they are considered a good luck at home, but a large population will make a lot of smelly mess building over the time.

[neverdie]

The odd thing is that I've never found a dead chingchok except accidentally caught in a door jam.

Yes, one nite in the dark I was closing the bathroom door and I heard this loud 'POP' noise and I thought '<deleted> was that' and I flicked on the light to see a jin jok squished in the door jam......murderous baaastard I am

[ballzafire]

Guess what? Jingjoks like durian.

Betcha didn't know that...

[ballzafire]

I once witnessed one panic as I got up from my chair to leave the room and it jumped onto the top of my floor fan from the side of the door. It made the mistake of then crawling inside the fan's cage to "escape" me. You can guess what happened next: nope, not diced and sliced but it came close. Amazingly, it survived the encounter with the fan blade with only a pretty good "thump" which sent it through the bottom until it landed at the base of the fan. I thought it was a goner, until about 5 min later it when it hobbled off, injured but still alive. Still amazes me to this day...

I've also witnessed one take a twig and use it as a tool to catch ants (like birds do). Wish I coulda videoed that one and put it on YouTube. Prolly very rare behavior...

[neverdie]

eek's jin jock in days to come

[Nienke]

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_life..._a_house_lizard

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/geckos/p/housegeckos.htm

Care of Pet House Geckos

http://www.auroville.org/environment/web_of_life/geckos.htm

http://www.leopardgecko.com/

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/p...-paralyzed.html

[eek]

Thank you all, and thank you Nienke for those links.

Earlier this eve my friend took at look at him and suggested (as londonthai did) to place him out on the patio area. He went without fuss into a big plant pot (although his poor little heart was beating so fast!). Ive left the light on to encourage bugs and hes moved around a bit since. im hoping he will get some good feeds and get healthier over the next couple of days.

[Jonathanpattaya]

Referring to the OP.

Sadly, I think the little fellow is about to shuffle off this mortal coil.

Edited November 16, 2009 by Jonathanpattaya

[eek]

Jingjoks dont eat ants???

Hmm...well hes been in the same spot and ive been watching him. Decided to put a cheeto near him to attract ants. They got attracted to it pretty quickly and was hoping to see some get gobbled up by the jingjok. A one point a couple of ants started to move onto him and he reacted faster than ive seen in a LONG time. BUT, to move away from them, not eat them! So im guessing they dont like ants and by putting a cheeto there im just giving him more hassle than a food source???

[bina]

snakes and lizards get eaten by ants especially if they are ill or injured; most injured reptiles dont make it... they are sensitive to many diseases wehn their resistance is reduced: fungus, parasites, bacterial.... and scavenger bugs like ants

my experience is that when they start the dying process, its just downhill; the withered up body, not plump, is a good indication of the direction he will be going. my leopard gecko survived 7!!! good years before he started to 'wither' and then he just died....

[GarryP]

Its probably the extra weight he is carrying that he's not used to. "side-arms" can be quite heavy. Try disarming him and see what happens.

[eek]

Took a look in the plant pot for him and he was not there. So, decided to water it. Went out with water and he dropped down the back of my leg and ran under my heel. Nearly squished him!! He shot off with a lot of energy under my table. Im guessing he must have moved up the plant and i knocked him off :S Well..hoping this is all a good sign and he will get a belly full of bugs tonight. Sad to have lost my little pet to the outside world though.

[Tywais]

Sad to have lost my little pet to the outside world though.

Stop off at my place. If you can catch them you can have them, plenty to spare.

Now that I know they can live for 5 years perhaps I need to start naming them.

[eek]

no need Tywais..im gobsmacked because ive just seen my little jingjok running along my bedroom wall..! So..after all that hes back inside again. Im surprised that he got back so much energy so fast. Im pretty sure its the same little guy. How bizarre...

[cognos]

..saw one that lost it's tail..and the tail was still "alive"..then later saw a TV program that talked about the medical ramifications of the properties of such a phenomenon that could be VERY beneficial for humans ( but i forgot what the ramifications/benefits were)..maybe someone else knows..

[sbk]

jingjoks and toukays drop their tails when confronted with a predator, the tail wiggles around to distract the predator from the animal (or at least thats the plan). The tail regrows.

[londonthai]

then later saw a TV program that talked about the medical ramifications of the properties of such a phenomenon that could be VERY beneficial for humans ( but i forgot what the ramifications/benefits were)..maybe someone else knows..

if not regrowing some parts of the body (hand or even finger or ear), than regrowing or repairing some internal organs - without the need for risky restructurisation operations, implants from humans, animals or artificial ones (all difficult and expensive)