Uroplatus (Leaf Tail Gecko) info?

[jennrosefx]

Anyone have any info on Uroplatus (leaf tail geckos)? I've found some basic info online... but wondering if anyone knows of any breeders, or are they primarily imported? Anyone here ever kept one?

 

[Jeff Linkchorst]

Jenn
I left a brief description in your other thread.
here is one care sheet. Robert Gundy has been keeping them for a while. I remember him when i keep and breed gexs.
http://www.geocities.com/reptiluvr/sikoraecaresheet.htm

Also go to GGA Global Gecko Association. There is alot of people there. Breeders too. Very Good Info. GGA Home page. Also a classified.
http://www.gekkota.com/index.html

Here is a link to the Uro. Henkeli from GGA. http://www.gekkota.com/html/uroplatus_henkeli.html

I hope this helps. I would have loved to have them..

 

[jennrosefx]

Jenn
I left a brief description in your other thread.
here is one care sheet. Robert Gundy has been keeping them for a while. I remember him when i keep and breed gexs.
http://www.geocities.com/reptiluvr/sikoraecaresheet.htm

Also go to GGA Global Gecko Association. There is alot of people there. Breeders too. Very Good Info. GGA Home page. Also a classified.
http://www.gekkota.com/index.html

Here is a link to the Uro. Henkeli from GGA. http://www.gekkota.com/html/uroplatus_henkeli.html

I hope this helps. I would have loved to have them..

Thanks alot! I'll go check this all out!!!

 

[Jeff Linkchorst]

No Problem and your Welcome. And IF you DO get one it will mean :fullauto: LOL jk.

 

[jennrosefx]

No Problem and your Welcome. And IF you DO get one it will mean :fullauto: LOL jk.

Hahahaha. Well, I don't see us getting one anytime soon. I'm pretty ridiculous about obsessively researching things before buying them...And my boyfriend is pretty ridiculous about not wanting more pets in the house. Hahaha. But since HE'S the one who fell in love with them, I'm all for encouraging it. LOL! And besides, who can resist those alien eyes.

But, honestly, the more I read about them, they sound like they might be a tad higher maintenance than I should be bringing into my life with my unpredictable schedule (but one could also argue that I work from home at least 1/3 of the time, so what on earth am I talking about!).

We shall see. The photographer in me would KILL to have such an amazingly bizarre, and photogenic creature in my collection, but what I've been reading makes them out to be somewhat nervous animals (allthough that pair at the show was rather chill).

:shrugs:

 

[aameenah]

OMG Jenn these are the best.gex. EVAR! I have a breeding pair, and I absolutely love them

FMI- this is the most comprehensive caresheet I've ever come across...(for phantasticus/satanics)

http://www.forums.repashy.com/showthread.php?t=2602

They are not really tricky, the biggest issue is keeping the humidity correct. Uroplatus are suited for someone who's experienced with herps (which you are) but none of the Uroplatus will stand being left without care for long, so if you're away for any amount of time you'll have to have someone to take care of them.

Most Uroplatus are imported, though there are a few breeders in North America (hopefully I'll be on that list soon haha) You will probably find one on the forum on the link I posted. Imports of this genus are very delicate, and well, prone to dying for no apparent reason, even after months in captivity. So if you do get an import, get LTC, because even the healthiest appearing specimens might die suddenly and mysteriously(had this happen with my last male...still don't know what COD was )

But for all the fuss and finicky-ness...they are so cool it's worth it! Go for it!

 

[The Nothing]

here's what I just posted to your same inquiry on LJ...


there are a few (like 5) people that do breed them... most of them can be found at GeckosUnlimited.com

As far as keeping them I've been caring for Satanics, Giants and Mossies... As they're 99% imports, we do panacur them. Very hard for Satanics (we'll put panacur on the crickets) but the others are fairly simple.

These are fairly fragile geckos IME. They're usually pretty thin, but more often than not they come around just fine after a couple weeks. Satanics are usually the best off of the bunch, followed by Mossies and Giants.

Uroplatus have the COOLEST eyes in the reptile world, and the Giants (Uroplatus fimbriatus) have the most teeth in the reptile world - over 300!

We keep all of ours in Exoterra/ZooMed Terrariums with Giants getting the largest, Satanics in the smallest, and the rest in something in between. They do not require much of any heat. We offer a low (<30watt) heat with either a red/black incandescent or a CHE for the Giants while smaller species get just UVB lamps durring the day. We use the Zilla Mini Reptile Fixture as they do radiate heat due to the ballasts and the compact nature of the fixture, and our tests show these put out a great amount of UVB that can penetrate the screen tops of the terrariums, unlike most other florescent UVB fixtures.

Misting is done twice a day and to help maintain humidity we use sphagnum moss as our primary substrate. These geckos tend feed with a vengeance, so the moss also helps pad their snouts and avoid damage. These guys usually don't move too fast and can be handled a bit. They are excellent jumpers though, so be prepared and stay low should they try to jump for the ground...

 

[jennrosefx]

here's what I just posted to your same inquiry on LJ...


there are a few (like 5) people that do breed them... most of them can be found at GeckosUnlimited.com

As far as keeping them I've been caring for Satanics, Giants and Mossies... As they're 99% imports, we do panacur them. Very hard for Satanics (we'll put panacur on the crickets) but the others are fairly simple.

These are fairly fragile geckos IME. They're usually pretty thin, but more often than not they come around just fine after a couple weeks. Satanics are usually the best off of the bunch, followed by Mossies and Giants.

Uroplatus have the COOLEST eyes in the reptile world, and the Giants (Uroplatus fimbriatus) have the most teeth in the reptile world - over 300!

We keep all of ours in Exoterra/ZooMed Terrariums with Giants getting the largest, Satanics in the smallest, and the rest in something in between. They do not require much of any heat. We offer a low (<30watt) heat with either a red/black incandescent or a CHE for the Giants while smaller species get just UVB lamps durring the day. We use the Zilla Mini Reptile Fixture as they do radiate heat due to the ballasts and the compact nature of the fixture, and our tests show these put out a great amount of UVB that can penetrate the screen tops of the terrariums, unlike most other florescent UVB fixtures.

Misting is done twice a day and to help maintain humidity we use sphagnum moss as our primary substrate. These geckos tend feed with a vengeance, so the moss also helps pad their snouts and avoid damage. These guys usually don't move too fast and can be handled a bit. They are excellent jumpers though, so be prepared and stay low should they try to jump for the ground...

I'd love to see a photos of some of your geckos... and would especially love to see a photo or two of some of your set-ups.

Do you mean those exoterra terrariums with the fake rock backrounds? Is it best to keep them housed individually, or do they prefer having a cage mate or two? I do think if I were to get one, I'd really want to try my best to get a captive bred individual...allthough doesn't sound like that will be the easiest thing to come by.

 

[jennrosefx]

OMG Jenn these are the best.gex. EVAR! I have a breeding pair, and I absolutely love them

FMI- this is the most comprehensive caresheet I've ever come across...(for phantasticus/satanics)

http://www.forums.repashy.com/showthread.php?t=2602

They are not really tricky, the biggest issue is keeping the humidity correct. Uroplatus are suited for someone who's experienced with herps (which you are) but none of the Uroplatus will stand being left without care for long, so if you're away for any amount of time you'll have to have someone to take care of them.

Most Uroplatus are imported, though there are a few breeders in North America (hopefully I'll be on that list soon haha) You will probably find one on the forum on the link I posted. Imports of this genus are very delicate, and well, prone to dying for no apparent reason, even after months in captivity. So if you do get an import, get LTC, because even the healthiest appearing specimens might die suddenly and mysteriously(had this happen with my last male...still don't know what COD was )

But for all the fuss and finicky-ness...they are so cool it's worth it! Go for it!

I'd love to see photos of your pair and of your set up! Do you keep them housed together?

If you end up breeding them, will you be shipping to California?? Hehe.

 

[The Nothing]

i'll see if i can't get some pics for ya tomorrow. Yeah, you're thinking the right cages... With ExoTerras i rip out the styrofoam immediately. I prefer the newer ZooMed setups with a single door and no top dividers.

We've usually pretty much always kept them in pairs. They tend to tolerate each other just fine, thought I can't speak for what would happen with two males.

 

[aameenah]

Well I don't know about shipping them, but the next time I come down I'll stash some in the glove compartment and sneak them over the border I'm hoping to have hatchlings next year, but these are tricky mofos to breed. Wish me luck! Anyhoo...pics of the lil devils...I just moved the female to a 20 gal and dont have pics yet, and the male in still in a quarantine tub for now, but he'll go in the same enclosure with her. A lot of people keep these guys in harem groups (1.2 etc) males will fight, sometimes females do too...nothing easy about them haha...

New male...no name yet...

The female Ogra when I first got her, really gravid and layed two slugs the next day...

and the male Fizzgig, who died months ago rip lil buddy

 

[jennrosefx]

i'll see if i can't get some pics for ya tomorrow. Yeah, you're thinking the right cages... With ExoTerras i rip out the styrofoam immediately. I prefer the newer ZooMed setups with a single door and no top dividers.

We've usually pretty much always kept them in pairs. They tend to tolerate each other just fine, thought I can't speak for what would happen with two males.

Yeah, I'd love to see pics!

Why do you rip out the styrofoam? And it looks like Zoomed only has one size terrarium? Is this true?

If kept in pairs, since they don't seem to be the easiest of critters to breed, what are the chances of an accidental breeding? Do you intend to breed them or have you in the past?

 

[jennrosefx]

and the male Fizzgig, who died months ago rip lil buddy

That baby is amazing. Well.. they all are, really! Thanks so much for the pics!

 

[The Nothing]

Yeah, I'd love to see pics!

Why do you rip out the styrofoam? And it looks like Zoomed only has one size terrarium? Is this true?

Because crickets eat up the styrofoam and since the styrofoam isn't secured, it tends to fall easily. I also hate that it takes up over 2" of cage space making say, a a 12x12x12 cage only 12x12x10...

While ZooMed's Naturalistic Terrariums haven't been around as long as the Exoterra Terrariums, they do have more than one size. ZooMeds come in 12x12x12, 12x12x18, 18x18x18 and 18x18x24. Basicly the same sizes Exoterra's had when they first built theirs...

If kept in pairs, since they don't seem to be the easiest of critters to breed, what are the chances of an accidental breeding? Do you intend to breed them or have you in the past?

We always hope

 

[jennrosefx]

Because crickets eat up the styrofoam and since the styrofoam isn't secured, it tends to fall easily. I also hate that it takes up over 2" of cage space making say, a a 12x12x12 cage only 12x12x10...

While ZooMed's Naturalistic Terrariums haven't been around as long as the Exoterra Terrariums, they do have more than one size. ZooMeds come in 12x12x12, 12x12x18, 18x18x18 and 18x18x24. Basicly the same sizes Exoterra's had when they first built theirs...




We always hope

Is there any info out there at all on breeding them? I'm always for encouraging the breeding of animals that are primarily imported, to hopefully someday discourage taking them from the wild.

 

[The Nothing]

I mentioned GeckosUnlimited.com, and there is some breeding info there

 

[jennrosefx]

I mentioned GeckosUnlimited.com, and there is some breeding info there

Yeah... I actually joined up on GeckosUnlimited today. The more and more I poke around and read though, the more and more daunting these geckos actually sound.