[Sourri]

Hi,


does anyone know something about the lifespan of Cyrtodactylus peguensis?


Thank you
Gecko84

[Afelinus]

I can say from my previous experience that I kept 2 adult w/c pairs for 3 years before selling them.I know from the babies they had that it takes about a year to get to adult size.So they had to be at least 4 years old.Take care,Marcus.

[Sourri]

Hallo Marcus!


thanks for your answer!
I could get 1,1 which is said to be 2 years old. They already had eggs so I wasn't sure if that is possible but when you say they need only one year to get adult size I think it's possible!


Gecko84

[ICU844]

Whether these geckos reach adult hood in a year is not as critical as them having the weight for the female to handle egg production. The males on most of the Crytodactylus species are ready to attack females as young as 7 to 8 months old. The female is another story. She needs to sexually mature by weight not by age. JERRY

[Afelinus]

Very true about weight v.age Jerry,but that wasn't the question posed.It is a general rule with all species that weight for females is critical in the overall health picture,more than age just as you suggested.Siri,was asking about longevity,which I used the babies I hatched as a comparative guesstimation for overall age and size of my wildcaught adults,and the length of time they were with me.

[ICU844]

My misunderstanding Marcus. But from my own experience , you cannot count w.c. for accuracy in determining how long Pegu's live. C.B. yes because they are basically parasitic free and are in an environmentally controlled system.From hatchling to adulthood. In general if I had to take an educaed guess, 5 to 6 years for males, and possibly less for females (and allot depends on their egg laying capabilities) With w.c. Pegu's, as well as other Cyrto's, it is my belief, and its only based on my own observations from past imports, that their longevity is contingent upon their ability to withstand being killed from the inside out.

What I mean by that is internal parasites that maintain their dormancy, and then for whatever reason over a period of time, you begin to loose them one by one. Thats exactly what incurred with my population of the wc. Pegu's. I did not experience that with the c.b. population that I receivevd from the Czech. Republic many years ago. Regrettably , I sold them off due to some health problems I encountered. Anyway its an interesting topic. As more people get into these fascinating species, and give them a chance, we may find them as an attractive alternative to what is commonly in the market.

[Afelinus]

Very valid points Jerry.I was pretty curious about this so I was actually talking to my friend I sold them to years ago to find out how much longer they lived .The largest pair produced offspring an additional 4 years after leaving me,so that made the female at least 7 years of age before dying.Her egg production decreased as expected,but she was relatively robust all that time.I would love to believe we offer controlled environments,but that just doesn't happen.There all kinds of living things in our water,on our hands,and yes c/b animals will have the ability to contract parasites too.There are no absolutes,except you know its age.I do think stress factors cause parasitic loads to eventually consume their victims,so in direct corrolation,reduce them,and reduce the possibility of an attack.As with individuals in humanity,genetics,environmental factors and the ability to adapt to these variables will be the final say in what goes on,even in a terrarium .

[ICU844]

[Marcus, I agree completely. But I must admit, when I was in the business, I think a majority of the blame was with the exporter. Since their was no restrictions,on collections, and they knew that they could get as much as we asked for, they just did not care. In the end not only does the animal suffer, but we do as well.

Thats one of the big problems with this species. It has received a bad rap. Thats why I am so happy to have met you. You are making a difference, and as long as we can upgrade the quality of Cyrtos, then we may see a marked improvement in the desire to obtain more of them. Always a pleasure, JERRY

[Afelinus]

I must say that is 99% of what was,and still is in some cases,the main problem.EXPORTER CARE PRIOR TO SHIPPING.I feel very fortunate to have the exporter I have,and it is more a credit to him than myself for what comes in.Very much on point Jerry.You cant argue the truth.

[ICU844]

It was for that very reason why I went to East Africa to accomplish 2 primary objectives. One related to the proper shipping so that we all had a chance at survival from Kenya to the U.S., but more importantly, the maintenance while in control of the exporter. I was succesful in both instances, but that was 1 supplier. I was not so fortunate with the other 99. So now the exporters have partners. The govts of both countries. It was just a matter of time. JERRY