[Mez]

Anyone got any information on these guys?
Had some made available to me, lack of information on the net!
Any help appreciated.
James

[spidergecko]

Interestingly enough, I'm in the process of writing a caresheet on them.

They are very simple to care for. They require many rocks and obstacles to run and hide in. They are very skitish and bounce off the walls of the viv when scared (which seems to be always). They lay a 2-egg clutch every 20 days or so. Incubate dry at 82-86'F. Some people keep them in colonies but males do fight and may kill each other. Earlier this year, one of my males bit off the upper jaw of another and that one died very soon after.

You can keep them just like many other desert geckos. So a daytime high of 85 to 100'F (surface) on the hot end and a drop to high 70s low 80's at night. I keep mine exactly like Agamura except I don't give them the blazing hot basking lamp that Agamura seems to like.

I think someone (perhaps Dan) mentioned once that they usually lay single egg clutches. Mine have almost always laid double-eggs but every gecko is different. I have 8 adults right now and coincidentally my first baby of the season hatched today.

I like this species quite a bit and I think it is one of the often overlooked species because of its lack of colour or its cheap price. It would be nice to have more captive breeding but with some WC prices as low as $5, it's hard to get people interested in this gecko as a breeding project.

[Mez]

So, heating should be provided through a spot lamp rather than a heatmat, or the heatmat on the back of the tank?
I have experience with Cyrtodactylus, but these dont seem much like em.

[spidergecko]

Originally Posted by Mez

So, heating should be provided through a spot lamp rather than a heatmat, or the heatmat on the back of the tank?
I have experience with Cyrtodactylus, but these dont seem much like em.

Personally I always use spot lamps rather than heating mats but that is my preference. I find that eggs buried under a spot lamp will survive if forgotten but eggs buried over a heat mat will cook. The overlying sand protects them. This is true even for Agamura which has has extremely high temperatures hitting the basking area. I have kept C. scabrum with heat mats and they do just fine. As I said before, it's all preference.

These geckos are more similar to Agamura, or Tenuidactylus (I guess an old name or sub-category of Cyrtopodion). Khan calls this group of geckos the angular-toed geckos of Pakistan. There are a few other species classified in this group as well. If I read it right, Cyrtopodion was part of Cyrtodactylus until the group was divided between the desert geckos and the others. I don't have my texts here but thats the basic gist of it.

I've never kept Cyrtodactylus spp. but I assume C. scabrum is easier to keep.

[danscantle]

I agree with Mike on care here. However, I wouldn't be afraid to give them a spot above 100. They do very well with a lot of heat and food.

When I first bred this species I mostly recieved single clutches. This year (my 3rd year with the species) I've gotten mostly two eggs in a clutch. At temps around 82F, hatching occurs after approx. 60 days of incubation. At 92-3F, incubation is just 30 days. Incredible stuff.

[spidergecko]

Originally Posted by danscantle

At 92-3F, incubation is just 30 days. Incredible stuff.

Okay that is insane! Do the geckos hatch out weak or deformed? Do they survive long term? 92'F! That is hot!

I'm tempted to try that but I'm too lazy to adjust the incubator.

[danscantle]

Nope, picture-perfect-bouncing-off-the-walls-Cyrtopodion. It's hot in the desert.

[spidergecko]

Originally Posted by danscantle

Nope, picture-perfect-bouncing-off-the-walls-Cyrtopodion. It's hot in the desert.

Hey Dan,

I know this thread is old but when you incubate at these high temps what is the ratio of male to female? Is this species TSD?

Thanks

[nunny666]

i found my little bent toed cyrtopodion scaber in a cold empty flat in england last thur,,i went out and bought loads of gear and touch wood hes doing fine,hoping he will put a tad more weight on,,,hes called Banano