[MPLexus301]

Hey All,

I typically flounder around the fat tail forum but lately these cave geckos have really caught my eye. I have done a good bit of research but still have some questions, and any help or answers would be greatly appreciated!

1) Many of the geckos that I have seen look thinner and more slender than fat tails or leopards (as a reference). Is the species just thinner by nature or have I been looking at too many pics of WC individuals ?

2) Some sources say they get to 6 inches as adults and others say 9 inches. What is true? My guess is that it's roughly the same as leos and can vary with feeding, individuals, etc.

3) How closely related to leos or fat tails are these guys? They look nearly identical to leos aside from the colors and slightly slimmer build.

That is all for now...thank you in advance

Michael

[geckomaster]

In my experience the luii and araneus average between 6 - 8 inches. Build-wise they don't have either the body or tail girth of the fatties or leos, but are still solid geckos, though wild caughts and the pictures of them will reflect a thinner girth for the obvious reasons. The wild caught issue is kinda moot at the moment as there hasn't been much, if any, importation from China or Vietnam in over a year of these geckos. I think they took a big hit from overcollection and habitat issues, plus the governments may be playing a role as well. There are still a few long term catives around, but most of what you see is captive bred. The luii used to be plentiful, but are a little hard to find now, but once found are cool critters to keep. Actually all the gonis are quite basic in their needs. Keep cool, room temp usually works fine, keep moist, and don't pester them and pretty much everything else falls into place.

Good luck!

Mark

[sciteacher]

Originally Posted by geckomaster

In my experience the luii and araneus average between 6 - 8 inches. Build-wise they don't have either the body or tail girth of the fatties or leos, but are still solid geckos, though wild caughts and the pictures of them will reflect a thinner girth for the obvious reasons. The wild caught issue is kinda moot at the moment as there hasn't been much, if any, importation from China or Vietnam in over a year of these geckos. I think they took a big hit from overcollection and habitat issues, plus the governments may be playing a role as well. There are still a few long term catives around, but most of what you see is captive bred. The luii used to be plentiful, but are a little hard to find now, but once found are cool critters to keep. Actually all the gonis are quite basic in their needs. Keep cool, room temp usually works fine, keep moist, and don't pester them and pretty much everything else falls into place.

Good luck!

Mark

Mark,

Did you pick up any new Gonis at Tinley? I remember you posted that you would be looking. I picked up a juvie pair of G. luii and a young female G. hainanensis to go with my single male. I was happy to find some nice CB animals there. Last year I hesitated and they sold out before I came back to the table. This year I grabbed a few as soon as I saw them. My female luii has an interesting abberant pattern... kind of looks like a question mark. They've settled in nicely and seem to be doing well.

Gary

[geckomaster]

I didn't make it as the bar I worked at had ocktoberfest going on and I already had a few irons in the fire. I did pick up recently a pair of ltc luii and a couple of their offspring. I never did find the guy who had the hainanensis and luii from last year. It's weird as he spoke as if he was breeding quite a few and was surprised at their popularity but isn't on any of the forums. Oh well, I hope your guys are doing good and since your close keep in touch. maybe we can get a couple of gonis to mplexus and get them started!

[sciteacher]

Same guy was back this year. That's who I bought from. I asked for a card, but he didn't have one. Didn't find him listed on the program either, so I don't really have any contact info. He didn't have a lot of them to sell (also had snakes at the table), and his prices were a little bit higher this year, but he had nice animals.

Gary