[pakinjak]

I thought I'd share this for those who may be a little newer to Uros than I am, you experienced keepers already know this stuff. For a long time, I knew it was preferred to buy CB over WC, but didn't have any first hand experience with recent imports. Until now, all my Uroplatus were either LTC or CB. I'll just share two pics for comparison, and you can judge which one you would want. I'm not talking about color and pattern, just the general shape the animal is in.

The first animal is roughly a year old, I've had her since she was 3 months. The second animal is two weeks into the country, and about the same length as the other. I just got her this past Wed. and have a lot of work to do with her to get her back into shape.

Hopefully, this might help those thinking of getting into uros understand one of the several reasons to prefer CB for your first Uro.

[rhacoboy]

Thank you for this post. I really appreciate it very much.
This should be very helpful to many of the new comers with Uroplatus.

Here's the issues with wild caught animals:
Many of them are infested with parasites and/or mites. Although many times its not the actual parasite or mite that will kill your animal, it is the stress from us trying to remove them. Many animals come in in horrible condition, often very thin and not hydrated. While there are the rare exceptions, almost every animal that I have purchased as a fresh wild caught specimen needed some work. I have lost my fare share of wild caught imports as well, and have learned the hard way that when people stress purchasing LTC (Long Term Captive) or CB (Captive Bred) Uroplatus they truly know what they're saying. Being a genus that is already very fragile and very easily stressed, the fact that they traveled across the world and are being placed into new homes makes them even more vulnerable. Although the WC imports are much cheaper than purchasing a captive bred animal, you get what you pay for. Personally, I think that the prices for captive bred Uroplatus should go up, and I'm hoping that they will within the next couple of years. The amount of work that goes behind breeding and keeping these animals truly does deserve a higher reward. Once you get the trick, they're not so hard to breed at all. But meeting all of their requirements is the issue. Keeping the stress down in their lives, acclimation of WC imports, etc. They should be priced much higher. I hope that breeders take it upon themselves to make these changes. As you have probably noticed, there are VERY few CBB Uroplatus on the market today. And that has to do with the fact that they are not an easy genus to reproduce.
Hope this helps,
-Armen

[Jackp308]

in my little experience my favorite Uroplatus sikorae have been wild caught fresh imports. Who's to say that is what makes them the way they are.Yet in my collection the WCs are my faves. Yes, some have came in poor condition and taken some TLC to get back into good shape. Just like any other new addition they need to feel comfortable, safe, and have the proper environment/care. You should also have a good ideal which importer your buying from. That should give you a good idea what kind of shape your gecko will be in. I try to buy from people I know get unique stuff and will not send you something on its death bed. Few importers of sikorae, id pay up front knowing they get me some awesome geckos. Others I have learned the hard way.

So who'd you get your above gecko from.? She seems to seen better days but I bet youll get her back to par soon enough. Good Luck . Both are awesome geckos BTW.

Im not saying to choose WCs or CB just that my favorite geckos have turned to out to be my WC ones so im glad I got them. True LTC are probably best route if looking for WC though.

[jadrig]

yeah, the main problem with fresh off the boat WC specimens is not necessarily the parasite load...but more so the rigors of the importation/deportation process.
The animals dont look that bad in the wild...maybe a little trim, definitely not obese, but not emaciated. The emaciation happens while the geckos are boarded up and shipped over seas. They go WEEKS without food/water. The lack of food is the main reason for them to be in such poor health.
Now, just as any other animal that has gone a long time without food, these Uroplatus need to be 'built' back up slowly. Their stomachs shrink significantly while being crated up. A little food at a time helps bring them back.
Patience is the key to their acclimation.
I would always suggest LTC for a beginner...but most of the imports are not impossible to deal with.