[JAZ954]

I am new to GU . I collect and breed rhacodactylus and lygodactylus geckos . Things couldnt be going better with those species. I recently obtained a pair of Uroplatus sikorae Mossy leaf-tails and last nite found 2 eggs in the bottom of the cage . I am getting mixed information on how to incubate these eggs and would like some tips from people who have successfully hatched this species . Any info would be greatly appreciated

[Elizabeth Freer]

A hearty welcome to Geckos Unlimited.

This is the subforum where the Uroplatus specialists hang out .

[Fumbles]

Originally Posted by JAZ954

I am new to GU . I collect and breed rhacodactylus and lygodactylus geckos . Things couldnt be going better with those species. I recently obtained a pair of Uroplatus sikorae Mossy leaf-tails and last nite found 2 eggs in the bottom of the cage . I am getting mixed information on how to incubate these eggs and would like some tips from people who have successfully hatched this species . Any info would be greatly appreciated

I'm going to piggyback on your thread because I have the exact same question. Any advice that anyone can give on what the original poster asked along with what equipment we might need to better take care of our eggs would be helpful. Take a look at the below pictures:

Spot she buried them:

Moved the leaves to reveal:

The couple:

[miguel camacho!]

I don't think anyone has ever said much in regards to whether or not it matters, but just to be safe, do your best not to rotate the eggs. It might not matter, but in some reptiles it does.

Keep in mind that hard-shelled eggs are designed to be more water retentive. Many people incubate Uroplatus eggs on top of foam, placed on top of a moistened substrate. There are many substrates to choose from (i.e. perlite, vermiculite, some specialized hatching medium such as Repashy Superhatch, etc.). I recommend not using a live or formerly living substrate (such as moss fiber) due to the fact that it has a higher likelihood of molding over, especially if ventilation is not adequate. Keep whatever substrate you use slightly moistened, but not wet. I prefer it just barely moist to the touch. I had a lot of success incubating U. henkeli, U. phantasticus and U. ebenaui eggs on perlite at room temperature. I personally try to incubate at cool temperatures than may take slightly longer (68-70 degrees, fairly stable). I believe warmer incubation temps and resulting shorter incubation times can lead to weaker hatchlings and lower hatch success rate. Expect an average of roughly 90-100 days incubation time, although sometimes people have Uroplatus eggs incubating upwards of 150 days before anything hatches.

Put the incubation medium and eggs in a decently sized tupperware container with several small holes drilled for ventilation. Too much ventilation, and you risk drying your medium quickly, which can amount to more maintenance of the incubation enclosure. Too little ventilation, and you risk a possibility of asphyxiating the embryos in the eggs by not allowing proper gas exchange. Using a larger (but not too large) container with lots of incubation medium allows greater stability of the incubation environment. No additional heat should be needed.

[Elizabeth Freer]

checking in.......

[sushigex]

I have had 100% hatch rate in close to a dozen phantasticus eggs using the SIM container with moist super hatch.

[T-ReXx]

I haven't bred sikorae but I did have a rather successful season this year with U. henkeli. For incubation I put the eggs individually in bottle caps filled with DRY vermiculite. I just make a little divot and place the egg in it. As mentioned, try not to rotate the egg, I put a small dot on top with a sharpie to keep track of orientation. The caps with the eggs are placed in a tupperware container filled half way with perlite mixed 1:1 ratio with water. I put a single small air hole in the lid. The eggs are incubated at 75F with a 4 degree temp drop at night. Temp drops tend to increase hatchling vigor. My eggs normally hatch within 88-90 days at these temps. 78 is normally the recommended temp but I prefer slightly cooler as I agree that longer incubation temps increase the vigor of the babies. Out of 8 eggs this season I had one hatchling die (hatched malformed, only a nub for a tail) and the remaining 5 babies are all doing very well. 2 eggs still incubating.

Good luck!