Really tame williamsi

WingedWolfPsion · #1 03-06-2010, 01:56 AM

I was posting few short vids of my L. williamsi on youtube, when I came across this:

YouTube - Merlin mue

I'd noticed lately that my Lygos no longer dive for cover when I remove the lid to feed. Just today, a female didn't even bother to leave the feeding platform when I removed one of the cups. I had no idea, however, just how far their boldness could go.
This video really says it all--this geckos is clearly completely unstressed, as you can tell by its bright colors.

This video isn't mine, but I found it so great I wanted to share it.

Wanderer · #2 03-06-2010, 02:33 AM

these guys are amoung the most tame geckos I have, they know when its feeding time, they will actively jump onto my hand and climb into the shaker i use for their fruitflies.

Truly the care the least about my being near their cage.

Red Devil · #3 03-06-2010, 06:57 AM

Superb video and great story. I hope my pair settle and are as tame as yours. I think its maybe too late for that. When I am cleaning them out and have to catch them, once they are in my hand they just chill. But it is an effort to catch them.
My elevated feeder arrived today so am just about to put it in and see how it goes. Fingers crossed.

WingedWolfPsion · #4 03-07-2010, 02:03 AM

My advice is, avoid catching them--just let them be for about a month, and you'll see a big change in their attitude toward you.

Red Devil · #5 03-07-2010, 03:13 AM

Cool I have only had to catch them once to clean them out. I don't try and catch them on a day to day basis. I am not bothered if they aren't hand tamed I just enjoy watching them.
My elevated feeder is a disaster! Crickets just crawl right out.Quite funny really. I am waiting on person getting the Mushroom one in and will spend more money!

WingedWolfPsion · #6 03-07-2010, 03:46 AM

Well, crickets can get out of almost anything, they won't stay in the 2 oz cups either. I don't like using crickets, for that reason, lol

Red Devil · #7 03-07-2010, 04:36 AM

What do you feed yours on?
The two of them were mating again this morning. Hope we have better joy with eggs this time.

WingedWolfPsion · #8 03-07-2010, 04:49 AM

At the moment, mine are eating CGD, dusted fruit flies, small silk worms, and phoenix worms. As soon as I get my mealworm and mini-mealworm colonies well-established, they'll get some of those occasionally as well (they seemed to love the mini-mealies). I'm planning to get tropical woodlice (pill bugs) started.

My search for the perfect feeder bug isn't over, but I may use my own recent idea and just puree and freeze some gutloaded, dusted insects (maybe a mix of different bugs), and add them 50/50 to the CGD, and feed that as a staple with some occasional fruit flies just for fun and exercise.

These little guys don't appear to be exactly picky, so I'm left with simply trying to give them the best nutrition. They'll eat virtually anything, lol.

I can't breed crickets or roaches in the home I'm in currently (it's shared with another family). I don't want to use crickets with my Lygos because one invariably will escape and hide in the driftwood until it's grown too large to be eaten--at that point, it poses a threat to eggs, or even possibly to sleeping lizards. It's not worth the risk, to me.

Red Devil · #9 03-07-2010, 05:05 AM

I know what you are saying.
Are your Williamsi fully grown?
I am concerned if I buy fruit flies they will crawl out the top of my exo terra which will result in my wife booting me out the door.
Do you put in fresh puree and CGD every day or do you leave it in for a few days.
I have been putting in fresh every day but the guy in the pet store tells me he leaves his in the tank to turn into a jelly like substance.

WingedWolfPsion · #10 03-07-2010, 05:12 AM

I use flightless fruit flies--I'm raising both D. hydei and D. melanogaster. If they crawl out of the tank--and they will, sometimes--they won't go very far, because they are really 'walks' more than 'flies'. ^_^

I tap them into the cup with the calcium powder, and shake it gently. This coats the flies, and they have a lot of trouble climbing out. So, most of them will stay in the cup. The majority that make it out are snapped up by the geckos.

I mix fresh CGD every time I feed them, and I remove it at the end of the day. They certainly do not need CGD in there all the time, they would explode. lol
I only mix up 1/2 teaspoon of powder with 1 teaspoon of water. This is enough that it stays edible all day, but by the next morning it's dried out anyhow. They can't eat much, at their size, and there's no sense in fixing more than they can eat. I would use less, but if I do, it doesn't last the entire day before it's dry.