[MissMachine]

Hi all,

Today I am receiving three eggs that are on the brink of coming out. I have a very small glass terrarium set up. This was just for show. It contains natural fernbackgrounds, aquariumgravel mix with earthsoil on the ground and it contains live ferns and small Ficus climbers on the wall. The temperature is about 86 F during the day and it's about 70% humidity. I placed some branches in there for the hatchlings to climb on. Also I have a good culture of springtails and a culture of D. melanogaster.

Does this setup seems appropriate for the hatchlings? Or should some adjustments be made? I have to fix the lighting, the hatchlings also need lot's of UV I read. Now there is only a small daylightbulb in the enclosure.
I also read something about feeding pinheads...I never heard of this name. What are they? I live in the Netherlands and maybe it's also something they sell over here.

Thnx in advance for replies!

[WingedWolfPsion]

Yes, good strong UVB is what they need. You will also need to use a calcium supplement on the D. melanogaster. It is not necessary to feed pinheads, which are newborn crickets. I also offer mine Repashy CGD once or twice a week. This is not necessary, and I don't recommend substituting fruit if you can't get it.

It is essential to have no holes anywhere because these guys can get through astonishingly small spaces. You need a good tight screen top (UVB cannot penetrate glass). Screen does block some UV, so get a high rated UVB bulb, the strongest fluorescent UVB reptile light you can find. Place it over the top of the tank, don't put it IN the tank. Don't put any lights inside the tank--a gecko could burn itself, or find its way inside the fixture!

I recommend using distilled water for spraying, as it won't leave water spots on the glass.

Do not underestimate how tiny these guys are. They're amazingly small.

My little guy is one month old now, and I only now feel that he may not find his way through some gap in an unmodified ZooMed tank. He's twice the size he was at hatching. I lost his sibling, literally, when it disappeared...it found some way out of the tank, even though I screened every gap I could find.

[MissMachine]

Thnx! I will buy a new ExoTerra glas terrarium, but indeed according to there size, the eggs are as small as peas , i think have to make some adjustments to that new terrarium as well. But I want to give them all the necessities they need. Do they need calciumpowder WITH or WITHOUT D3?
I also have the vitaminjellies for my adult williamsi, maybe the hatchlings eat this as well? Ok, so pinheads are new born crickets...ok! Didn't knew that..

[WingedWolfPsion]

Yes--pay close attention to where the clips hold the top in place, and any ventilation holes. I think the Exo-Terras may be worse for the ventilation holes than the ZooMed tanks are. Where the doors close--look carefully around there, you may need to seal those gaps as well. I used tiny pieces of fiberglass screen, taped on. I didn't want to use just tape, I was afraid they would get stuck to it. Makes it inconvenient to open and close the door, but the hatchlings are so small sometimes, I heard someone saw one run down an aquarium airline hose.

I use Miner-All with D3 with my hatchling, and he's a month old now. If you think it would be too much D3, alternate.
I am not sure what the vitamin jellies you're talking about are, so I don't know, there.
My adults eat a lot of CGD, but I haven't really given much to the hatchling. I've heard so much about how delicate they are, and not to overfeed. I do feed it once a day though. Since the hatchling is growing fast and seems healthy, I expect this is one regimen that works.

Make sure you have D. melanogaster. The D. hydei are too large for newborn hatchlings. My tank also has tropical springtails in it, but I am not sure if it's eaten any of them.

[MissMachine]

Then, maybe it's better to have a terrarium custom made I guess... They make 'm fruitflyproof over here..and also with the front glass that leans on the side glass, so it has a tight fit. It's also less expensive..

The vitaminjellies are sold bij a German brand over here - Namiba Terra. Actually they're made specially for Phelsuma's. The jelly contains vitamins, minerals, nectars and pollen. Also beetlekeepers use it. They come in various flavors. The williamsi love it!

http://terrarienworld.de/images/herbivorep.jpg

[WingedWolfPsion]

Entirely possible. I'm thinking of getting some Protean cages down the road for that very reason.

The jellies look like gelatin cups sold for kids, here. lol...

Of course, williamsi love anything food. I have yet to find something that they won't eat. They don't like phoenix worms much, but they eat them all anyhow, lol.

[MissMachine]

I think I'm going to try that CGD from Repashy or something

This afternoon I fed them some small crickets.. They seem to prefer some larger insects this time. I noticed the female also licking the calciumdustpowder from the foodtray. Also they seem to be less and less scared of me and becoming more tame. When I approach them they don't run away anymore. They stay in place and lick my fingertip .

[MissMachine]

I ordered a new terrarium with screen on top.. I also ordered a Exo Terra light canopy on top with two bulbs. Is it wise for the youngsters to use a combination of 2.0 and a 10.0 lightbulb? The 10.0 because of the higher UV?

[WingedWolfPsion]

Due to how much UV the screen blocks, I wouldn't worry about overdoing the UV for these guys. They double their size in a month, so they need top nutrition.

[MissMachine]

Ok, thanks again!