[elchopchop]

hey guys,
so i'm finally picking up an unrelated trio of these little stunners this weekend - got everything I need and done all my research but cant decide how best to setmy viv up. I'm using an all glass exo terra and most of the exo terras i have seen previously have been set up as rainforest environments. Could people please post pics of their desert exo terras to give me a little insperation!!?

[Matt K]

A local pet shop to me has one available for $24 US. A good buy?

[elchopchop]

hey,
if they are definately the Hasselquistii then that is a really good buy!! The hasselquistii genus are quite rare in the pet trade - alot of places sell the genus Ptyodactylus Guttatus as Fan footed geckos and these are usually the cheaper animals. While they are very similar they are a completely different species altogether!!

[Elias_Bader]

Hi
It should also be mentioned that lots of P. guttatus sold as P. hasselquisti in fact are P. siphonorhina
Anyway, to differentiate hasselquisti, at least as adults, is much easier than distinguishing the other two from each other.

[danscantle]

Originally Posted by Elias_Bader

Hi
It should also be mentioned that lots of P. guttatus sold as P. hasselquisti in fact are P. siphonorhina
Anyway, to differentiate hasselquisti, at least as adults, is much easier than distinguishing the other two from each other.

I've thought about guttatus and siphonorhina as well, but have only seen a photo of siphonorhina in El Din's book. I was left with the impression that siphonorhina may just be a regionally distinctive variant of guttatus. Have you seen clear overlap in the appearance of the species? (El Din's photo is rather distinctive, but maybe most siphonorhina are not?)

[Elias_Bader]

Hi
Once, P. siphonorhina had species status, then it was seen as a subspecies of guttatus and, in 2006 i think (unfortunately, I can't find the article at the moment), it recieved species status again. Fact is, that it's not just a morph of guttatus, because there's a consistent difference in the nasalia and the toe lamellas between the two types.
The thing with the phenotypical overlap is pretty difficult to answer. If I compare my animals with some that are defined for sure as guttatus, there's no obvious difference in habit, their bodies look the same, except the two points mentioned above. To distinguish them by colour is not certain either because they are able to change it pretty well. So the only safe way to determine guttatus or siphonorhina is by counting nasal scales and toe lamellas.
To know what species one keeps is important because they do not inhabit the same habitat (says the mentioned article, published once in REPTILIA)
Siphonorhinas favour really dry areas, while guttatus prefer areas with a little higher humidity, like oases.
That means one cannot keep them adequate unless he knows what (sub-)species he's got.

[JEZ]

hey guys my freind stumbled apon 2 Ptyodactylus hasselquistii n i fell in love with him he got boared with them and i got them off him. i was just wondering if anyone had any info/websites to help me keep them happy. these are my first geckos n i havent been able to find to much about them on the net other then its best to have a gecko before owning.... anyways i was hopeing someone could help me out i have a beared dragon n turtles so i have handled reptiles before just never geckos... plz get back to me thanks everyone

[mikew1234]

Being honest, you should have started a new post, not brought up one 3 years old. Look up Jon boones site. He may have some pics of the habitat at least.

[JEZ]

lol yeh after i posted i realized that .... thanks do i just put that in the search?

[mikew1234]

Jon Boone - Geckos, etc
That's the link. Unfortunately, there's no habitat pics, but it gives a great start.. Desert viv, and it looks like rocks are a good plus, along with the possibility of height to the enclosure.