Searching for Flying geckos

[Theravie]

hi! I'm totally new to this forum, but it looked like a good place to ask my questions.

I have a tall, front opened glass tank, that I think would be perfect for flying geckos. I think I might want to attempt breeding them, but I'm also wanting to look into just buying 1 captive bred flying gecko. Do you guys know of anyone breeding them currently, or how to find a flying gecko breeder? I'm having like, no luck >.<

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hi ~

Welcome aboard!

Daniel Martindale (GU's Palor) still breeds Ptychozoon kuhli as far as I know. He lives in the Midwest and could be reached on FaceBook.

If you search GU, you will find 3 care sheets. Here's one of them.

http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...es.html?highlight=ptychozoon+kuhli+care+sheet

 

[Theravie]

OK so, I'm not sure if I should make another topic about this or not, but I have a few questions I could not find answers to online, (and I've been researching this for like two months )

1: Do flying geckos like other flying geckos with them? Will they git lonely if I only get one?
2: Are males of females bigger?
3: Can they see those red reptile night light things? I'd like a chance to observe the gecko at night, but I don't want to bother it with lights. I've heard that those nightlights for reptiles are good because the reptile doesn't really notice it.

Hm....I think that's all! T

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

OK so, I'm not sure if I should make another topic about this or not, but I have a few questions I could not find answers to online, (and I've been researching this for like two months )

Stay with THIS thread!

1: Do flying geckos like other flying geckos with them? Will they git lonely if I only get one?

Geckos, including flying geckos, are solitary lizards. They can easily be kept alone. Often that is best!

2: Are males of females bigger?

My female is larger than my male.

3: Can they see those red reptile night light things? I'd like a chance to observe the gecko at night, but I don't want to bother it with lights. I've heard that those nightlights for reptiles are good because the reptile doesn't really notice it.

Geckos can see red. I think the best bet is one of those Exo Terra moonlight bulbs that range in wattages from 15 watts to 75 watts.

Hm....I think that's all! T

Let us know if you think of other things.

 

[Theravie]

I GOT MY GECKO TODAY! He looks good, but really cold. I'm putting him under a heat lamp in his new home. I hope he warms up soon and feels better Thanks so much you guys for the

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I GOT MY GECKO TODAY! He looks good, but really cold. I'm putting him under a heat lamp in his new home. I hope he warms up soon and feels better Thanks so much you guys for the

:yahoo: Thanks for sharing. Ptychozoon kuhli are really fun geckos!

Do you know the sex?

Be sure to carefully monitor all temperatures with an accurate thermometer like a digital thermometer with a probe.

 

[Theravie]

I'm not sure. Haven't gotten my hands on him to check to see if it's a boy or a girl. He at once tried to squeeze behind the background through, so I had to probe him out with a soft eraser pencil.

I need to get one of those thermometers. Right now I have two analog ones, on the right, and on the left side of the cage. His basking spot is a log, hopefully at the right distance from the heat lamp.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I'm not sure. Haven't gotten my hands on him to check to see if it's a boy or a girl. He at once tried to squeeze behind the background through, so I had to probe him out with a soft eraser pencil.

I need to get one of those thermometers. Right now I have two analog ones, on the right, and on the left side of the cage. His basking spot is a log, hopefully at the right distance from the heat lamp.

Zoo Med makes a yellow digital thermometer with a probe that costs about $10. Some analog thermometers are inaccurate.

Does your flyer have many hiding places? Any bamboo? How about a photo of his enclosure?

 

[Theravie]

Gah I'm so nervous!

Should I feed him the day I got him? or wait? How do I know if he's eaten anything? He hasn't come out today. I know where he's hiding and it's on the cool side of the cage, could he be too chilly to come out?

Sorry, I have done tons of research on these guys, and I am very familiar with herps. I must sound like such a noob... All the reading in the world can't actually totally prepare you for the living animal

There's a pic of his tank. There's a waterfall in the back (left) that isn't on all the time, in fact, i've not turned it on sense I got him.
The next pic is of him and his floppy feet

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Gah I'm so nervous!

Should I feed him the day I got him? or wait? How do I know if he's eaten anything? He hasn't come out today. I know where he's hiding and it's on the cool side of the cage, could he be too chilly to come out?

Sorry, I have done tons of research on these guys, and I am very familiar with herps. I must sound like such a noob... All the reading in the world can't actually totally prepare you for the living animal

There's a pic of his tank. There's a waterfall in the back (left) that isn't on all the time, in fact, i've not turned it on sense I got him.
The next pic is of him and his floppy feet

Welcome to the world of noobs. That's how it is when we get a new genus. Your flyer looks good!

His viv looks nice and very well planted. I'd add several long pieces of 1-1.5 inch diameter bamboo: 1 horizontal one for basking and several diagonal ones too. I mist mine once a day usually in the evening. I have hydroton as the base substrate to help maintain humidity.

Make sure you spray today. You could even try a couple crickets in a dish.

I use feeding dishes so that I can monitor food intake. How about either a tallish drinking glass that will keep the crickets contained or a shorter bowl? Your flyer will not have any trouble finding them. In either case cut the two back legs of the crickets off at the "knees" so the crickets won't jump out.

Whatever you do don't let him get dependent upon hand feeding or tong feeding no matter how tempting it is!

 

[Theravie]

Bamboo, Got it! and the idea about cutting off the cricket's jumping legs is a very good one too! I'm use to beardies, and they dive bomb anything that moves in their tank
I'm super glad you like the viv! I have coconut fiber in the bottom and in the planter with soil under all that for the roots of my plants.
Dose he normally eat at night? because they're nocturnal? Or will he come out maybe and eat in the day time... He's pretty settled behind one of the log planters, and hasn't budged all day.

Do I have to keep the cage drippy with water? or should I only mist it once/ twice a day?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Bamboo, Got it! and the idea about cutting off the cricket's jumping legs is a very good one too! I'm use to beardies, and they dive bomb anything that moves in their tank
I'm super glad you like the viv! I have coconut fiber in the bottom and in the planter with soil under all that for the roots of my plants.
Dose he normally eat at night? because they're nocturnal? Or will he come out maybe and eat in the day time... He's pretty settled behind one of the log planters, and hasn't budged all day.

Do I have to keep the cage drippy with water? or should I only mist it once/ twice a day?

I generally feed my geckos in the evening. I have a few especially secretive ones that wait until it's totally dark to appear. Usually those crickets are gone by morning!

When a lizard "dive bombs" there's always some chance that he will ingest some substrate. :/

You don't want the cage "drippy with water". That would create mold...bad news. Try misting 1x per day. Thing is coco fiber absorbs water and retains it. How is your room humidity in general? Mine is about 50% RH. I have hygrometer/thermometer combos inside the vivs where it's important.

Here's a good way to attach horizontal bamboo: Cut the section a smidge shorter than ideal. Find large suction cups that fit into the ends of the bamboo. Remove the hooks. Use the suction cups to hold the bamboo in place...even at a slight incline...instead of silicon.

 

[Theravie]

My little guy is eating! I put two small crickets in his rimmed dish and they don't jump out. This morning they were gone! YAY That's a good sign, right? He moves about his cage some times during the day and has even stuck on the glass several times, watching us.
He's funny though. yesterday evening he was on the back wall. Last night I heard him moving everywhere, and this morning he was exactly where he was last evening, as if he'd not moved at all
How do I check to see if he's healthy?
This is the dumbest question ever, but My bearded dragon's easy to clean up after. His poo is obvious. How do you find flying gecko poo? >.<

Also, I have some pics of him, and a pic of his tale side. Could someone try to tell me what sex he is?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Looking for Clean Up Crew Insect Advice for Ptychozoon kuhli Vivarium

I think it's female. I don't see any bulges right below the vent.

Eating IS a good sign! Perhaps she's found a favorite place to chill.

Is she captive bred or wild caught? If she is wild caught check thoroughly including skin folds and around eyes for teeny bright reddish orange mites. Let us know if you find any.

Are you speaking of Lee's brown plastic mealworm dishes with the rims? I have a couple, but have never tested them to see if crickets would escape. I'm not sure whether those dishes would contain medium to large crickets, the size I feed my flyer pair.

I'm glad you guys are enjoying her.

FYI: If she latches onto you, don't PANIC. Blowing gently on her face usually releases the grip.

Consider adding insects as a cleanup crew for the poop.

 

[Theravie]

I've only fed her very small crickets because A friend of mine said theirs choked on a cricket that was too large, so I was worried. I could measure her and find out what size she should eat....The small ones tend to hide in the shade of the rim of the dish, and I've not caught any jumping out unless I stick my finger in there and freak them out. Even still, they normally jump into the rim rather than out. I'm sure larger crickets would be able to easily escape though.
She is Wild caught, but the store owner said their flyers had been in shop for some time, and that they no longer had red mite problems. BUT I will still check anyways. How is the best way to grab her? just do it? (Gently of course). I suppose handling her within the cage is a better idea than bringing her out in the open.

I'm about to order a big cork flat piece and put a flat heater on the otherside of it, to keep the wall warm and raise the ambient heat. I'm a few points low....

What kind of insects should I use to clean up poo?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

I've only fed her very small crickets because A friend of mine said theirs choked on a cricket that was too large, so I was worried. I could measure her and find out what size she should eat....The small ones tend to hide in the shade of the rim of the dish, and I've not caught any jumping out unless I stick my finger in there and freak them out. Even still, they normally jump into the rim rather than out. I'm sure larger crickets would be able to easily escape though.
She is Wild caught, but the store owner said their flyers had been in shop for some time, and that they no longer had red mite problems. BUT I will still check anyways. How is the best way to grab her? just do it? (Gently of course). I suppose handling her within the cage is a better idea than bringing her out in the open.

I'm about to order a big cork flat piece and put a flat heater on the otherside of it, to keep the wall warm and raise the ambient heat. I'm a few points low....

What kind of insects should I use to clean up poo?

Some people say they use a heat mat on a side of a vivarium, but since heat rises I can't see how effective that would be for the vivarium as a whole. Have you considered placing the heat mat underneath the vivarium?

Have you found a source for bamboo?

Gently scoop her up with your fingers under her belly. Check for mites right away! I would not want them to spread to her great vivarium or to the new cork bark.

If you find mites, put vegetable oil on a q-tip. Smother the mite with vegetable oil, then take a dry q-tip and brush off the mite. Repeat with clean q-tips each time till all the mites are gone.

Choking is always possible, but seems unlikely. Mine eat medium to fully grown Acheta domesticus with the back legs amputated at the knees. A 10 bar glass (or substitute) will contain large crickets. Check the Goodwill if you need a source. My captive hatched female turned 12 yo in June 2015. My male is WC.

I've never used clean up crew insects. Hope someone else will chime in.

 

[Theravie]

That's fantastic! I'm glad your gecko has lived so long! I hope mine lives a good while. Eventually I might want to breed her, or just get a captive bread one.

How do you clean your tanks then? I'm sure I can if I know what to look for.
The big deal is, I'm partly blind >.< But once I learned her shape, I could spot her quite well. It works that way for me with almost everything.
I need to go shopping for bamboo. Right now, I don't have any. I'm sure I can order some.
The reason I wouldn't put a flat heater on the bottom is because my substrate is rather thick for my plant's roots and I don't think it would be that effective.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

That's fantastic! I'm glad your gecko has lived so long! I hope mine lives a good while. Eventually I might want to breed her, or just get a captive bread one.

How do you clean your tanks then? I'm sure I can if I know what to look for.
The big deal is, I'm partly blind >.< But once I learned her shape, I could spot her quite well. It works that way for me with almost everything.
I need to go shopping for bamboo. Right now, I don't have any. I'm sure I can order some.
The reason I wouldn't put a flat heater on the bottom is because my substrate is rather thick for my plant's roots and I don't think it would be that effective.

Thanks. She's too dependent on hand feeding. In the future I'd never do that again on a regular basis. I hope your flyer lives a long time too.

Good to hear that you're adapting and can see/feel your new pet! The insects would be an excellent way to keep it clean. How about beginning a new thread for that in this same subforum?

Excellent point about your substrate and plants. Sorry about my recommendation. Thing is I have to disassemble the tanks to really clean them. :/

 

[Tamara]

Isopods and springtails are , imo , the best clean up crew you can get to add to your substrate, just make sure you also provide some leaf litter.
We keep earthworms in there too, for providing air to the roots of the plants.
We have also kept millipedes with some of our New-Caledonian gecko's, and they did a pretty good job with keeping things clean as well, but need some research of their own before getting them.