G&MGeckos
New member
Guys I was looking for a care sheet for coleonyx elegans.
elegans caresheet
- Thread starter G&MGeckos
- Start date
capitalcitygeckos
New member
I'd be interested in knowing as well.
Kind regards,
Kind regards,
GeckoFiend
New member
The Eyelash Gecko book has a nice section on them.
GoldenGateGeckos
New member
It's a good care sheet, but there is a BIG difference in the environmental needs of desert vs. tropical bandeds.
mat.si
Super Moderator
Hi!
I've been breeding elegans for the last 8 years or so.
The thing bellow is not actually a care sheet (it would still need some polishing), so I'm posting the info here instead of the care sheet section.
This is the way I keep my elegans. Easy and simple.
Due to rather limited space I keep my elegans in simple, commercialy made plastic terrariums (clear plastic with a plastic mesh cover). I have them on shelves (three tarrariums per 1m X 0.5m shelf) Each shelf has one 90cm full spectrum flourescent tube above. (I use full spectrum tubes although I never see the elegans outside during the day.) The only heating comes from the tube on the shelf bellow and this seems to be quite enough. The temperatures are between about 24 - 28 C during the day and fall to about 20 - 22 C during the night. (Light is turned on for about 12 hours during summer and about 10 hours during winter.)
I guess you could also use lower wattage heating cable instead of a light tube.
I use common peat as a substrate (about 4 cm deep). one part of the substrate is moist (about one third of the terrarium surface).
There are at least two clay or plastic hidding places with entrance holes on the side (one on moist part, one on dry), complemented by at least two tunnel shapped cork bark pieces and maybe another piece of wood (roots or so.) The cork is usually placed to extend and conceal the entrance to the hidding places.
There's also a water dish and small dish with calcium (cuttlefish bone) for females. They eat quite a lot of it during breeding season.
I feed my elegans mostly crickets dusted with vitamins and calcium.
I use Gryllus assimils and Gryllodes sigillatus. The adult animals will also eat Zophobas larvas and smaller Blaptica dubia.
I keep the babies in the same kind of setup on the identical temperatures as adults, but in smaller terrariums (usually 3 - 5 animals per enclosure).
It's important to keep a part of the substrate constantly moist.
When the babies are bigger, I separate the males from females until they are at least 1.5 to 2 years old and big enough to be put together for breeding. It's not good for females, if they are bred too young.
I hope this helps.
Regards, Matjaz
I've been breeding elegans for the last 8 years or so.
The thing bellow is not actually a care sheet (it would still need some polishing), so I'm posting the info here instead of the care sheet section.
This is the way I keep my elegans. Easy and simple.
Due to rather limited space I keep my elegans in simple, commercialy made plastic terrariums (clear plastic with a plastic mesh cover). I have them on shelves (three tarrariums per 1m X 0.5m shelf) Each shelf has one 90cm full spectrum flourescent tube above. (I use full spectrum tubes although I never see the elegans outside during the day.) The only heating comes from the tube on the shelf bellow and this seems to be quite enough. The temperatures are between about 24 - 28 C during the day and fall to about 20 - 22 C during the night. (Light is turned on for about 12 hours during summer and about 10 hours during winter.)
I guess you could also use lower wattage heating cable instead of a light tube.
I use common peat as a substrate (about 4 cm deep). one part of the substrate is moist (about one third of the terrarium surface).
There are at least two clay or plastic hidding places with entrance holes on the side (one on moist part, one on dry), complemented by at least two tunnel shapped cork bark pieces and maybe another piece of wood (roots or so.) The cork is usually placed to extend and conceal the entrance to the hidding places.
There's also a water dish and small dish with calcium (cuttlefish bone) for females. They eat quite a lot of it during breeding season.
I feed my elegans mostly crickets dusted with vitamins and calcium.
I use Gryllus assimils and Gryllodes sigillatus. The adult animals will also eat Zophobas larvas and smaller Blaptica dubia.
I keep the babies in the same kind of setup on the identical temperatures as adults, but in smaller terrariums (usually 3 - 5 animals per enclosure).
It's important to keep a part of the substrate constantly moist.
When the babies are bigger, I separate the males from females until they are at least 1.5 to 2 years old and big enough to be put together for breeding. It's not good for females, if they are bred too young.
I hope this helps.
Regards, Matjaz
GeckoFiend
New member
Thanks for the info, Mat.si
G&MGeckos
New member
WOW! Thanks so much Mat! I had almost given up. :lol: LOL! :lol: Great setup.
GoldenGateGeckos
New member
Good info... Thanks!!!
capitalcitygeckos
New member
Great info Mat.si!! Are you keeping the warm end moist, or the cool end?
Kind regards,
Kind regards,
GoldenGateGeckos
New member
Matjaz, I put my elegans individually in 12 qt. (13.2 liter) plastic tubs on the bottom shelf of one of my racks. I am using heat cable, and the best I can do to accomodate the temperatures of all the reptiles in that rack is making the back of the tub around 84-85 degrees F (29 degrees C), and the front at normal room temperature. I am using standard peat moss mixed with some orchid bark as substrate, about 2" deep (5 cm), and have the front/cool end moist. I also have a hide at both ends, as well as a water bowl.
Is this set-up OK? The geckos have eaten and defecated, and seem to like the warmer side. How moist should the cool end be? Do I need a bowl of calcium in there, or will the dusting of feeders be enough? I really want to do right by these lovely geckos, and appreciate your expert advise!
Is this set-up OK? The geckos have eaten and defecated, and seem to like the warmer side. How moist should the cool end be? Do I need a bowl of calcium in there, or will the dusting of feeders be enough? I really want to do right by these lovely geckos, and appreciate your expert advise!
mat.si
Super Moderator
This seems quite OK.
I use peat as a substrate. It works great for me for all but the desert geckos. It's commonly available here unlike coconut fiber.
They like it warm during the day. Even the colder part gets heated to 25 and up to 27 or even 28 C during hot days. The warmest part gets up to 28, 29 C.
I add a little water to the peat substrate on app. 1/4 to 1/3 of the surface about once a week to keep it moist but not water logged.
Females will always lay their eggs in the moist peat under the hidding place.
I dust the crickets and also provide the dish with calcium (scrapped cuttlefish bone) for breeding females.
During the breeding season they will eat quite a lot of it from the dish.
They are not so sensitive to the lack of calcium like some other geckos, but gravid female that doesn't get enough calcium, is at higher risk to get egg bound and die.
Hope this helps. Just ask, if you want to know anything else.
Matjaz
I use peat as a substrate. It works great for me for all but the desert geckos. It's commonly available here unlike coconut fiber.
They like it warm during the day. Even the colder part gets heated to 25 and up to 27 or even 28 C during hot days. The warmest part gets up to 28, 29 C.
I add a little water to the peat substrate on app. 1/4 to 1/3 of the surface about once a week to keep it moist but not water logged.
Females will always lay their eggs in the moist peat under the hidding place.
I dust the crickets and also provide the dish with calcium (scrapped cuttlefish bone) for breeding females.
During the breeding season they will eat quite a lot of it from the dish.
They are not so sensitive to the lack of calcium like some other geckos, but gravid female that doesn't get enough calcium, is at higher risk to get egg bound and die.
Hope this helps. Just ask, if you want to know anything else.
Matjaz
GoldenGateGeckos
New member
Thank you!!!