U. Milii info

[Aronax]

Hello all,

Im new to posting here but have been reading threads for a couple of weeks and thought that i would join. I am currently awaiting my Reptile licence so that i can buy myself two U. milii female hatchlings. I have a few questions i would like to ask as well if thats ok. I understand that geckos do not like to be handled overly much but i would like to be able to stroke my geckos and hand feed them at times. Is this possible with this species of gecko? What should i do to encourage my geckos to allow me to touch them without over handling them and risking causing them stress? and lastly if anyone owns a milii and is able to write me out a care sheet i would be most thankfull, i only ask this because i have downloaded 3 - 4 care sheets that in places have conflicting advice in them that is troubling me.

I have some photo's of my current setup and i would like to get some feedback as to what you all think of it. It has 3 hides, a digestable substrate, some sweet basking rocks and a dragon statue that i added cos im a geek. I dont know if i have over crowded my tank however so i would like to post some pictures here that shows my tank so i could get some feedback. When i tried to do so about 4 hours ago, however, i had difficulty because my camera has too high megapixel and as a result the photos are too large for me to upload. I was wondering how to rememdy this?

ALSO AS A LAST NOTE: sorry bout the caps but i wanted people to read that , anyone that owns a U. Millii if you could post some photos here i would be very happy about that as i love them and would like to see some other peoples setups plus hear stories etc about their woderfull U. Millis, not to mention see how other peoples look so i can make sure mine are healthy.


I think that is everything, Cheers Chris.

 

[Kevin McRae]

I love milii, they are awesome geckos. Too me they remind me of knobtails without the big price tag. They have cute big eyes, interesting shaped tails and beautiful colors.

You need a license where you live? Thats too bad, don't need any here and I can keep what ever I want! lol. Just checked, you live in Australia, that would explain why.

The breeder I got mine from recommended a peat moss/sand mix, and to keep one side of the enclosure moist. Like all geckos they enjoy a place to hide, its a good idea to have a hide in the warm/dry and cool/moist end. I also keep potho plants with mine.

I'm told babies like to arch their backs and bark like one of their common name suggests. Adults are calm and don't mind being held occasionally.

I've only had mine shortly, so I'm just going by info I've been told.

The best way to post pictures if they are too big is to upload them on ImageShack® - Hosting and paste the IMG code on the forum.

Hope this helps.

 

[Aronax]

thankyou

i will try and upload those pics for you so you can let me know what you think. its not pro by any means but i am trying to make it acceptable for my geckos when they arrive. thank you for you info and reply it is muchly appreciated

one more thing tho, would you mind showing off you geckos here by posting some sweet pics of your U. Miliis ?

 

[Ira]

U. milii are my favorite and have been for a long time. They are curious. With all that stuff in the tank, they'd probably be happy. Generally having a few hides and housing them on sand or sand/peat moss mix works pretty well. They do require some humidity. I mist mine a few times a week. Place a heat pad at one end of the tank. You should be good to go.

Working with the frequently for short periods of time helps getting them used to being handled. Maybe taking them out for 5 or 10 mins at a time every other day or so. When they become adults they are pretty docile. Usually juveniles are a little feisty.

Here are a few pictures. The top two are some of my females, the middle are some of my juveniles I'm holding on to, and the bottom is one that just hatched out a few minutes ago. Have fun with yours when it becomes legal:lol:

 

[Aronax]

thank you

thank you for the advice and pictures ileventhal it is muchly apreciated. man your gekos are looking good. do you have some suggestions for a plant i could use in my housing for my geckos? i want to have a plant in there but the problem is obviously sunlight for it as well as ground soil..... whats your opinion?

 

[Ira]

I would do plastic in my opinion. It would be a lot of work to do live plants. Thank you for the compliments though. Is that aspen wood shavings as your substrate?

 

[Aronax]

Litter

Is that aspen wood shavings as your substrate?

in reply to that no it is not. i originally had sand untill i found out that they can eat it and that this is damaging to their health. this is a lizard substrate called ESU Eptile 'Lizard Litter' it is derived from the kenaf plant and contains no bark or wood wich means that it is fully digestable as well as the fact that it was heated to 450 degreed Farenheiht to kill all bacteriat etc. completely non toxic

 

[Ira]

I see. Well, be careful with it either way. Generally they won't eat the sand, in fact I don't know of anyone's milii who has ever eaten the sand. It is a possibility, but out of all of us , who probably have 1000's of milii, I think we all use sand and haven't had problems with it.

Most of the time the animal reacts best to simulating the natural environment. If it works well for you though, you should use it, just monitor the health of your milii, and make sure they are eating.;-)

 

[Aronax]

I will do that when i get my U. Miliis!!! so you think i should swap to sand? if so what type of sand should i get and where can you usually purchase it? in my last post i wasnt trying to say you were wrong just letting you know what my substrate was. do you think i should change to sand? afterall i did post the pics to find out what i should change from you guys who are, after all, much more experienced them me!

oh and with regards to heat mats (i dont think ill need one untill winter) do they work best under sand with a rock and hide ontop of them as well, the rock for basking the hide for well hiding

 

[Ira]

Oh no, no problem. I'm just saying that we have all had really good success with sand, plus its something that is fairly familiar to them. Being in Australia, I'm sure there would be places to get the real thing. I, as well as others here, use a sand called "Jurassic Sand" (www.jurassicsand.com) Anything that is a smooth natural sand (Not crushed up rocks), works really well, or maybe mixing the bedding you have with some peat moss and sand mix might do well too. I would just be worried the milii might not "feel" right living on that bedding, but you never know.

And the heat pads, yeah, they do work through the sand and rocks. In the Summer I don't use one either, the temperatures hover around 84 (Fahrenheit).

 

[Aronax]

Sand or no Sand that is the question

ok thanks for your input mate trust me i will take it on board and consider it. i think i will wait abit and see how this substrate goes and if the geckos dont seem to be liking it then ill change it. im going to have to find a good sand provider!

 

[geckodan]

Hi Chris, sand/peat mix is definately preferred over chips. In your home town, heating is optional through summer but necessary in winter. A heat pad under half the cage will suffice. Use a thermostat and set it at 25-26 C. Most milli are heat sensitive so its easier to overheat then it is to underheat them. Otherwise the setup should be fine.

 

[Aronax]

thankyou dan

thankyou geckodan!

i will definately change it over to sand then considering the feedback from you guys. Dan, seeing as you live in australia not to mention near by, where do you find your accessories and if you have and intimate knowledge of toowoomba do you know anywhere that i could pick some of these accessories up from? otherwise i was going to resort to ebay.

im especially concerned about getting a thermostat and heat pad....not to mention finding the right kind of sand

 

[Ira]

Definitely post pics when you get them!!

 

[Aronax]

oh trust me you guys will be terribly sick of the amount of pictures that i will be posting of the same two geckos over and over and over

 

[geckodan]

TRy The Herp Shop - Australia or Ultimate Reptile suppliers. Thats where I shop.

 

[Aronax]

thanks again for the info gecko dan!

 

[Hilde]

I keep my milii on a coco-fibre and sand mixture and haven't had any problems with them eating the substrate. The lizard litter in your pictures is sold here in Canada as well, and I've only heard negative feedback about it. Eight years or so ago, I used it for about a month, until one of my hatchling leopards got a piece stuck in his throat. It had to be surgically removed, and the gecko still has some problems swallowing (possibly scar tissue related). The vet told me that it would be extremely easy for a particle to pierce the throat and internal organs, so I stopped using it.

I only have a picture of one of my milii enclosures, but they're all pretty much the same as this one:

Substrate close-ups. The sand tends to settle to the bottom, leaving mostly coco-fibre visible, but there is sand down there, someplace.

(The moss used to be in the corner I've set up for laying eggs, but the females tend to toss it around while digging).

 

[Aronax]

Thanks for the info hilde. especially concerning my substrate as you have used it. i now definately know that i will be changing over to sand. i have a friend that works at the DPI 'department of primary industries' who is a scientist there dealing with agriculture and the like. anyway long story short i asked him last night and he said he should be able to get me good, clean, natural and fine sand for free....so i think im going to hook it up from him in the next couple of days and then change my substrate from there....