Some Masobe Pics!!

[DDReptiles]

Hey,

I am just in love with these geckos Sorry the pics aren't so great, they were taken in complete darkness so it was touph to get the camera to focus.

PS: If anybody in the US has any land snails (captive cultured) they could sell me I would be very grateful Or the few of you in the states who have bred these what are you using to maintain proper calcium levels in breeding females? I was thinking hornworms might work?

Enjoy,
Derek

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

Nice pics Derek. PM sent about snails.

 

[rcobourn]

Wonder what the exchange rate snails to masobe is.. :lol:

 

[rhacoboy]

WOW! Very nice geckos! This specie is so alien like, I hope you do well in your breedings

 

[Sourri]

Hi,



very nice couple!
They really look very similar to my female I got from Matjaz, the shape, the coloration... :biggrin: I love it!

 

[Bob]

Nice geckos, hopefully you can get them to breed so there are more captive bred.

 

[Dyesub Dave]

Are snails this gecko's natural diet? As far as I know Silkworms are the highest feeder insect in calcium. You could also dust crickets in calcium powder.

I don't have any experience with this species but if calcium is the only concern I'm sure that dusting insects would work as long as the geckos would eat these other insects.

BTW - The pics look good to me! Good luck with breeding these awesome looking geckos!

Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

 

[jpg]

Masobe's are soooo over rated I think everyone should just send them to me :biggrin:

Killer animals Derek :yahoo:

 

[clint545]

Great to see more pics of them Derek.
I don't want these in my collection, cause I know I'd spent hours with my nose against the glass watching them:biggrin:

p.s. I know snails would be the best choice, but have you tried, or access to Wood Lice/Sowbugs? Might be a little late in the season to get them, not sure what the weather's like down your way(probably way nicer than it is up here)

 

[DDReptiles]

Thanks Everyone,

Dyesub Dave- Yes I am already dusting food in calcium, as well as providing the females just a dish of shredded cuttlebone. But this doesn't seem to cut it for breeding females, which use massive amounts of calcium. I just don't want to risk breeding them and have one of my females crash doing so, so I want to make sure I am doing all I can. Butterworms have the highest calcium I believe (like you said) but they are also high in fat (comparable to a waxworm). So I have been looking at Silkworms and Hornworms, though silkworms are much more economical so I might go with them. Still would like snails as they would be most ideal.

Clint- Haha, I know, the masobe probably hate me for staring at them for so long, its a good thing I have the number I have so I don't just stress one out by looking at him too much!!

I haven't looked at wood lice/sowbugs, just as those are rather small and I don't think the masobe would bother with them, I also think they might hide in the dirt/wood and not be found easily or cause a greater impaction risk, from the masobe striking the "moving dirt".

Thanks Derek

 

[Graham_s]

beautiful animals Derek! I hope you are successful with breeding these little gems

 

[Uroplatus]

My ones also take crushed sepia bones and crushed calcium cubes for birds, placed in a dish.

regards
Oliver

 

[RFB2]

They look great derek.

 

[Dyesub Dave]

Thanks Everyone,

Dyesub Dave- .... Butterworms have the highest calcium I believe (like you said) but they are also high in fat (comparable to a waxworm). ....

Actually I was thinking that SILKWORMS were the highest in Calcium and are a very good feeder that isn't too fattening as long as your geckos will eat them. I'm not 100% sure but I believe that Silkworms have the highest natural calcium percentage of all the common feeders. ( Besides snails I guess! )

I've never tried raising snails but I would think it shouldn't be too difficult. I can't seem to get rid of them when they start to breed outside in the summer. :lol: After a quick google search I found this on LAND SNAILS!

Caring for your land snail, helix aspera, with pictures

Well ... I did another search on nutritional values and found that BUTTERWORMS are the highest in calcium. However ... SILKWORMS come next with a much lower FAT content and much higher PROTEIN content. Check out this chart .... Silkworms - The Benefits of feeding your reptile and pet the silkworm.

Good Luck and let us know what works for you.

Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

 

[DDReptiles]

Sorry Dyesub my mistake, I was thinking Butterworms on one hand and silkworms on the other, my bad.

Thanks for the links

Derek

 

[Dyesub Dave]

Sorry Dyesub my mistake, I was thinking Butterworms on one hand and silkworms on the other, my bad.

Thanks for the links

Derek

That's OK .... no worries. I just wanted to point out that I did say Silkworms however you are correct. Butterworms do have the highest calcium content. So my bad for being mistaken!! LOL

No problem on the links. I find that when I lookup info for other people I usually learn something myself. ;-)

Dyesub Dave. :biggrin:

 

[mat.si]

I believe most tropical geckos will eat snails in nature, specially females during the breeding season.
I think it's almost impossible to successfully breed Uroplatus species through multiple generations without snails in their diet.
I had Uroplatus females filling their calcium sacs within a week after they started eating snails.
For some species with a higher demand for calcium, just dusting the prey items is not enough, specially during the breeding season.
Quite a few species will eagerly take Sepia bone from the dish, but snail shells are the most natural source of calcium that they can get.

My masobe females definitely recognize snails as prey.
I offer snails from tweezers and they always grab them like crazy.
I believe they recognize the smell. I usually touch their snout with the snail and they lick and immediately grab it.
They also have to recognize snails as calcium source as they will usually refuse to eat them outside of breeding season. Also my adult masobe males never take snails from tweezers.

Matjaz

 

[kimo]

So what species of snails would you recommend Matjaz? How do you raise yours? If this is offtopic feel free to shot me a pm.Thanks in advance!

I suppose that aquarium snails are not considered here ?

 

[mat.si]

Aquarium snails are actually a good choice, since they are small and can be offered from a bowl from which they can't escape.
I've used them, but I don't anymore, since they are hard to breed, if you don't keep aquariums. In aquariums they will usually breed without any real effort.
At this time I breed a smaller, live bearing species of land snails, Achatina iredalei.
They are not hard to breed, but at the moment I'm too busy to go into the detail of snail breeding.
If I remember correctly, somebody actually posted useful land snail breeding instructions somewhere on these forums. Try doing a little search.

Matjaz