Big, Bad and Mellow?(Chondrodactylus angulifer angulifer)

[DavidK]

Hi,

Here are some photographs of one of my Giant Ground Gecko (Chondrodactylus angulifer angulifer) pairs. These two are quite handleable. The female is the red phase, and the male the yellow. I have another, younger pair that are too fast to hold properly, and man can they bite!

When I was younger, these guys were available in reasonable numbers here in the US. Then for some reason, they fell off the map. Maybe back then there wasn't the breeding focus in collections that I see today, so without continual importation they are no longer generally available. Anyways, I count myself lucky that I was able to obtain these.

I hope to breed them one day.

I hope you folks enjoy the pics.

Regards,

Dave

 

[Sebastian]

Nice animals!
Here in Germany those geckos are available often, but there are only a few serious breeders.

I have 1,2 and they are far away from beeing mellow or tame. Luckily they didn´t bite me so far

 

[crestedtimm]

I have aquired a group consisting of three different lines, and in the next few years hope to offer some to the keepers here in the states.

I also have a few that I can hold, or more importantly, one that does not run off of my hands if I dont restain her. She will actually lie down as to absorb heat from my palm.

Something I really like about the little guys is their lack of claws, or if somebody insists on correcting me, the fact that they are so minute as to be unnoticeable, and when they are on your hand it is like they are wearing gloves..man Im weird..

Timm

As far as the biting thing goes, maybe they are predisposed to aggresion, but Ive had the ends of my thumbs bloodied by overzealous Hemitheconyx caudicinctus ( Fattail gecko), so this perception of Chondros is likely stemmed from a lack of socialization as juveniles, or possibly that of feeding aggresion rather than simple meanness.

my thoughts..

 

[Dendro_Dave]

Pretty cool, how big they get?

 

[DavidK]

Hi,

The Giant Ground Gecko (Chondrodactylus a. angulifer) ranges in size from aproximately 5 - 7" and is considerably heavier and stouter than the Namibian Ground Gecko (Chondrodactylus angulifer namibiensis). I think the latter subspecies is shorter as well. The latter has a more gracile limb structure and increased amounts of white on the tubercles in both sexes. In both subspecies, the average female is somewhat smaller than the average male in size.

I'm glad you folks liked the pics.

Regards,

Dave