my first uroplatus:) any tips?

[deaxone]

after nearly going to hamm just for some uroplatus ive managed to find a prooven pair of geuntheri,just a few minutes down the road,im chuffed!

ive just settled them in,according to what the previouse owner said to do,so the male is in a 30cm cube that he has always been in and the female is in 45/45/60 which i assumed would be right for the pair,but the guy said that geuntheri do better in smaller set ups,

should i put her in in something smaller like the male?
im planning on putting them back together for a few months of breeding as he had success with them last year 6 eggs 2 duds and 4 hatched,

i would also like to know what ppl use for substrate,i have eco earth and im planning on putting down some leaves,

do the females lay eggs on the floor under leaves or burry the eggs?

ahhhhhhh so many questions!!!!!

if anyone has any info or tips on how to keep em healthy and (hopefully) breeding please post a reply,

il get sum pics up as soon as theyve settled in

thanks in advance guys

 

[deaxone]

heres a link with pics (taken by the previouse owner)
uroplatus guentheri breeding pair - Reptile Forums UK
i dont wonna stress them taking my own pics until they are completely settled,
anyone have any extensive experience with geuntheri?

 

[deaxone]

heres a link with pics (taken by the previouse owner)
uroplatus guentheri breeding pair - Reptile Forums UK
i dont wonna stress them taking my own pics until they are completely settled,
anyone have any extensive experience with geuntheri?
she is quite a bit bigger than him,could they share a viv?i wouldnt have thought she would let him mate her unless she was ready,
i wasnt expecting to have to cycle them,but i will unless someone is sure theres no need?????????????

im also on the look out for a decent care sheet as my search so far has been unsuccessful

 

[Graham_s]

female uroplatus reach bigger sizes than the males, so that's not a problem.

I would give the male a bigger vivarium than the 30cm cube one. Uroplatus really do use the whole space in their vivariums. The females will lay their eggs in the substrate, so eco earth is good. I use oak leaves as well.

What temperatures/humidity are you keeping them at?

 

[deaxone]

thanks for the reply graham

at the moment im keeping them at room temp which ranges from high60s at night to mid 70s in the day,
and misting heavily at night,
i was gonna use a heat mat but the previouse owner said to keep them at room temp like crestys.to be honest im a little worried about temps as the room temp fluctuates a fair bit especialy this time of year,
what are the max/min temps for geuntheri?
any tips would be gratfully recieved as i cant find a care sheet for them,

with regards to the viv can they go in together all year or is seperate better?
i realy dont want to risk anything and i want to maximize the chances of breeding as im pretty sure they are 1 of only a few pairs in the country and id love to keep a cb blood line going

 

[gollum]

what are the max/min temps for geuntheri?

I keep mine from 18 to 32°C without problems.

 

[Graham_s]

thanks for the reply graham

at the moment im keeping them at room temp which ranges from high60s at night to mid 70s in the day,
and misting heavily at night,
i was gonna use a heat mat but the previouse owner said to keep them at room temp like crestys.to be honest im a little worried about temps as the room temp fluctuates a fair bit especialy this time of year,
what are the max/min temps for geuntheri?
any tips would be gratfully recieved as i cant find a care sheet for them,

with regards to the viv can they go in together all year or is seperate better?
i realy dont want to risk anything and i want to maximize the chances of breeding as im pretty sure they are 1 of only a few pairs in the country and id love to keep a cb blood line going

Its best to keep them together just for the breeding season, as with most geckos. I keep mine at 24*C during the day in the warmer time of the year, and dropping by 2-4*C each night, and keep it a few degrees cooler in the cooler part of the year.

I spray mine every other day fairly liberally, but I always provide a water bowl. I would advise keeping them separate and using a maybe paper towel on the floor to make sure that they are healthy and feeding, before getting them into a parmanent setup etc. I know Mike and know he has good animals, but Uroplatus stress very easily, and they may take a while longer to settle in than most geckos. However, guentheri are pretty easy, tough uros.

If they are your first uroplatus, it may be an idea to keep an eye on them, and maybe skip breeding them this season so you can get used to keeping them, and get to know the geckos and their habits, so you can spot any problems that may arise.

 

[deaxone]

it seems that room temp in my house is probably too cold,
what is the best meathod of heating for uros?ive got a spare heat mat but i dont wonna use it untill i know for sure,
thanks again graham,
i will be keeping a close eye on them and providing she is looking healthy i will probably still try for breeding later this year,these guys are about 3 years old and i almost feel a duty to keep the cb bloodlines alive over here as they are so rare in europe since the export bann from madagascar,

so far they seem ok i have witnessed both eating but i am still concerned about temperature,my room temps go down to mid 60s but im worried they will overheat on a heat mat,

 

[crestedtimm]

While my experience is likely not as great as some, I have maintained 2.1 over the last 3 years, and managed to produce a few offspring.

I keep all of mine together 365 days ayear ( which is likely the reason for substandard eggproduction, I should start seperating them :?), but have noticied no real aggression issues, and I woke up this morning to temps in the 50s F, as it has been for the past few weeks here in Central Fla, USA.

I use a compact flourescent as a basking spotlamp, it is situated only about 3-4 inches from the highest branch, and does throw just enough heat for them to regulate. I also allow one end of their ten gallon to dry out alot, and concentrate the spraying to the other end, and the water bowl is available at all times.

I provide a dish with roaches as sustainance, and this is present at all times as well.

One thing I have noticed is that unlike others, I dont have a bit of greenery in their cage. I have branches, cork tube, and cork shelters laying on the ground that they sometimes sleep under. They also show a preference for sleeping between layers of stacked cork, and also right out on top of the cork tube streched out in the open.

I would most reccomend using a full spectrum light on your cage, as you will be BLOWN AWAY the first time they fire up.

Hope this helps, and keep us updated on your Uroplatus!

Timm

 

[Graham_s]

Good point about the UV timm. The colours they have when they bask under the light are amazing. You say that you don't have a single bit of greenery, but I have found that bromeliads go down a real treat. Here's a photo of a very happy gecko on his bromeliad:

 

[Justin]

and i almost feel a duty to keep the cb bloodlines alive over here as they are so rare in europe since the export bann from madagascar

I've kept and bred guentheri before and found them very easy captives, I second the use use of UVb as mine were very often found under it.

They are still produced in reasonable numbers in Europe so they aren't that rare, they were hardly ever imported from Madgascar even when the borders were open.

Great pic by the way Graham

 

[Graham_s]

I've kept and bred guentheri before and found them very easy captives, I second the use use of UVb as mine were very often found under it.

They are still produced in reasonable numbers in Europe so they aren't that rare, they were hardly ever imported from Madgascar even when the borders were open.

Great pic by the way Graham

Thanks Justin!

I forgot to respond to that bit, but you're right, sometimes it seems that guentheri are almost as common in europe as some of the rhacs.

I use UVB 5.0% and i think you really notice a difference if you do use it. The UVB in theory increases the geckos ability to absorb calcium, and a lot of people will agree that it also helps stimulate breeding and feeding behaviour.

 

[deaxone]

wow realy?ive obviously not been looking in the right places,i was gonna go to hamm for a few juveniles but last minute glitch in funds (christmas) stopped me,
regardless im chuffed,its good to know if and when i get babys theres more scope for swapping bloodlines,
after speaking to mike i will be keeping a close eye on em and maybe using a heat mat when i get a stat,
at the moment the temp is 68 and im spraying once a night,ive got a red light to view them at night but they dont seem active,
am i using the rong type of bulb?i dont want them thinking its day time,

 

[Graham_s]

wow realy?ive obviously not been looking in the right places,i was gonna go to hamm for a few juveniles but last minute glitch in funds (christmas) stopped me,
regardless im chuffed,its good to know if and when i get babys theres more scope for swapping bloodlines,
after speaking to mike i will be keeping a close eye on em and maybe using a heat mat when i get a stat,
at the moment the temp is 68 and im spraying once a night,ive got a red light to view them at night but they dont seem active,
am i using the rong type of bulb?i dont want them thinking its day time,

they won't be very active at temperatures that low. Once they start getting higher temps, they will get more and more active. Also remember that they are still settling in. They can take quite a while sometimes. The bulb sounds fine, as long as it isn't dark in their vivarium 24/7. Uroplatus seem to be able to tolerate pretty low temps on the whole, but keep an eye on it and make sure it doesnt get too low.