Lygodactylus williamsi appreciation thread!!!

[Dendro_Dave]

Ok so looks like a ton of us have gotten these recently so I figured i'd just start a general appreciation thread...post your thoughts, interesting behavoirs, breeding successes, pics....etc..etc...

As this is one of the few animals im keeping currently, they are getting alot of attention. Very cool to just sit and watch though anyways compared to some other stuff i've owned.

I took a few crappy pics today, and i pulled 6 eggs, of the 8 i know they laid to put in other grow out vivs. I think only 3-4 or the eggs are good at most though. These are just the ones i've found. i havent seen any babies yet, but i did find a broken egg that looked like it hatched, so maybe i have some running around i just havent found yet. And one egg they laid seems to have either hatched or been buried by them as i cant really see it any more...so not sure whats going on there. Its in a back corner and to hard to get to, so not going to try diggin for it.

I've switched mine to yogurt instead of baby food, and i've been periodically adding a mix of the 2 types of reptile extra powdered anti parasite and bacterial foods to the mix occasionally. Not so much anymore as mine are pretty well established, but i think it helps with wild caughts. Also i've noticed with enough of the anti bacterial powdered food mixed in the baby food or yogurt mix seems to last longer. I've also been mixing in extra calcium powder/and some vitamins, and day gecko diet powder into the b-food/yogurt. Seems to be working well, as all my guys are fat arses (but not to fat)

Mine seem to be laying pairs of eggs also, is this normal? anyone else finding pairs or more, or just singles?

Also i got all 4 of mine to take meal worms from my hand today! first time i've tried it and they all went for it
Couldnt get a pic really showing the colors of my brightest male, i'll work on that, and see if i can catch an action shot of hand feeding

 

[cat_named_noodles]

Good Luck with all those eggs Dave! Wow! I just got my trio in this morning. I'm out of batteries again though so probably won't be able to get pictures up until this weekend. One female had a few mites and I gave her a warm water bath. Haven't seen any since, but I think an anti-parasitic might be a good idea. What kind do you use (in the yogurt? and what kind of yogurt do you feed?). I haven't seen any of mine eat yet (only a few dusted crickets in there right now and some baby food w/vitamins), but they are drinking. Pics to come soon!

 

[Dendro_Dave]

Hey there, good luck with em, hope they do well for you.

Right now i have reptile relief mite spray by natural chemistry, that i spray new arrivals with.

Then i add the anti bacterial and parasite stuff to the yogurt/baby food. Here is a link to info about it. Jungle Reptile (click on the products link). Its not really designed for daygecko type species but i use the powder in very small portions, like maybe a finger nails worth. It probably makes up less then 1/10th of the total volume of a serving i give them.

I feed them about about a 2 liter bottle caps worth of the yogurt/daygecko diet/vit/calcium/reptile xtra mix. the amount of vitamin/calcium powder i add is similar to the reptile xtra amounts...lil more calcium then vitamin though. I fed them the mix including the reptile xtra powders for about 3 consecutive days, then took a couple days off, then repeated that atleast 1 more time. Now they just get a lil every once in awhile. Its kinda an experimental mix, but seems to be working well. If you keep using it all the time though any pathogens may build a resistance to it, so wean em off of it by the first month probably, and then maybe hit em with a lil more every great once in awhile.

The yogurt im using is just great value generic brand, fat free strawberry bannana. I do mix in quite a bit of the daygecko diet powder though...but i dont trust it to be a complete meal replacement, hence the yogurt, and the added calcium/vitamins i include.

They get a few meal worms about twice a week also, and i always have random fruitflies flying around my place so they migrate into the tank and i intentionally add some occasionaly. Then every so often they get small dusted or nondusted crickets.

 

[porkchop48]

This guy is such a stunning blue.

Any suggestions on what kinds of baby food I should be feeding them?

 

[Dendro_Dave]

Thants a nice male.....im still hoping mine blues up that much...its more of a turquois color. I still need a better pic of mine too.

 

[Sgvreptiles]

Here are some of mine. The hatchlings do GREAT for me. Very healthy, fast growing. Ive found it best to raise them individually. The ones that were together started fighting at about 2 months old.

 

[lacplesis2]

I've a colony of 1:3 Had them about 6 months now,they were wild caught and full of mites. They've settled in nicely now. Treated them for mites,they're all gone now. I've been feeding them crickets and fruit flies mostly, but also suplementing with a fruit based baby food weekly. The male's colour brightens and fades depending on temp and whether he's going to shed or not. Usually he's a vivid blue. They've been laying regularly in clutches of 2 eggs, although they seem to have stopped now, probably the end of the natural breeding season. 2 were infertile, but the others appear to be developing nicely. And. Patience pays off. As of this morning, I've now got 2 very tiny additions to the family :yahoo: They're just too cute. However, I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to care for the youngsters correctly. As far as I know they dont eat for a week or so, living off the last of the yolk. But where do I go from there? I was thinking maybe a combination of fruit flies and baby food. To any of you out there with experience, your advice would be greatly appreciated. :scratchhead:

 

[Dendro_Dave]

I've a colony of 1:3 Had them about 6 months now,they were wild caught and full of mites. They've settled in nicely now. Treated them for mites,they're all gone now. I've been feeding them crickets and fruit flies mostly, but also suplementing with a fruit based baby food weekly. The male's colour brightens and fades depending on temp and whether he's going to shed or not. Usually he's a vivid blue. They've been laying regularly in clutches of 2 eggs, although they seem to have stopped now, probably the end of the natural breeding season. 2 were infertile, but the others appear to be developing nicely. And. Patience pays off. As of this morning, I've now got 2 very tiny additions to the family :yahoo: They're just too cute. However, I'm at a bit of a loss as to how to care for the youngsters correctly. As far as I know they dont eat for a week or so, living off the last of the yolk. But where do I go from there? I was thinking maybe a combination of fruit flies and baby food. To any of you out there with experience, your advice would be greatly appreciated. :scratchhead:

As i dont have babies yet i cant be sure but.... Small ffs, especially runts from an old culture, and a yogurt or babyfood mixed with some extra vitamins and especially calcium would probably work. I dont know if the young will feed on such a mix that early in their life though. If its a natural viv they may eat springtails and any other small critters in there. I seed mine with temperate and tropical woodlice (rolli pollies) also. Might look online for some springtail or woodlice cultures.

 

[lacplesis2]

Yeah its a natural viv,I prefer to keep them as natural as possible,plenty of little creepy crawlies in there :biggrin:

And a few pics

 

[Dendro_Dave]

Ah very nice....congrats. Good luck with em!

 

[Dendro_Dave]

Here are some of mine. The hatchlings do GREAT for me. Very healthy, fast growing. Ive found it best to raise them individually. The ones that were together started fighting at about 2 months old.

Ok im getting kinda jealous of you guys with the bright blue males....mines nice, but i want a really really blue one!

 

[Sgvreptiles]

WIth the babies. Give them LOTS of calcium and UV lighting. They will enjoy that. Fruit flys are the way to go for the first 2-3 months. Get some melenogaster cultures going. After that they can start doing fruit flys, pin heads and other small feeders. They did great for me. Very strong and active.

 

[Phelsuma04]

Just took a pair out of quarantine that I got in a trade for some klemmeri. The male is from that pair while the female I purchased from the pet store where I work for a good price (and she just laid eggs!!!)!

 

[Dendro_Dave]

Just took a pair out of quarantine that I got in a trade for some klemmeri. The male is from that pair while the female I purchased from the pet store where I work for a good price (and she just laid eggs!!!)!

Ug another bright blue male....I hate you all! :-x

 

[dactylus]

1.0.0

1.0.0

0.0.1

 

[Phelsuma04]

Nice dactylus! I think the thing I like most about these geckos is how bold they are. Mine will hop on the spray nozzle when I am misting them or jump into my hand when I am feeding them. Great personalities, they really deserve their current popularity!

 

[cat_named_noodles]

That baby is soooooo precious! My trio is still in quarantine and started eating pinheads yesterday! And all are so personable already. I've seen them posturing to each other already, establishing a hierarchy I suppose. I can definitely tell which female is the "alpha" one. She rules the tank! Watching them eat is another thing entirely-so entertaining! They've even jumped on my fingers while I was cleaning the tank earlier.

 

[lacplesis2]

A few more pics :biggrin:

 

[Dendro_Dave]

A few more pics :biggrin:

Ok thats a better pic then i've managed to get of mine, and thats what my male looks like...if anyone cares

 

[Phelsuma04]

Looks nice! Mine get really dull in the morning and after about an hour of basking the male really brightens up!