L. picturatus & L. capensis

[Astra]

Hello, everyone! The local pet store is bringing in these two species tomorrow, and I intend to get one or the other. Or maybe both, depends on how much will power I have when the time comes. Anyway, I'm having a hard time finding dependable information on either species. Specifically, I would like to know where both species are from so I can get a better idea of how to set up the tank for them.

I'm pretty sure I have their diet down - it seems fairly similar to a rhacodactylus diet, which means the homemade food I have in my freezer should do nicely. I believe its kiwi, mango, banana and yogurt at the moment. No citrus. The only question I have is do they need fruit flies or will pinhead crickets do? Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about the diet.

 

[WingedWolfPsion]

Out of my Lygodactylus, only the williamsi appear to be crazy about fruit (I have the switched strictly to CGD instead of fruit, now). They still eat 50% insects.
Although I don't have the two species you are talking about (I hope to eventually), I do have L. angularis, L. conradti, and L. kimhowelli.
NONE of them have shown any sign of interest in the fruit or CGD, at least not yet. I have had them for a month now. My williamsi ate peaches the first time I offered it, after I had them for about 3 weeks. Other lygos--none have touched it yet, at least not that I've seen (and they're not shy). Assuming the animals you are getting are WC (they virtually have to be), I would not count on them being interested in fruit, at least not at first.
They'll be wanting dusted fruit flies, pinhead crickets, mini-mealworms, etc. They don't appear to like silk worms, and aren't overly enthusiastic about phoenix worms (though my williamsi liked them). I understand roach nymphs and woodlice are also accepted.
Mine also scrounged up some of the springtails from the cage floor, though those are more appropriate for hatchlings, of course.

Of course wild lygodactylus most likely do not eat a lot of fruit, if any at all! They probably lick nectar and pollen from flowers, and perhaps a bit of sweet sap from trees. I would say their diet is much more like that of day geckos than of Rhacodactylus, with some species being more insectivorous than others.

I don't give my lygos crickets--they're not that great nutritionally, and they tend to get loose and hide in the viv, where they grow too large to eat and may pose a threat to eggs or even adult geckos. I use fruit flies as a staple currently, and vary it with other insects. D. hydei serve best, and they're simple to culture. I keep 3 cultures going at once, so when one ends, I start another, and I always have enough for my 6 cages of geckos. (This means one culture is winding down, and another is producing heavily, while the third isn't ready yet--at any given time).