P pictus questions

wagmore

wagmore

New member
Hi all,

Posted this last night in n00b central, but no luck with replies, so have reposted here.

Currently have 2 leopard geckos, have previously owned house geckos, and am looking to get started with a new species suitable for my experience level. Have an unused 10 gallon tank, and am looking to get just a single gecko capable of living in that space as an adult. In general, would prefer a nocturnal species and probably one that is primarily terrestrial (given that the tank is horizontal). Not necessarily looking for anything very exotic.

So, given those factors, I've been searching the forums and am pondering going with P pictus. But I have a couple of questions:

Can any of the panther gecko owners out there speak to their relative handle-ability? (i.e., do they tolerate a very limited amount of handling?)

Does anyone have suggestions for a reputable online breeder from whom it would be possible to purchase CB panther geckos? Petsmart is really the only brick-and-mortar option in my area, and I'm completely inexperienced when it comes to ordering a live gecko through an online vendor...

Incidentally, if any of you have thoughts on other possibly appropriate species, suggestions would be much appreciated! (Velvet geckos? some species of Pachydactylus?)
 
aquamentus_11

aquamentus_11

New member
i got mine from reptmart. they were very helpful, answered all my questions via e-mail and the phone, gave me their best guess on gender (they were only 2 weeks old at the time, but they correctly identified a male for me) and set up drop off and pick up with the local ups station for me (my current location is a bit tricky delivery-wise). my little guy's been happy and eating well since day 1.

i can't speak to handling. everything i've read says that they aren't big on it, but other members here have said that waiting until they're fully grown to attempt it is your best choice. mine is 1.5 mos and still fairly skittish if i loom or get too near: i would never attempt handling him at this point for fear of him falling and injuring himself. he is very mellow and likes to stay out in the open at night, so i think he'll come around. i do plan to get him hand-friendly in a few months. i wouldn't expect to handle them as much as a leo.

i have Ripper in a 10gal now, but plan on a 20gal long or exo terra 24x18x18" when the time comes. everyone says that they only get to approx. 6", but Rip's a solid 3.5" at 1.5 mos... they are pretty active hunters if given the chance; much more so than most leos i've seen.
 
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aquamentus_11

aquamentus_11

New member
if you go with a pictus, one thing that i would say is a MUST: a moist hide made of opaque plastic or some other non-porous material. that is my guy's hide-out, bed and safe zone. if i ever spook him, that's where he goes to cool off. clean and spray inside every few days so he can lick the moisture from the walls. good luck!
 
wagmore

wagmore

New member
Thanks, aquamentus; this is super helpful.

Re: handling, I should clarify. Am definitely not looking for something that is as handle-able as a leo or crested; just trying to get a general sense for how hand-friendly a pictus may or may not become. (Actually, now that I think about it, "hand-friendly" is really a much better word for it...)

Will definitely check out reptmart (in fact, I see theyve got them on sale at the moment).

Can I ask, are you planning to move up to a 20 g because you're concerned a 10 g is too small for one pictus?
 
aquamentus_11

aquamentus_11

New member
yeah, i've seen how much he likes to explore and climb around at night and i don't think a 10gal will be enough for him when he's 7" long. he really makes use of all the space provided and is capable of some impressive speed; i think some more room would bring out some very cool hunting behavior. plus, they will climb to the top of everything if given the chance, so i provide some very sturdy bark pieces and rocks. a lot of care sheets say 10gal is enough for one adult and they're probably right, but keep in mind that a 10gal is only about 2-3x the total length of an adult. now add a suitably sized moist hide, at least one more hide on the hot side, some furniture, plants for humidity and a water bowl. that 10gal gets pretty cramped pretty quickly.
 
C

creacat69

New member
I absolutely agree. Our gecko,s are about 7 months old and they do like to wander around at night. We have got a 20x14x14 inch terrarium for the 2 now but my daughter is going to get al larger one for her gecko,s in a few months .
 
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wagmore

wagmore

New member
hmmm, thanks for your thoughts on this. Perhaps I ought to think about some other mostly-terrestrial species then...
Pity, though--I was starting to hope that a pictus would be just the right candidate for the 10 gal I already own. :(
 
aquamentus_11

aquamentus_11

New member
just thought of another ground-dwelling species: Coleonyx mitratus. Their care sounds almost identical to pictus care, but they look a lot more like leos structurally. Care sheets say that a 10gal is enough for an adult and they look like they might be a little less active. I'd ask around though. They look great.
 
wagmore

wagmore

New member
Thanks for the tip, aquamentus. They're beautiful and just the right size! Haven't decided yet if I should attempt something a bit farther afield from leos than banded geckos, but I guess that'll have to be balanced with how difficult to obtain & expensive any species is.

Too bad P. androyensis is so difficult to find! They look fascinating.

On a completed unrelated note, have a friend who is actually a herpetologist who's trying hard to sell me on getting a crested. :)
(I guess I'd mod the 10 gal i have, or just break down and get an new vertical one if I were to go this route.)
 
wagmore

wagmore

New member
Ha. well, after all that, I ended up going with a small fat-tailed. So, not so far from leopard gecko as I had originally intended... ;)
 
wagmore

wagmore

New member
went to the White Plains expo (which was cool, but crazy intense...) and saw lots of pictus geckos. think I'd really like to get a slightly larger tank and house a few of them someday. don't tell my wife... ;)


wagmore said:
Ha. well, after all that, I ended up going with a small fat-tailed. So, not so far from leopard gecko as I had originally intended... ;)
Click to expand...
 
Riverside Reptiles

Riverside Reptiles

Administrator (HMFIC)
Too bad I'm a little late in coming across this. I would have suggested Stenodactylus. They're a great species that I'm just starting to really admire and they're considered "micro-geckos". You can have several in a 10 gallon. They have great personalities, are quite handlable, and not shy at all. I've acquired 7 of them in the past couple of months and love them. Certainly an under rated species.
http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/other-geckos/63498-new-steno-additions.html
 
Riverside Reptiles

Riverside Reptiles

Administrator (HMFIC)
wagmore said:
oh wow, those look incredible! may I ask how you went about finding a breeder?
Click to expand...


They're not an expensive species, but they're somewhat rare and hard to come by. I'll have some in a few months, but since you're in Canada, that won't do you much good. Your best bet would be to put a "wanted" ad in the classifieds here if you're serious about buying.

Oh yeah, they "chirp" at night too! It's fun to listen to them vocalize to each other.
 
wagmore

wagmore

New member
Actually, though I'm Canadian, I live in upstate NY, and I'd be very much interested if you're planning to have hatchlings.
 
aquamentus_11

aquamentus_11

New member
they really are widely varied in coloration. i'd love to see more pics. to be honest, i wish i had known about them too: the pictus is a lot of fun, but one or two of these could fit in a nice viv right on my desk.
 
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