HELP with Lygodactylus Williamsi babies

[OH23]

Hi All,

I'm having some trouble keeping these delicate creatures alive more than 2 weeks.

sometimes i find them stuck against the glass like one of the legs are glued and they can't release it ( maybe trouble shedding ) and after that they lose the ability to climb properly.
i think this is a reason of them fading away...
it looks like their tiny foot get deformed and looks like the fingers are all fused/attached to each other.

btw - i provide small fruit flies, some fruit puree and the temps are around 75-80F
and mist daily.

i don't mind changing my whole baby care setup... so if anyone here have a steady success with raising them i'll be very very happy if you could share the exact way you do it.

Thank you so much...

 

[Aimless]

are these babies that hatch to you, or are you buying babies?

hmm. I'd wonder if the water was bad, or if there was a problem with the pairing. I think the setup looks all right, but would be worried about them getting behind the foam backing and also think you could use more cover. neither of those things should make them fade away in just a couple of weeks, though.

 

[OH23]

Thank you for the reply Aimless.
These babies are from my adult pair and hatched in the range of 50-60 days under 75-78F temps.
Water are best quality since I use a very good RO system.
There are absolutely no gaps that they can squeez into. Sealed everything all the way up to the screen cover.

 

[acpart]

I had similar bad luck with hatchlings and can't figure out what I did wrong. I have given up.

Aliza

 

[OH23]

Sorry for your bad luck Aliza.
I have read your experience before and that's what's actually made me pay special care and attention for the hatchlings. Thank you for the helpful info !
I have a very prolific pair as of now so I'm planning on getting this right down the road.
Hope I'll have some success so in time I'll be able to share my experience for future generations of Williamsi and Williamsi keepers.

Keep the info coming please I'm still looking for some tweaks to make it right.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Have you read this: http://www.geckosunlimited.com/comm...l?highlight=lygodactylus+williamsi+care+sheet

 

[Primal Rage]

Your set up seems to be the main problem. It looks entirely too big. I bet your AH drops down to 40% or less during the day.I keep my hatchlings in individual mason jars. This way I can monitor how much they are eating and how they are acting.

 

[OH23]

Yes, i did Elizabeth. thank you.

Primal rage : thank you for the info. i'll give it a go.
one question : how long do you keep them in the jars ?

Thank you all for the info and help, i appreciate it.

 

[cricket4u]

Your set up seems to be the main problem. It looks entirely too big. I bet your AH drops down to 40% or less during the day.I keep my hatchlings in individual mason jars. This way I can monitor how much they are eating and how they are acting.

Hi,

Are you able to provide a temperature gradient which allows them to regulate their body temperature in a mason jar? How about UVB/UVA?

 

[cricket4u]

Thank you for the reply Aimless.
These babies are from my adult pair and hatched in the range of 50-60 days under 75-78F temps.
Water are best quality since I use a very good RO system.
There are absolutely no gaps that they can squeez into. Sealed everything all the way up to the screen cover.

Hi,

I would suggest an area with a higher basking temperature of about 95f. Always monitor behavior and make adjustments as necessary. They will let you know what they prefer. UVB should not be combined with D3 under most circumstances.

 

[Primal Rage]

Yes I do provide UVB light via a Arcadia 6%uvb lamp. I do not expose my hatchlings to temps higher than 84-86f max. Ideally they should be kept in the low 80's with high humidity. After a month or so they get moved into slightly larger tanks. This works well for me and others. I will post pics of my set up when I get a min.

 

[rabzouz]

i have made the experience that with L. williamsi, the more UVB, the better.

From what ive heard, many people who rely too much on fruit flies when raising their williamsis have had some problems, its hearsay though. I remember some frogbook that looked into amino acid constitution in fruit fly compared to others, and springtails, pinheads, etc. were way better than fruit fly. another theory for the problems was the gutbiome of the FF. Again, its hearsay, not sure if theres sth to it.

i'd try a diet of pinhead crickets, thermobia domestica,springtails and repashy daygecko diet or sth like this, with the hotter temperatures a bit higher than 80 F (around 32 C, i think that should be higher than 80 F). And not too wet for the babies.


Do you dust your feeders (for babies and for parents?) Do the parents have UVB lightning?

 

[acpart]

Just for the record, my first attempt with L. williamsi hatchlings was to keep them in 32oz deli cups with the gauze on top for air exchange. That didn't work for me either.

Aliza

 

[OH23]

That's some awesome info ! Thank you all.
That's interesting info regarding the fruit flies rabzouz.
I do dust my feeders with Repashy calcium plus, for the parents and hatchlings.
I'll do some adjustments and see if things go well... I'll report and update soon as I have some news.
Again, I really appreciate all the info and the time you taking to provide it.

On a side note I just wanted to mention I keep "dart frogs" for about 8 years and have a pretty large collection with some very nice vivariums. So am not a total noob in the vivaria and tropical environments ;-)

 

[OH23]

Primal rage : if you can provide some pictures of your hatchlings setup that would be great. Im expecting 2 eggs to hatch in the next 2-3 weeks and want to be ready.
If anyone else have some pictures of their setups please post them.
Thanks

 

[Primal Rage]

 

[Primal Rage]

I would read the Learning from failures post in Other geckos section. Not sure were hatchlings were mentioned in that first link? Oh and would not recommend a basking area of 95f in a hatchling tank.

 

[cricket4u]

I would read the Learning from failures post in Other geckos section. Not sure were hatchlings were mentioned in that first link? Oh and would not recommend a basking area of 95f in a hatchling tank.

The 95f is the highest point due to the reason it's important to provide the largest range possible and allow them to choose what they prefer. Even within the same species, reptiles can have individual temperature preferences.

In regards to your set ups, I'm concerned. I hope you don't mind me explaining. Reptiles can survive many conditions, however it can be detrimental in the long run. When the area is too small, a temperature gradient will not be possible which is important. Also using UVB in such a small area can lead to over exposure, lead to skin and eye damage. Do you use a UVB meter to check is they are receiving enough? Is there areas where they can avoid the rays as necessary?

 

[Primal Rage]

Thank you for your concern. I can assure you that all my hatchlings from both species are thriving. Currently, they range in ages of 2 weeks to 2 months. Maybe you could post pics of your hatchling Williamsi setups and your feeding regimens. Useful info from other breeders is always greatly appreciated. I would also love to see who wrote the info on 95f basking areas for hatchling Williamsi. Please post a link if you can.

 

[cricket4u]

Thank you for your concern. I can assure you that all my hatchlings from both species are thriving. Currently, they range in ages of 2 weeks to 2 months. Maybe you could post pics of your hatchling Williamsi setups and your feeding regimens. Useful info from other breeders is always greatly appreciated. I would also love to see who wrote the info on 95f basking areas for hatchling Williamsi. Please post a link if you can.

You're welcome. I do not keep these little guys, however I do know someone who does. The person does provide a high of 92f to be exact, just figured I round it off. I'm a little anal so I prefer for this person to give specific details themselves. I will talk to him to see if he agrees to post on the forum himself.