Paroedura vazimba incubation, and neonate care advice needed.

[Dactylusfan]

Paroedura vazimba incubation, and newborn care advice needed.

I'm looking for some advice from anyone that has successfully bred and raised P. vazimba.
I have a 1.2 group that I keep in a sub-tropical terrarium, that I mist every 2-3 days. My females have done very well and are producing eggs. I've found 5 eggs so far, and due to their delicacy 3 of the 5 were cracked while moving. One of the eggs hatched and produced a viable newborn. I kept the newborn in a small terrarium with a paper towel substrate and a few branches to climb on. After a couple days it ate fruit flies with gusto. I misted it every other day to keep the humidity up just a bit. On day 7 I found it dead in the terrarium. I have since found a 6th egg while cleaning, and yes it was cracked in the process of removal, despite being very careful and using a spoon. I dust their food regularly and leave a extra small bowl of ground egg shell for the females. So I don't think that a lack of calcium is an issue.

I have two questions. 1) I'm assuming that it is best to incubate the eggs in-situ. Does anyone else have experience with this issue?
2) Does anyone have any experience raising the newborns? Would it be safe to leave them in the terrarium with the adults?
Thanks!

 

[vgorst]

I've incubated P. vazimba eggs both in- and ex-situ. I've found both to be successful and one is not better than the other. If you incubate eggs in-situ then just leave the eggs where the females lay them, they find the best place for the eggs temperature wise. You then have to decide whether you would leave the babies in with the adults or remove and raise separately. I've raised babies in with the adults and never had a problem. You have to ensure that you throw in appropriately sized food, the tank is escape proof, and have small hiding spaces that the adults can't access.

What temperatures were you raising the babies at? They tend to be quite hardy geckos but that isn't to say there was something wrong with the gecko internally. Do you provide the adults with D3 supplements or UV? I've never had an egg crack which would make me think that there is a reason why the eggs have turned out a bit weak.