Currently in our collection
These are some of the species that we still own and are working with.
Phelsuma laticauda laticauda
Gold dust day gecko
In early June of 2010 we were headed back from a vacation and stopped by a Petco. Petcos can be viewed as scum to some people, but we have scored some of our nicer animals from this particular Petco. They do a great job with their reptile section.
We had been talking about getting a Phelsuma for some time, and trying one out that was semi-cheap and somewhat common to find. We were thinking Phelsuma laticauda would be a good starter, and had been told the same by Wally Kern (Supreme Gecko) and Julie Bergman (Gecko Ranch). It happened to be our time, because this first one was a nice healthy and active male for half price. We couldn't go wrong. :)
He is eating dubia roach nymphs with ferocity (is that even a word?) and pounding the Crested Gecko Diet. He is active, yet he will just hang out on my hand. We couldn't be happier with the attitude and "personality" of this species. We will probably end up with dozens more. ;)
We have come to find out that they are very fast geckos that are definitely not easily handled. They are best left alone as display animals only. I may not ever get more photos of them due to their quickness.
Update: We added a female , Yzma, from Harold Chapman on 8/1/10 and another female in early 2011. We are breeding them in the 2011 and hope to have some available by the end of the 2011 season.
We had been talking about getting a Phelsuma for some time, and trying one out that was semi-cheap and somewhat common to find. We were thinking Phelsuma laticauda would be a good starter, and had been told the same by Wally Kern (Supreme Gecko) and Julie Bergman (Gecko Ranch). It happened to be our time, because this first one was a nice healthy and active male for half price. We couldn't go wrong. :)
He is eating dubia roach nymphs with ferocity (is that even a word?) and pounding the Crested Gecko Diet. He is active, yet he will just hang out on my hand. We couldn't be happier with the attitude and "personality" of this species. We will probably end up with dozens more. ;)
We have come to find out that they are very fast geckos that are definitely not easily handled. They are best left alone as display animals only. I may not ever get more photos of them due to their quickness.
Update: We added a female , Yzma, from Harold Chapman on 8/1/10 and another female in early 2011. We are breeding them in the 2011 and hope to have some available by the end of the 2011 season.
Eurydactylodes vieillardi
These guys are so freakin' tiny, it's pretty rediculous. Derek at DD Reptiles is to blame for getting us started on this tiny of a species. They have grown in our care, but it's definitely hard to tell. Very cool species to keep, and hopefully one day we'll have offspring of our own. We have a pair, but no pics of the male just yet, this is the female.
Homopholis wahlbergi
Wahlberg's velvety gecko
This is such a cool little gecko, and a species I fell in love with at the last SEWERfest show in Racine. We picked it up from Phil Tremper, who has some incredible animals.
This is a south African species of gecko that likes to hang out in dead trees in the savannah and bush lands. They are very inquisitive little geckos...always looking around and "tasting" the air. They are quick quick, but run different than a lot of geckos I've had. Instead of the swishing side to side and S type motions that a lot of geckos make, this one seems to use it's legs more and run in a straight line. They are so interesting, and one I'd like to work with a lot more in the future.
We've noticed that they will lighten up with age...going from a slightly more brown color to the typical black and white.
This is a south African species of gecko that likes to hang out in dead trees in the savannah and bush lands. They are very inquisitive little geckos...always looking around and "tasting" the air. They are quick quick, but run different than a lot of geckos I've had. Instead of the swishing side to side and S type motions that a lot of geckos make, this one seems to use it's legs more and run in a straight line. They are so interesting, and one I'd like to work with a lot more in the future.
We've noticed that they will lighten up with age...going from a slightly more brown color to the typical black and white.
Lepidodactylus lugubris
Mourning gecko
This was such a neat little gecko that we got from the Gilpins back in October '09. It was tiny, fast, and just a gorgeous little thing. It was only a few weeks old when it came into our care, and far from being an adult. It was doing great for us, feeding on CGD and any small fruit fly that I could catch. One day it just had a bad shed, and really went down-hill for another week before passing away. I talked to a couple of people that had the same problem with them, but it was still sad to see the little thing die. I wish it would have grown up a bit and I was able to get some more photos of it. It's a species that I would love to work with in the future.
What makes it even more incredible is that this species is parthenogenic, which means that they can reproduce without mating. A huge majority of the population is female (only a few out of hundreds are male) which will lay eggs that hatch out with the same genetics as their mothers. It's very unique.
Just a few weeks ago (sometime around early March 2011) we were able to acquire 3 more juveniles of this species from Andrew and Sarah Gilpin. Using some different care strategies, they are growing well and are very active. We hope that the trio of them make it to adulthood. They are very small yet, but their rapid growth rates are a good sign of them doing great for us.
What makes it even more incredible is that this species is parthenogenic, which means that they can reproduce without mating. A huge majority of the population is female (only a few out of hundreds are male) which will lay eggs that hatch out with the same genetics as their mothers. It's very unique.
Just a few weeks ago (sometime around early March 2011) we were able to acquire 3 more juveniles of this species from Andrew and Sarah Gilpin. Using some different care strategies, they are growing well and are very active. We hope that the trio of them make it to adulthood. They are very small yet, but their rapid growth rates are a good sign of them doing great for us.
No longer in our collection
Here are some more of the species that we have experience with. These are species that are no longer in the collection, but they were a joy to have when they were part of the "colony".
Uroplatus lineatus
Honschel was a really neat gecko to have. Someday, we'll try lineatus again.
Nephrurus levis
Smooth knobtail gecko
This is our first actual sand dwelling species, and something that we wanted to try for some time.
These geckos love the heat, and do best with a heat pad underneath a tank of sand. We have him set on on treated beach sand with sandstone slabs for structure. He will dig and kick sand all over his back, and has recently taken well to eating dubia roach nymphs. They are very interesting geckos to watch. Their bold coloration, "bull-dog" body shape, and crazy emeral green eyes are just spectacular.
Update: after keeping this male for some time, he passed away with what appeared to be a respiratory issue. We believe we may have misted the sand a bit too much and the conditions were more moist than what this species really needs. It's a lesson we learned from and will be wary of in the future.
These geckos love the heat, and do best with a heat pad underneath a tank of sand. We have him set on on treated beach sand with sandstone slabs for structure. He will dig and kick sand all over his back, and has recently taken well to eating dubia roach nymphs. They are very interesting geckos to watch. Their bold coloration, "bull-dog" body shape, and crazy emeral green eyes are just spectacular.
Update: after keeping this male for some time, he passed away with what appeared to be a respiratory issue. We believe we may have misted the sand a bit too much and the conditions were more moist than what this species really needs. It's a lesson we learned from and will be wary of in the future.
Hemidactylus triedrus
Termite hill geckos
These are some very cool geckos. They are native to Africa and are aptly named the Termite Hill geckos. They spend a good deal of time eating termites and ants. They are very inquisitive, quick, voracious eaters, and seem to be quite intelligent. They eat dubia roach nymphs without an issue, and are very fun to watch.
These first few photos are pictures of a juvenile male. The females and males look the same, and can only be differentiated by their hemipenal bulges and preanal pores. As they grow and mature, the light banding becomes much more pronounced as it lightens into an almost white color. The base coloration become a dark chocolate brown to black color. They are very pretty geckos. We can't wait for these to grow up further, and hopefully produce some offspring of their own.
These first few photos are pictures of a juvenile male. The females and males look the same, and can only be differentiated by their hemipenal bulges and preanal pores. As they grow and mature, the light banding becomes much more pronounced as it lightens into an almost white color. The base coloration become a dark chocolate brown to black color. They are very pretty geckos. We can't wait for these to grow up further, and hopefully produce some offspring of their own.
Bavayia ssp.
New Caledonian gecko ssp.
This is an interesting group of geckos, and one that I'm starting to like more and more. We acquired our first Bavayia from Alejandro Lozano of Emerald Exotics at NARBC Tinley Park 2010. They are lightning quick, inquistive, hardy, and fairly easy to care for. They take to the Crested Gecko Diet as well as dusted live insects.
This one is no longer in our collection.
This one is no longer in our collection.
