uroplatus recomendations?

[zuk450]

hey everyone, ive been interested in the uroplatus genus for a while now but have heard they arent the easiest captives to keep. I have had various geckos and whatnot throughout the years (about 16 years now) so im not a total noob, and i think im ready for the challenge.

I am completely captivated by U.sikorae, is this a good "beginner" leaf tail species? ( if it isnt what would you guys recomend?)

Also what can i expect to pay for one? ive checked kingsnake and other classifieds but havent found any for sale...

thanks again,
Bill

[that_girl]

We've had u. sikorae and u. phantasticus for over 2 years now have had really good luck with them. I'd think with that many years under your belt, you should be fine.

They aren't that expensive anymore, it seems as if they are getting less expensive all the time. However, finding CB is almost impossible, so you are looking at WC. Be prepared to isolate them from your other geckos and treat for parasites.

It also seems as if there are less and less imports coming in, so they are becoming a bit harder to find. Check out the BOI before you buy from anyone. Some importers are shady so make sure you go with someone with a good reputation.

[ominously]

Both species that Krystal are pretty hardy. I would say the only ones that come to mind that are a bit more durable are the pietschmanni but they seem to be a bit harder to track down.

As far as the species goes, be mindful of how they look before you buy them - if you're not picking them up in person especially, I willalways ask for a picture of them at that time so you can obseve them for curled tails and such. Ask about recent behaviours as well - if they've been hanging out at the bottom a lot you may be buying a death's doorstep animal.

Be ready too - have a viv already setup and estblished, particularly if you're planting one (which I highly recommend). A well established bio active viv really seems to help, plus it allows you to fine tune any humidity or heat issues where is established. Of the thw two mentioned, phantaasticus seems to have the lesser tolerance for heat changes, and sikorae seems to have the lesser tolerance for humidity changes.

Lastly, read everything. Ask everything. Talk to everyone. I very much recommend the following caresheet - I think it's the best out there for leaftails in general ;)
Mike Martin's Caresheet (http://www.geckosunlimited.com/community/gecko-care-sheets/17695-abridged-uroplatus-phantasticus-caresheet.html)

Sorry - I tried to ge the one on the Repashy Forum but the Facebook initializing keeps lagging out and I don't know how to turn it off.

[zuk450]

wow thanks ominously... too bad i couldnt hit the thanks button twice haha. thats exactly the kind of info i was after!

[ominously]

No problem at all - if you hit the search button and look up uroplatus I strongly believe you'll find all sorts of questions from me when I got my second sikorae (the first one was severely dehydrated and died less than 24 hours after getting it).