i am interested in getting some leachies

[Ailurus]

i am interested in getting some leachies, but i cannot find a care sheet, or many books about them, so i was wondering if someone here could help me. i would like to know:
- what size vivarium would i need for a pair? (would this be ok==>viv (http://www.everythingforpets.com/perfecto_hi_front_reptile_habitats.pet/use.id.5.item_id.7343.dept.995/))
- what do they eat? is there diet similar to that of the crested gecko.
- are they easy to keep?
- does anyone know where i could get some from in the UK?

thanks

tom

[mike]

-In my opinion those viv's are to small, I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than 24" long x 24" wide x 36" tall for a pair. Even with that said, not all pairs of Leachianus are compatible and may not be able to be kept together full time in the same enclosure, so it may be wise if you are considering getting a pair, to also consider seperate enclosures.

-Allen has formulated a Leachianus diet similar to the Crested Gecko Diet that they can be fed, some feed them pinky mice on occasion, crickets, roaches, etc. but if they are feeding well on the Leachianus Diet, they really don't need anything else.

-If you have experience with Rhac's you shouldn't have too much difficulty making the transition into Leachi's but if you are new to Rhac's I would recommend starting out with Cresteds or Gargoyles just to get some experience in keeping them.

-Try sending a private message to a member on here named "chahoua" I believe she can help you out with finding some in the UK.

As far as reading material, the most complete information I have found on Leachi's is in the book Rhacodactylus The Complete Guide to their Selection and Care

[Ailurus]

where can i find this leachianus diet?

and thanks for all the info

[mike]

http://www.stickytoegecko.com/available

Scroll to the bottom of that page. The 2.5lb container is the best bang for the buck and should easily last you several months between two Leachianus.

[Ailurus]

not all pairs of Leachianus are compatible and may not be able to be kept together full time in the same enclosure

why is this?

[mike]

Just their temperment I guess, some times they pair well together, some times they don't, I have not heard many horror stories in the past but it is definitely possible, and something to look out for.

[chahoua]

Hi Tom I've sent you a PM :D

[Ailurus]

great thanks for all the advice, and the PM.

[ExoticPet]

Rh. Leacies is very nice Gecko...

[Dainas]

Hello, I am a longtime herp fan and have a few questions about leachies that the books and FAQs have not been able to answer,

I've well versed myself in their requirements and general care of these wonderful Geckos, such as food requirements, housing setup, temprature/humidity and their general behaviour and how to keep an unstressed, happy lizard. However the latter always proves the trickyest with most geckos.

My experiances;

My beloved Tokay (well as dear as a Tokay can be) Cihar (pronounced "Si'Har" from an unusual growl he made the first time I timidly removed him from his enclosure for cleaning) finaly passed away. I was given this Gekko gecko at the age of 10 partly as a joke from an impatient older cousin who couldnt stand caring for a lizard who could be "such a bastard", in his words.

Luckly my father had some experiance with chameleons and an old verticle 6x4x3 glass enclosure he made as a teenager.

Although I was always wearly of Cihar (comon, its a Tokay) and wore leather gloves during the once to twice monthly I would take him out (to clean the enclosure).. He never bothered to snap at me after the first 3 years and would always readily eat anything offered to him that would move.

About a year before he died his colors became much duller and his appetite waned, until he finaly passed away about 4 months ago. Partly due to living in a good house and climate for herps and a (instilled by my fathers advice) fear of stressing my pet, Cihar made it to a ripe(supposedly for Tokays) age of 12-14?~



My qestion is that are leachianus good for someone like me? I understand that these large geckos require it marginaly cooler/dryer(80f-70f) and I still have Cihar's old enclosure. I am far and away not an expert on Geckos; besides Cihar the Tokay, I've only had/still have a 8 year old leopard gecko and a rather belligerent Brown Anole.

MY real apprehension is, getting a leachianus from the store/breeders to my current residence in central california without too much stress. I would have to pick it up myself and quietly drive it up north.

I'm not really interested in breeding, I just want to know if they are good companion lizard to share 20~ years of my life with (not something to pet and hold and pour affection into, just to enjoy seeing grow and be a cornerstone of my life like Cihar was)

[Luc]

I think they are perfect companion lizards, probably they will grow a lot older than 20 years(some people say they could be over 35 years old). In contrast with chameleons and tokehs a young leachie will easily get used to handling and the subspecies henkeli will become very tame leachianus leachianus can be more agressive. When kept single and taken care for as is explained in the book leachies don't easely become stressed.I have leachies that travelled for more 10 hours in my car without any problem.

[mike]

Leachianus are great Dainas, personally if you haven't kept Rhacs before I would recommend starting with Crested Geckos or Gargoyles which also have very long life spans when cared for appropriately. Most will easily reach the 12-14 mark like your Tokay did and even go past that.

The thing with Rhacs, and most geckos in general to be honest is that handling isn't the best idea, most people seem to think they "enjoy" being handled for some reason, but in reality they do not. It causes them stress and handling should be kept only for situations in which they need to be handled. This is good because you already understand this, and realize how easily they can be stressed, a lot of hobbyists don't pick up on this and want reptiles they can handle non-stop.

I am assuming your cage size is in feet? If so that is a pretty good sized enclosure, even a bit on the big side. That would probably work well for a pair, I think even a single animal would do well so long as it wasn't too hard for it to find food, so you just wouldn't want to over decorate. A trio of Crested Geckos would do great in that sized enclosure too, plenty of room for everyone.

As far as getting an animal, I wouldn't worry too much about stress from shipping or picking it up at a show, it's going to stress them out a bit, regardless, but the best thing you can do for them is to get them home and into a suitable enclosure, this will help relieve their stress very well and they should get used to the new home in no time, and when cared for properly, kept within the appropriate temperatures, and not handled often, stress should not be an issue for you at all.

[Dainas]

Yeah I was looking at cresteds (from adivice to others and a few petshops I've visited)and they look like wonderful Geckos too, and as you said allow me to make sure the housing is comfortable for these new caledonians. If I still get a leachianus I'll find a nice smaller verticle enclosure for my crested/s, They both seem rather bening as geckos go, however their size difference worrys me.

....if things go very well perhaps I'll find some mates for them in a year or so, but heh as you guys surely know its best to take these things slow. Thanks for your advice mike & Luc and hope to learn much more from all of you in this forum. I'll post pics of my enclosure and the suggested setup before bringing home one of these guys.

[mike]

Starting off a small Leachi in that size enclosure would not be the best way to go either, I would recommend something smaller, perhaps 10 to 20 gallon size at first depending on just how small it is, it is very important when they are young that you get them started strong on the diets and make sure they have easy access to the food, in a large enclosure a small gecko could easily have trouble.

[Dainas]

I'll go out to buy a new enclosure tommorow to get it over with then. Luckly my father was inspired in his construction of the enclosure(no squeeze out room) But I can imaging the little crested having difficulty locating his meals.

My Tokay Cihar was rather small for that enclosure(still big for a tokay though) and the second I left after dropping in food he would be on the up and up searching(I usualy fed him around 10pm). ..But that was after a years of me having to make sure he actualy saw where I dropped crickets or dusted mealworms.

Geckos seem able to comprehend human feeding schedules, but it takes them awhile. I'm trying to find a petstore close that stocks more than mealworms, crickets and rudementary herp vitamin dust.

[Jeffy4321]

Ive had one for about two years and they are awesome huge and very docile with my experience so far can be a bit more pricey than a Tokay but i think there well worth the enjoyment its brought me thus far google "giant geckos" to find breeders that sell them Hope this helps thanks Jeffy

[sal-amanda]

I have had my pair for about 4 months and I love them. I would recomend one but only with some rhac experiance as some other have suggested. They are very different than many of the other species of geckos that I have worked with in the past. Or if you do decide to get one you might want to try and locate someone locale (within reason) that has one. Get some experiance with it to make sure that they are the right species for you. That has saved me more times that I can think about from getting an animal that would have turned out to be something that I would not have wanted. It has save me and the animal a lot of hardships. Be sure to let us know what you decide and of course if you get one pictures are always great to see.
-amanda