New to the Uroplatus

[Koda]

I am new to the Uroplatus, but I am so intrigued by this species of Gecko. I think they are amazing and am very excited to get to the point where I am ready to keep them. Unfortunately I am far away from this point in my opinion. I have been researching them for only a few months now and I hear a lot of mixed views of the species. I would like to know from the keepers out there what is the best species to start out with, what is the heartiest species of Uroplatus out there?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Chris

[rey]

uroplatuses are one of the most complexed species. they need a lot of attention and care....

in my opinion, i think they are all pretty simple to maintain, once u have figured out the tricks into keeping them comfortable.


makin sure they have the proper temperature, hiding spots, supplements, and humidity, are factors that play a big role.

which uroplatus is it that you're lookin into?

[MunkE]

if youre just gonna start out henks or fimbs would be a good starter i think. but just dont buy it then figure out everything afterwords. make sure you get the right care down and know it well. we can all help ya

[rey]

i think sikoraes are pretty hardy too....

[Koda]

I was looking into Fimbriatus, Satanics and Sikorae, but I love them all. I definitely don't want to jump right in Munke I want to research every aspect that I can, that is the main reason I started this thread. Would any of these species be good starters? I have read a lot to stear me away from Fimbriatus.

[rey]

try sikorae and fimbri. and then go for satanics for last.. being that satanics need more attention and can cost more

[Koda]

The local store down the street from me has a Fimbri now. It makes me mad everytime I walk in because he isn't eating and the volunteer kid that they have working there is constantly handling him. I have read that this is a species not to be handled much if at all. Could this be the main reason he is not eating is because of stress? Is there anything I could say that wouldn't seem to rude? I have tried to tell them in suttle ways, but no change. Any suggestions?

[rey]

The local store down the street from me has a Fimbri now. It makes me mad everytime I walk in because he isn't eating and the volunteer kid that they have working there is constantly handling him. I have read that this is a species not to be handled much if at all. Could this be the main reason he is not eating is because of stress? Is there anything I could say that wouldn't seem to rude? I have tried to tell them in suttle ways, but no change. Any suggestions?

in my opinion all uroplatuses shouldnt be handled too much, they rely a lot on camouflage and hiding.. so to be handled a lot they feel as if they are going to be someone's meal.

so that could be a stressor as well as other things. i'd so buy it just to save it.... but if anything, i think u should read into it, write down notes, and try to create something suitable..

the most major factors bottom line is that they have a place to hide in, their temp stays in the low 70's... ( i keep mine at 72 during the day and drop them to the high 60's during the night)....and that they are misted twice daily..

i dont monitor humidity no more... but its good to do so at first, so u can then get use to seeing how much misting is needed at first...u get to figure out the tricks easily...


and as for the pet store, talk to the manager and let him know that the fimbri needs better health condition, give some recommendation, put more of a hiding spot, and less handling. and let him know that u are also interested in buying it, and that u will be doing it soon. that will probably help out a bit as he will probably know that u wont buy it if its in a bad condition.

[dravenxavier]

As far as I know, fimbriatus is supposedly one of the harder to keep species long term. I have one, and have NO problems with her. I've also dealt with them in a store I used to manage, and never lost one there, either. So go figure. Mine eats like a champ and is very easygoing. A better choice may be the henkeli, which can take a little bit of variation in conditions, and are also available captive bred more frequently. I haven't had any experience with them, though.

[baugh]

i have read that guentheri and henkeli are the easier species or uro to keep. i have not kept any of them but from what ive heard and read they seem to be the best to start with. there are several care sheets that you could read over.

[rey]

could it be difference of opinion from breeders? some people getting into the genus uroplatus without having any idea about them. my experience fimbriatus have been very easy to manage, but then again i do have somewhat of an experience with another hardy species of uroplatus.

i know i studied a lot on the species and i spoke to breeders online and a friend of mine who also had uroplatuses and sure i got all the basics, and so on. and i asked all these questions that concerned me and i would ask other breeders about how they have their setups and how they maintained their uroplatuses. but in the end, i think you learned more about it thru constant observation, and seeing for yourself what is good and so on. thats how i learned all i know, and i'm sure there's probably much more to learn from them thru observation.

in my opinion, sikorae are the easiest of them all, henkeli too has been real easy too. has anyone dealt with corkbark yet? i got some coming in that im going to be buyin for a new project i want to start... they're a pretty penny too tho.
\

[dravenxavier]

I have a male corkbark now. I've had him less than a month, but so far, he's not being picky. I never planned on getting him, but when I managed to secure one for $100, I couldn't say no, so he's been sitting in a temporary enclosure and doesn't seem to mind a bit. Eats like a champ on 1/2" crickets, but is WAY more skittish and prone to running than any other Uroplatus I've worked with. I've got my room cooled to 75, he's in a 10 gallon with a couple pieces of cork bark and a little ficus, and gets sprayed twice a day. So far, no worries. Not permanent housing in the least, but it's working.

[spidergecko]

Let me be a little different than the others. I don't think you should get a specific Uroplatus species just because it makes a better starter. I think you should figure out the species you want, research it, then try it. There really is, imo, no reason you should "start out" by keeping a species you didn't want in the first place. So for example, if you really want U. phantasticus but buy U. henkeli just because you think it's a better starter, you will not be happy. At some point you may even want to trade away those U. henkeli and that definitely isn't good for the gecko.

I'm not saying others are wrong for suggesting you try an easier species but I always say it takes dedication and commitment to keep these harder species, not always experience. There are some members who have started by keeping the hardest Uroplatus species and some that have kept only U. phantasticus and never any other species at all. My first Uroplatus was a pair of WC U. ebenaui (which I thought were CB). I actually didn't research them much which was dumb but they are still alive today and produced young last year.

Anyway, that's my opinion. I think "starter geckos" just promote a "throw-away" mentality and I don't like that as part of an industry involving living things.

[rey]

I have a male corkbark now. I've had him less than a month, but so far, he's not being picky. I never planned on getting him, but when I managed to secure one for $100, I couldn't say no, so he's been sitting in a temporary enclosure and doesn't seem to mind a bit. Eats like a champ on 1/2" crickets, but is WAY more skittish and prone to running than any other Uroplatus I've worked with. I've got my room cooled to 75, he's in a 10 gallon with a couple pieces of cork bark and a little ficus, and gets sprayed twice a day. So far, no worries. Not permanent housing in the least, but it's working.

honestly, being that all the uros come from the same type of climate. they mainly need the same kind of care. the only difference if anything is where they sleep. example: you cant fit a sikorae on a small ficus plant. therefore you gotta find something wood thicker than phantasticus would prefer.

i've had the great opportunity to be able to go see various of uroplatuses, and although i dont own all of them, i've been able to see them and how they are kept.

and if anything, i think if a person wants a uroplatus more for the purpose of handling them, then its probably not the best gecko to keep. they are more of a display gecko. i barely handle mine, just to check up on them and make sure they are okay.

$100 bucks for a corkbark is amazing....ive seen them for almost $300

[rey]

Let me be a little different than the others. I don't think you should get a specific Uroplatus species just because it makes a better starter. I think you should figure out the species you want, research it, then try it. There really is, imo, no reason you should "start out" by keeping a species you didn't want in the first place. So for example, if you really want U. phantasticus but buy U. henkeli just because you think it's a better starter, you will not be happy. At some point you may even want to trade away those U. henkeli and that definitely isn't good for the gecko.

I'm not saying others are wrong for suggesting you try an easier species but I always say it takes dedication and commitment to keep these harder species, not always experience. There are some members who have started by keeping the hardest Uroplatus species and some that have kept only U. phantasticus and never any other species at all. My first Uroplatus was a pair of WC U. ebenaui (which I thought were CB). I actually didn't research them much which was dumb but they are still alive today and produced young last year.

Anyway, that's my opinion. I think "starter geckos" just promote a "throw-away" mentality and I don't like that as part of an industry involving living things.

well honestly what you stated above is true, but what the rest of us has been aiming at is an innocent way of thinking about getting into uroplatuses.

example, lets say a beginner would jump into satanics immediately, and then they didn't survive and then they'd be discourage to try any other type of uroplatus because in their mind, they are real hard to care for.

this is basically no different than beginners getting into crested or leopard geckos. they're great beginner geckos, and then over time they jumped into different type of geckos as they learn more.

this is basically something that i've seen dozens of time, breeders telling me that they love my collection, but they are intimidated because of everything they heard, or that they first had satanics, but then died and never tried getting then again. most of the time, i agree with them im like yeah they are hard to care for, just to humor them. but honestly if people get so intimidated so easily, then they shouldnt be keeping any gecko at all.

so to prevent a person from bein intimidated by uroplatuses, they should try something one that is less demanding, and then progress forth. this is no different than getting a snake. most people start with a ball python and move on to other snakes. it's all a process of learning. and usually the first one is always the favorite.

and as for any uroplatus to be looked as a throw-away gecko is a real loss on the breeder, will definately be missing out. if anything, all of the leaf tail geckos are amazin, and to not want to look into all the types of leaf tail is a big loss. i'm amazed as much by a satanic, as i am with a lineatus, or even a ebenaui who barely has a tail but is still no less as intriguing as it's cousin the satanic who has a beautiful tail. but then again, that part is just my opinion.

[dravenxavier]

I'll also say that there are some things that can only be learned through experience. And starting with something more tolerant of neglect (as little as leaftails can take) is a good idea IMO, because even if someone starts out strong and does their misting 2x a day and such, in a couple years of the same old thing, who's to say slacking off won't become a problem? I'm guilty of it, and I've put off actually owning Uroplatus myself until just recently, when I'm comfortable in my keeping of easier species and know I can keep up with the routine.

I also have to agree with rey in that all of the Uroplatus are fascinating, and I look forward to gradually building up to owning quite a few of the species.

But I will say, yes, if dedication is strong enough, you can keep pretty much anything. However, experience can only help.

[Koda]

So for example, if you really want U. phantasticus but buy U. henkeli just because you think it's a better starter, you will not be happy. At some point you may even want to trade away those U. henkeli and that definitely isn't good for the gecko.

Anyway, that's my opinion. I think "starter geckos" just promote a "throw-away" mentality and I don't like that as part of an industry involving living things.

This may be the case for some people, but In my honest opinion I don't think someone that would "throw away" any animal should be able to keep them period.

I love all of the Uroplatus species as a matter of fact I love all Species of Gecko. I think they are amazing and beautiful, so therefore I would love to hear ideas from everyone about which is the heartiest because to me I like to start out that way to make sure that I learn everything possible and there is the least chance of the animal perishing in my care. I have expirience with other Geckos ie. Cresteds, Leos, White Lined, Flying, House ect. I am just new to the Uroplatus.

Thanks for all of the responses so far.

[spidergecko]

This may be the case for some people, but In my honest opinion I don't think someone that would "throw away" any animal should be able to keep them period.
You might be surprised how many people actually "throw them away" (and by this I mean they buy them without any intent to keep them for life). I wouldn't say these are bad people. They just have to move on and something has to go.

I love all of the Uroplatus species as a matter of fact I love all Species of Gecko. I think they are amazing and beautiful, so therefore I would love to hear ideas from everyone about which is the heartiest because to me I like to start out that way to make sure that I learn everything possible and there is the least chance of the animal perishing in my care. I have expirience with other Geckos ie. Cresteds, Leos, White Lined, Flying, House ect. I am just new to the Uroplatus.
I certainly do not like all species of gecko. I think I could venture to say that many people feel that same way. You may be the exception and you may love forever every species that ever comes under your care. But there may be some point in time where your collection is just too big and something will have to go to make room for a new interest or a new project. Chances are that unless you unexpectedly fall in love with your starter species, that starter will be the first to go. I really think people should buy what they want rather than what they think they should buy. It's just my opinion but I feel it saves more geckos in the end. It's not like you're a newbie. You've kept other geckos. Cresteds aren't that much different.

Back to your question. If you want to know which starter to get I would think about which species you think you want most. Then you can pick an easier species in the same complex. Ebenaui is probably the easiest of the ebenaui complex (phantasticus, ebenaui, malama) although I've not kept malama. I would work with ebenaui first if my goal was phantasticus. (I didn't like phantasticus because it's a little too particular.) I also keep corkbark which, forgive me if I'm wrong, is its own complex. They are pretty easy to keep. I'm not a big fan of the larger species although most are nice.

I don't think a Henkeli will prepare you for phantasticus, though. The requirements are relatively lax for Henkeli while phantasticus needs much more dedication. So as I mentioned before, I'd pick a complex and work your way through it. You will probably get better results. Once you conquer one group, you will be prepared for the next.

My advice, put money aside for debugging WC or find a good CB animal. Dehydration and bugs in new imports are the only problems I've found with Uroplatus. They are pretty easy to keep if you are willing to do a little work maintaining them. Breeding them is a little different but some people never breed theirs so don't make that your goal right now.

Anyway, I hope you will at least consider some of the points I've made.

[floydsmom]

start with henkeli. i've heard its the best starter. DONT start with fimbriatus. i've heard they're touchy touchy touchy...mostly from the gilpins. and if they have trouble keeping something, i don't touch it!!!

at least i THINK its fimbriatus. andrew? sarah?

[dravenxavier]

You're right. They didn't have success with fimbriatus as far as I know. I'm hoping to be an exception to the rule with the fimbriatus, but I've only had her a bit more than a month, and even though she's doing great, I won't start calling it a success until we get past the 1 year mark. Better yet, the two year mark. Or maybe the breeding mark. Oh man, the dreams haha.

[livialeigh]

could it be difference of opinion from breeders? some people getting into the genus uroplatus without having any idea about them. my experience fimbriatus have been very easy to manage, but then again i do have somewhat of an experience with another hardy species of uroplatus.

i know i studied a lot on the species and i spoke to breeders online and a friend of mine who also had uroplatuses and sure i got all the basics, and so on. and i asked all these questions that concerned me and i would ask other breeders about how they have their setups and how they maintained their uroplatuses. but in the end, i think you learned more about it thru constant observation, and seeing for yourself what is good and so on. thats how i learned all i know, and i'm sure there's probably much more to learn from them thru observation.

in my opinion, sikorae are the easiest of them all, henkeli too has been real easy too. has anyone dealt with corkbark yet? i got some coming in that im going to be buyin for a new project i want to start... they're a pretty penny too tho.
\

I read a lot, too. In fact, I read everything I could find. That, and talking to others with experience, is really all you can do for now because hands-on experience is really important. I've had no problem with my Fimbriatus.. I've had her for five months now. Actually, I did have a problem with getting her to eat when I first got her.. it took her about 3 weeks for her to feel comfortable with her cage, but now she eats tons and TONS.

I LOVE the sikorae, too, and want to eventually get some.

[rey]

I read a lot, too. In fact, I read everything I could find. That, and talking to others with experience, is really all you can do for now because hands-on experience is really important. I've had no problem with my Fimbriatus.. I've had her for five months now. Actually, I did have a problem with getting her to eat when I first got her.. it took her about 3 weeks for her to feel comfortable with her cage, but now she eats tons and TONS.

I LOVE the sikorae, too, and want to eventually get some.

i've never had a problem with my uroplatuses not wantin to eat. but right now i've noticed that one of my males who use to spend a lot of time with another male ( i thought they were gay, hehe) is actually eating less and secluding himself from the male and the other females. I've figured that the other male is probably the established alpha male even tho they have been together for months. But now that the girls are laying their eggs, things have changed up a bit.

I'm possibly going to get him 2 females for himself, and set him up in a different enclosure. let him man up a bit. hopefully then he'll eat and get bigger and so on, and of course help create more little satanic babies.

right now im trying to get some corkbarks. i'm working with another breeder on doing a large trade for a corkbark. Its easier for me to get all the other uroplatuses, but corkbark themselves have been a little bit harder for me to find.

i love sikoraes too, they're amazin to look at, i'm probably gon get another satanic this friday and another sikorae possibly a male.

[livialeigh]

Yeah, I don't think the girl I got my Fimbriatus from was taking very good care of her.. plus she'd probably never seen roaches before because not everyone will keep them. She ate a tiny bit over the first three weeks but not enough to put on any weight. In the five months I've had her she's put on 25 grams!
I'd had experience with Cresteds before I got her.. and snakes.. but no other Uro's, and I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job. From my experience, I'd call the Fimbriatus a good started Uro, but everyone has different opinions and experiences.

Olivia

[rey]

good job getting her to gain some more grams. =]

[livialeigh]

Thanks!! :D
I think it's all a matter of making them feel comfortable. Just like people won't thrive in unsatisfactory conditions, neither will animals. Just a matter of finding out what they like!

[ominously]

I'm not saying others are wrong for suggesting you try an easier species but I always say it takes dedication and commitment to keep these harder species, not always experience. There are some members who have started by keeping the hardest Uroplatus species and some that have kept only U. phantasticus and never any other species at all.

I was reading this and thought about my very first lizard - an anole, in the 80's when "mist and feed crickets" was the extent of the care sheet and information.

I moved on to an iguana and asked lots and lots of anyone who knew - some things I learned the easy way, some by trial and error. There is no definitive way to keep anything, and so like Spidergecko is saying, why start with something and then move forward? Why not start right away with what you want and gain the experience? True, there are postives to starting with a heartier species, but this is the consideration you are making when choosing in the first place: it isn't as though a sikorae (which I've been told is a good start) is any easier to keep then a phantasticus (which I've also been told is a good starter) as they have different quirks about them. The difference is how much effort you put into keeping them properly. Further, a pietschmanni for example, isn't going to be any easier to care for later then it is now: you will still need to learn the specifics of keeping that particular type of gecko. Keeping a kitten and a lion are two very different things, though both are types of cats...

Experience with a species is the only way to find out whether you can or want to keep them. As far as which to start with - choose one and go from there. There is a tonne of information on this site alone to help you, and if you can't find it, just ask as there are a number of experienced keepers here too.

It sounds like you've kept a number of things in the past also: this should give you a starting place for your knowledge: by now you realize everything has it's own requirements and "must have" needs. By now you will also likely have your own level of personal insight into what you feel comfortable dealing with and exactly how much time you will dedicate to your animals - from talking to most people I have found Uroplatus is not a species you can neglect to any real extent (people even forgo vacations and train people at great lengths to care for them).

Ultimately it is your choice - I would go with sikorae or phants if you want the looks in my opinion- they are my favorite, and soon to be my new wards (and I've already had a sikorae keel due to bad keeping instructions - didn't stop me one bit ;))

[Koda]

Thanks for all of the advice guys! It will be a few months before I dive in, but I will definitely let you know what I decide on.

[Andrew Gilpin]

Okay, first, I can't comment on everything that has been said.... but everything seems to jump around a lot in this thread.
Plural of Uroplatus is not uroplatuses. When a Genus of geckos is being referred to, it is already essentially being referred to as a 'group', therefore it is not necessary to add anything to the end of the genus name to indicate multiple animals of the same genus, but different species within the genus.

I'm going to have to agree mostly with what Mike ( aka spider gecko) has said.
Most people get what they want, and do the learning from there..... however, I must say if I had someone to tell me what they think I should have started out with, in a given order, I probably would have followed somewhat closely.... especially with Uroplatus, because I personally feel every species in the genus are amazing.
If you're flexible on what you think you want to start out with, I'd start out with U. guentheri ( if you find any, or want to pay that much for them), U. henkeli, or A healthy import of sikorae or lineatus. From my personal experience, I would not recommend starting with U. fimbriatus ( just because they're large, does not make them easy to work with!). I would also not really suggest starting out with either of the smaller species ( like phantasticus, or ebenaui), however if you come across very healthy imports, or long term captive animals, they may do very well for you. It sounds like you're doing the right thing right now by getting as much information as you can. I will admit that when we first started out with Uroplatus it was one of those " oh, that sounds cool, let's get it!"-kind of deals, which cost me the lives of many geckos because I had no clue what I was getting myself into.

honestly, being that all the uros come from the same type of climate. they mainly need the same kind of care. the only difference if anything is where they sleep. example: you cant fit a sikorae on a small ficus plant. therefore you gotta find something wood thicker than phantasticus would prefer.
I will definitely have to disagree with this statement. The climate change from certain parts of the island to others can easily be 10-20 degrees, with a large change in humidity and terrain depending where on the island you are. There are also micro-climates that change significantly throughout the island, and each species of animal will find it's own niche. While I must say a general rule of thumb with Uroplatus would be to spray frequently ( keep the humidity up), and keep them between high 60's ( F), and low 70's ( F) would be ideal, there are a few that are exceptions, and the reason they're exceptions is because of their natural habitat and how it may fluctuate differently than other species of the same genus.

[Koda]

What is the best way to keep them this cool? My house stays at about 70 - 75 now which is what my Rhacs stay at. If I had a room or a walk in closet dedicated to my Uro do you have any ideas on how I could keep that particular room cooler than the rest of the house?

I have also researched the island quite a bit and there is quite a bit of difference in the climates.

Thank you for your post it was very helpful as everyones has been so far.

Do any of you use a misting system? I haven't heard too much good about them.

[Gecko Ranch]

Misting systems are good, I have used them for years. I also use a sprayer with a small coil-type 50ft hose that attaches to my sink faucet, this eliminates any worries associated with a misting system that has a timer get stuck open, etc.
I got this sucker at Orchard Supply, you can get them online too or at any Home Depot-type store.

The point Andrew brought up about climate is important. As a breeder who has worked with 80+ species of geckos, often you find there is no good climate info available. There are weather websites that you can utilize. For Madagascar, there is a nice field guide by Glaw and Vences which hopefully you can find used with a lot of good species specific info. I work with Pareodura androyensis and did not have much luck breeding them until I got ahold of that book and learned where they lived, the type of environment, humidity and temps they need. Essentials of a good breeding program. :)

[calfirecap]

Koda,

Nearly all pet store Uroplatus are wild caught and to them we most likely appear as huge preditors, so frequent handling is not a good practice. Additonally, failure to thrive and refusing to eat are all signs of stress. I'm in agreement with rey, let the store manager know there is a problem and along with that provide a solution, otherwise it's just another complaint.

Lawrence