My C. scabrum find

[spidergecko]

I know to many of you this doesn't seem like much of a find but it means a lot to me.

I had been looking for C. scabrum for a while now. I figured I would never see it so I didn't put a lot of effort into finding it. I asked another Canadian forum member, who has experience with this species, but he no longer keeps it.

So I was in the herp shop today and I saw a tank of geckos that looked unlike a common house gecko but weren't too flashy. They were called Egyptian rock geckos. They look much like an Agamura relative. I asked the store what species they were since I really only know geckos by scientific name. They were unsure. So I figured they might be something uncommon and I took a trio. As I was leaving I was thinking to myself, "I wonder if this could be a Cyrtopodium sp. They sure look like it." First thing I did when I got home, I checked the net. I typed "Egyptian Rock Gecko" into google. Voila! The species I have been looking for. I'm happy. This is C. scabrum, isn't it?

Here is a (bad) pic:


Thanks for looking!

[JayS]

Yes!Congrats.You will enjoy them.Keep them just like Agamura.They are related you will recognize this immediately upon producing eggs.(the same oblong "football"type shape).Everything is the same ,temps, cage setup,incubation etc.they are just smaller.Keep your eye out for other stuff(Bunopus)the first Egyptian shipment in a while hit U.S. soil this past week and some will filter around but not for long.good luck but you won't neede it,your animal looks in good health.

[spidergecko]

Originally Posted by JayS

Yes!Congrats.You will enjoy them.Keep them just like Agamura.They are related you will recognize this immediately upon producing eggs.(the same oblong "football"type shape).Everything is the same ,temps, cage setup,incubation etc.they are just smaller.Keep your eye out for other stuff(Bunopus)the first Egyptian shipment in a while hit U.S. soil this past week and some will filter around but not for long.good luck but you won't neede it,your animal looks in good health.

Thanks! That's exactly how I'm keeping them. I figure they are from the same environment. I even picked up another pair at the expo today. It's a shame some people don't know the value of the inexpensive little treasures hidden among the more common species. All kinds of neat Egyptian stuff came in these past two weeks.

If I can expect to see more good stuff come this way soon, I'll definitely keep my eyes open. I actually might give the store a shout and ask what they are expecting. It doesn't hurt.

[geckosunlimited]

Mike,

There's actually a growing population of C. scabrum on Galveston Island (about 45 minutes from my house). Like other introduced species, these guys are becoming increasingly more common in and around the port warehouses. My herping buddy says that security is pretty tight now due to 9/11. I guess we are going to have to do some covert, ninja shizzy to find them. I'd love to add these guys to my life list! Cool gecko.

Nathan

[Brian]

I was interested in these, but assumed they'd be one of the things that just pop up occationally. If I'd like some should I assume I may only have one chance to get them?

[danscantle]

great find spider, i'm awaiting mine as well. i had a bit of a freak incident the first time i kept these guys. i was supplementing the Ca regime for my collection, and was in the midst of using crushed chicken egg shell (cleaned, washed, and baked). My female began laying eggs a week after I got her. They lay 1 egg clutches. Anyway, I began dusting with crushed eggs shells and after a week or two of this the female developed little white spots on her joints, and became gravid with THREE eggs. Obviously, she died from egg binding.

I wonder if other keepers have had this happen with their Cyrtopodion. One might expect they are Ca limited, but even more so than other gekkonids. Those oblong shapped eggs which Jay described are not very efficient in their use of Ca. Spherical eggs minimize the total surface area, so they reduce the amount of Ca females need to lay eggs. I wonder if Cyrtopodion is capable of laying 2 eggs at a time if they recieve enough Ca to compensate for the loss incurred by the football shape.

I've never kept Agamura, but maybe you keepers who do have seen similar things?

Those little white spots are what still puzzles me. I think they were Ca deposits, but never attempted an autopsy. I wonder if chicken eggs retain any of the growth additives commercial chicken farms probably add to their diet.

I recommend giving them some sort of rock sculptures that allow them to run around upsidedown. They are quite excellent acrobats, especially for geckos which lack adhesive pads. One of the more amusing species I've ever kept.

Great find, and enjoy.

[Tokays_Unlimited]

Jay you down for a trip tp Egypt??I am ready when you are.Just give me a call.

[Tokays_Unlimited]

Jay you down for a trip tp Egypt??I am ready when you are.Just give me a call.

[JayS]

I have been keeping these for many years and it's nice to see people are finally interested in them.

Maybe a trip somewhere else C.scabrum are all over and some better things are in the middle east.Maybe when the crap settles from the Iraq invasion and all the muslims aren't mad at us anymore we can hit some spots.

[Dr Alan]

Originally Posted by JayS

Maybe when the crap settles ............. and all the muslims aren't mad at us anymore........

Might be awhile.