New To Leachies

[SeanRhac]

I've kept cresteds and leopard geckos in the past but for the past several years I have been very interested in getting a leachie. I think that probably sometime in my life, months or years, hopefully months, I will end up getting a leachie. So I have some questions about them.

1. Are there any really good books one leachies, besides Rhacodactylus, because that is now out of print and costs like $200? I'll probably end up getting that book eventually but for now, before I have my leachie, is there another less expensive book that might help me?

2. Can I use an exo-terra naturalistic terrariums for a leachie? If so, what size would be best?

3. Have there been any good leachie articles in past reptiles magazines? I have the June 2009 issue and I really like that article but does anyone know of a article before that they could tell me about, and I could get a back issue?

4. What are leachies like in the wild? I haven't been able to dig up much information on this. Are there ever legal wild caught leachies? Are leachies endangered? The wikipedia article said that they have pending endangerment but it may be outdated. Is there an estimated total amount of leachies in the wild? And are they common in New Caledonia or is seeing one very rare?

5. What are the best leachie locals? I've pretty much decided against a grande terre for now because of a) the price and b) the temperament. The two locals I'm most interested in at the moment are Moros and Pine Islands. I think I'm leaning towards Pine Island, but I'm still not sure yet. I am especially interested in Pine Island because they get larger than some of the other locals and they look very cool. Are there any other locals that anyone might recommend? And are Pine Island leachies prone to aggression? I would love information on some of the locals.

6. How does the care of leachies differ from cresteds? I think it's similar but are there any really important differences?

7. Is it better to start out with a single baby, or a proven adult pair?

Thanks for reading this and I hope someone can help answer my questions. Feel free to PM me as well, or reply in the thread. I apologize for any spelling and grammar mistakes I've made; I didn't have the time to proof read this.

[pakinjak]

Most of your questions would be answered by googling andreading old threads here and on GU, but I'll respond to one or two specifically.

#1- Rhacodactylus Biology, Husbandry, Natural History 2nd Edition

#3- I'd ask Reptiles Magazine, they'd know best.

#4- The best locale is the one that you like, all animals of a certain locale don't look the same nor do they act the same. Pick an animal that you like and go with, don't worry so much about locale. Other than price, I wouldn't worry a bunch about henkeli vs. GT, many people have mellow GT's and there a many henkeli that are big grumpy. There are also a lot of great crosses out there, and there's nothing wrong at all with them, so that's always an option.

#7- If you're choosing henkeli over GT and price is part of the decision, then you're not gonna buy an adult pair of any locale. Try to get something that is in the 20g-50g range and grow it up. You'll learn the answer to #6 in the process, along with reading the threads here.

Hope this helps a bit.

[Walter]

I agree with Pakinjak, but on 6, I can tell you now that they like corkbark hides, and they need thicker things to climb on. All leachies are different, a lot of people say that GTs are more agressive, but just as Pakinjak said, it's just a generalization.

Piondemies(not spelled right) tend to be agressive(just a generalization), Yates are usually more calm, but get big(again, just as before), from what I can tell Mt Khogis leachies are in the middle, and you can look at Steve's website for more information, instead of me reciting all of the locales. It's leapinleachies.com, you can find more information about some of your other questions there, too.

Leachies are awesome, I'm sure you'll love whichever one you get!

[godzillizard]

1: get both the books--the Henkel/Seipp book & especially Allen's book

2: yes! I raise my babies in small "shoebox" tubs from "The Container Store", until they reach around 25-30g. Keep it simple while they are young; & make sure they can reach their food & water dishes from their hide, so they can eat & drink while feeling secure. As they get bigger, they get bolder, so I'd wait to set them up naturalistically until they've out grown their baby/small juvie "shoebox". I use ZooMeds 18x18x24" terrariums for adults & adult pairs-just be sure to give them at least 2 different hideouts. I prefer to use at least 1 cork tube & a half coconut igloo. Also, when you feed them, it's best to do at dusk, & give them a light misting--the evaporated water in the air really helps them to find their food & boost their appetite.

4. There isn't much info on wild behavior, but as adults; they do form pair bonds, & live together in tree hollows. Emerging at night to forage for fruit, insects, & sometimes even other lizards/geckos. As babies/juvies, they live close/closer to the ground, & hide ALL THE TIME

5: the Pines are sweet, males can get big "bulldog" like heads, & they get big for henkeli. Bottom line is: get whichever gecko speaks to you. Some are more likely to have pink & or red blotches (these are my favorite, by far).

6: as far as Leachie vs. Cresteds, leachies will hide out all day, & slowly emerge at dusk to forage for food-so you don't get to see them much, unless you use a low wattage red light, to observe their night time behaviors--I can't recommend this highly enough--you'll get to see some awesome stuff if you watch them without them knowing you're there...

If you have any questions ever, don't hesitate to PM me, I love to talk Leachies!!!

[SeanRhac]

Thanks for all of the help. I guess I'll probably end up getting a Grande Terre gecko, probably a Yate. Is there any info on Type Cs? I've looked them up and haven't found very much on them. Does Phillip Tremper sell them still? Also, is Yate pronounced Yat-EE or Yat?

[godzillizard]

"Yottay". I have a 5 yr old Yate female who is as sweet as any henkeli...so they aren't all crazy like "Diablo" Yate's rule! Get one...at least one

& type Cs are the most rare of the known GT localities in captivity. & as far as I know, Phil lost his female & only has the original male still ;(

[Walter]

Type cs as far as I know are pretty agressive. I'm not really sure, but from what I can find they're not too nice. Phillip turned down 50 $ for a picture of his type c female because he said that he'd rather get bit by one of his gila monsters than it, that gives the impression of agressiveness/painful bite.
Phillipe at giant geckos.com sells typecxtype a pretty regularly, you can check his site for pics of type cs, too. Also the crosses.

[SeanRhac]

Haha, thanks everyone. It's so sad that the original female Type C died. She was 30 or so, though, right?

I got bit my my almost 11" leopard gecko once and he made me bleed. However I bet a leachie, even Nuu Ana or another small one would have been worse. However none of the bites from my other leos have pierced the skin. I think he hung on and wiggled around when he bit me.

I think for my first leachie I'll go with a Yate. As soon as I can afford one... and my parents allow me to buy one. So I may actually have to wait for college. Type Cs sound aggressive and more expensive? And there is something about the Yates. They're not long like the Poindimies but not short like the offshore geckos. And they look kind of like over ripe bananas. :P

Thanks again for all the help

[pakinjak]

Sean, now that you're thinking about GT locales, I'll tell you this...

I've been to Steve Cemelli's place and seen animals from every locale in captivity today. IMO, by far the most impressive of them all was the Mt. Khogis Dark Morph. There's really nothing like them at all... Poindimie' is second for me, BIG and BLACK is a cool combo.

[SeanRhac]

Thanks, are the Mt. Khogises as mean as the Poindimies? Also, does anyone have info on Riviere Bleue? I really like there coloring but I read some where (I think) that they don't get as large as other GTs. Is that true?