Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm currently gearing up to start my Uroplatus addiction and have a few questions. <G>

To get something out of the way, I have kept and successfully bred numerous species of chams over the past 15 years and also some F3 success with a few species of Phelsuma. So I kind of know what I'm in for!

I'm currently building my first Uroplatus enclosure which will measure 4'w x 2'l x 6'h (2' deep) and will have the ability to be split in half to make two enclosures that are 2x2x6 if desired.

The first Uroplatus that caught my eye and which still has me the most intrigued is phantasticus. However, I'm really torn between sikorae, ebenaui, henkeli or the phantasticus to start with! We have a very large spare bedroom that I am starting to turn into a gecko room until a section of the greenhouse can be setup properly for them. So, I will work with all those species in the future but is there one species that would be best to go with while getting the feet wet? Reading through the posts, it seems most people recommend henkeli to start with, any obvious reasoning for this?

Also, provided the enclosure is large enough, can any of the aforementioned species be kept in groups of like 2.4?

Well, those are my first questions but there will surely be more! In the meantime, I _really_ appreicate any response to my initial questions!

Just thought I would post a pic of the enclosure I am building for my first Uroplatus and would appreciate any feedback in regards to how it could be improved. It is based on the same design I use for indoor chameleon enclosures. Main difference being both sides will be acrylic versus screen/wire. The top will be 1/8" hardware cloth so it can hold lights, drippers etc. The front will be 1/8" heavy duty plastic mesh while each acrylic side will be a door. I goofed the dimensions a little in my former post. These enclosures are 28" deep, 45" wide and 6'5" high so they can be fitted with heavy duty castors and rolled outside weather permitting. These enclosures just fit out a door, luckily, as the dimensions are dicated by the huge plastic tub that makes up the bottom.

Speaking of which, the cage is built around a big tub with the front and sides being painted since they are only available in black. The tub is fitted and plumbed so all the excess drainage flows into a central catch system. Furthermore, the tub holds 14" of soil and plants are planted directly in it (works especially well for egg laying chams!). The rim of the tub is coated with Bug Barricade so roaches and other various insects can be cultured insitu without the worry of escapes.

This brings up another question that I hope someone will address for me. Since Uroplatus are nocturnal, will high intensity lighting such as the 400w MH in the pic be required?

I would really appreciate any feedback on this setup and how it could be improved because I am about to start several more. Also, I'll post completed pics some time next week.

To summarize my questions:

1) Which species to start out with?
2) Can any of the following (henkeli, sikorae, ebenaui or phantasticus) be kept in groups of like 2.4 or is it recommended to stick with pairs or trios?
3) Should I ditch the high intensity metal halide and high pressure sodium lights for something along the lines of reptisun 5.0's?

Thanks in advance for your time and _any_ info you can provide!

i would either put henkeli or sikore in a cage that size. dump the metal halide lights, a reptisun 5.0 would be plenty good. if i had that much space, i would put fimbriatus in a cage that size. to put ebunie or phantasticus inb cage that size you would never find them. dont forget about alot of natural wood and live plants. the more hiding places they have the better.good luck with you project.