Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is it very difficult to successfully breed planicauda in captivity? I have seen a lot of captive bred brygooi, arachnoides, oblonga babies readily available, but rarely see any captive bred planicauda babies offered for sale. I have also seen a lot of LTC planicauda adults but nobody selling babies? Are keepers having a hard time understanding and successfully breeding planicauda? Why are they more difficult to breed than brygooi, arachnoides, and oblonga?

Hi! To answer your question, the planicauda are difficult to reproduce for two reasons. First, their habits and needs are somewhat different than those of the 3 arachnoides subspecies, making it harder to get them to produce eggs, and second, no one has yet come up with a definitive and reliable method to hatch the eggs once they are laid. I have hatched three planicauda and numerous arachnoides, but each time I think I have discovered a good technique for planicauda, its success has not been reliable with subsequent eggs. They hatch more on a hit or miss basis, while the arachnoides eggs reliably will hatch if properly incubated with the proven method. There are three or four private individuals and at least one zoo who have hatched at least one planicauda each. There are as yet just two people of whom I am aware that have hatched more than one.