Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Recently my wife and I aquired our first Leachies (at the show in Daytona). Although we have read everything we could find on the subject, I still have some questions that someone out there with some experience may be able to help with.

From my research, I have learned that leachies are best kept seperately. However, the breeder I met at the show had a pair (1 male, 1 female) that have been together peacefully for over a year. So I bought the pair (last saturday) and I keep them in the same enclosure. So far so good. No problems getting along.

2 nights ago, the female began to shed. But she doesn't seem to do anything about it. She just lays around with white skin hanging off her. Coincidently, the male began shedding last night. He, however, is scraping and rubbing himself on the trees in his enclosure to rid himself of the shed.

Shoud I do anything about the female? wait a few days? Is it normal for the leachies to just lay around like my female? I am not sure what to expect with regards to their behavior. Are they usually pretty still and shy?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

while in most cases a breeded pair of leachianus will live together in peace in a large enclosure, some times, for no apparent reason, they will fight, and may not stop fighting until seperated, so careful attention must be paid to make sure this does not happen.

the enclosure should also be very large, with a couple of cork hollows to simulate their natural environment, tilt them up against the corners of the tank and most of the time they will rest in them, because it is very natural to them, you can find cork hollows at www.blackjungle.com for a reasonable price.

as far as shedding, mist the tank lightly to keep the humidity up, it may take a day or two for the shed to completely come off, mine eats his shed right off his body where he can reach it, other times he just rubs it off on his cork hollow, usually takes him about a day to get it all.

make sure you have a large enclosure, i know i mentioned this before but i would recommend something around a 3 foot high x 2 feet x 2 feet or a 4 foot high x 2 feet x 2 feet. The bigger the better.

as far as feeding goes, mine eats a lot, he is given a bowl of fresh baby food every other day, and crickets two to three times weekly, usually 5 large crickets per feeding which are consumed rather quickly. with a pair, make sure that they are receiving enough food.

if you dont have it already, get Vosjoli's new book. Rhacodactylus: A Complete Guide to their Selection and Care

it is an excellent book with a large amount of information on Ciliatus and Leachianus. You can buy it off his website www.giantgeckos.com

hope that helps you out!

Wow. That's exactly the type of information I was after. Thank you very much.

With regards to your concerns about the size of the enclosre; I assure you it is very large (6 feet tall). I posted a picture of the enclosure below.

im glad i could help.

nice enclosure.

for what its worth, leachianus have a very runny poop, lol, and it tends to get over the glass quite a bit, but its not a big deal to keep it clean.

=)

all part of the fun of owning a leachi!