Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just got in my first pair of henkeli today. These are fresh imports that came in on last week's shipment. Obviously, I was very fortunate to obtain these (thanks to Lovelyleopards) as only a few pair came in. The male's tail is quite folded which I know is a sign of dehydration. I misted them quite heavily upon arrival and both drank. I also did the shower thing that was recommended on this forum. I realize that the most important part of acclimating fresh wildcaughts is reducing stress as much as possible and providing ample water and food. Should I continue daily showers to make sure they are hydrated? I am concerned that the constant catching up of the animals is going to cause further stress and negate the benefits of the shower. I placed them in a screened cage with an artificial plant and branches for the showering. They are housed in a 37 gallon well-planted naturalistic vivaria. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated as I want to give them every chance to make it. Obviously, these are basically irreplaceable animals these days. Thanks.

I feel one of the main things is like you said.....limit the stress. That means not moving them around from cage to cage, not picking them up AT ALL, ect.

Have you treated them at all with any type of medication like Panacur. That is a must if you plan on these things living very long. You can order the stuff online, email me if you want a good place to order it. I dont think i can post it on here. It is very hard to over dose the animals with it as well. I gave a mossy enough for a 5lb dog and he did just fine.

Other than that keep the humidity up which, is hard i know. Dust the crikets as well with a vitamin powder.

Thanks for the tips. I haven't used panacur on them yet because some other people have recommended giving them a few weeks to get acclimated before you try to deparasitize them. A friend owns a reptile business and can panacur them for me. I am not sure if I should wait a little bit or do it right away. Like I said, my main concern is letting them settle in and adjust to their new surroundings. What do you recommend?

I sold this one a few months back.

Beautiful specimen! A friend of mine has a LTC female henkeli
(at least 2 years in captivity) that is almost identical to the one your picture. He lost the male for her last year and is just keeping her as a "pet". I told him that he needs to get her into a breeding program or at least pick up a male for her. It really irritates me that he has this beautiful, fully-acclimated female and is not trying to breed her. By the way, does anyone know what the lifespan is on henkeli and how long females are able to reproduce?