Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay, one is I have about 3 -4 inches of sphagnum moss on the bottom of my Henkeli tank. I believe I may have it a bit too damp lately.
Anyway I see some springtails ( the little white/gray buggies) walking around on some of the branches or logs, in the damper ends. I know a little about springtails, but am wondering if they should be removed, and new branches and moss should be used instead?

* Also my female henk Sindar, is showing one egg, I can see, since the last fertile egg was not seen by me until they cracked it............
I would like to ask EXACTLY how long after you actually see the egg, do they lay?

Or when should I really start to watch?

This girl is throwing me off, as I posted about 2 weeks ago, she was down with her back end buried in the moss then, but I never found anything.?????

Thanks guys
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PHEve / Eve

first note on the springtails, aka collembolans... i have had them since i first started keeping terraria. im not totally sure where they come from, could be the peat moss, the fiber sphagnum moss, the branches, the potted plants, who knows. i have completely changed out tanks only to find more a couple weeks later. i have never seen them to be a threat with any of my geckos, they actually do a good job of breaking down feces and stray dead crix. im pretty sure they'l eat away a little at your branches and stuff too, but that takes a loooong time. only thing i would be concerned about is eggs, if left hidden out of your sight too long, the springtails could jeopardize them...but i think they would be more of a threat to soft-shelled eggs or hard-shelled eggs with tiny cracks.

as for the eggs in the belly. i cant tell you EXACTLY how long it will take, but as you know my female recently laid a pair. i was talking to jason a couple days before i found eggs, telling him that the night before i noticed two white orbs thru her belly. she rarely gives me a view of her belly though, she usually sticks to the branches instead of the screen sides. she had been noticeably fat for a while, and i thought she was just putting on weight since she had lost her old cage-mate. i would say it was about 4 days between when i noticed them in her belly and when i noticed they had been laid. but due to the fact she rarely gives me a view of her belly, they could have been evident, but just not visible to me. i hope you finally get a good one from sindar! its been a long time waiting!

I ever tell ya I really like you, even right side up !

Hahhaha LOL

Thanks, Mike
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PHEve / Eve

17-21 days seems to be about the soonest a henk can "reclutch"... If she lays, start paying particular attention for laying behavior again at this interval...
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Ben

I will keep an eye out, for her to lay.

I'm sure hoping this time, atleast one of my males enjoyed her company LOL
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PHEve / Eve