Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello , im getting a trio of satanic leaf tails in next week. and i have a few questions on them. I have a large critter keeper set up for them , with fake plants , and a paper towel bottom , so that i may collect fecals better. does this set up sound alright? when i take them to the vet , if the fecals arent ok , what medication should i request. the temperatures will range from 74-79 degrees during the day , and 71 - 74 degrees at night. is this alright? is a screen , or glass top better, because i can put either on it.duz this set up sound good? i am a pretty experienced reptile keeper , so i know all of the basics , and i have done a fair amount of reasearch on these guys. i am going to feed them pin head crickets every otehr day , dusted with repti cal. duz this sound alright? i know they are a tropical species , and i know they are fragile , so i will not mist them , but the leaves around them .also , if this is an adult pair , when should i expect eggs by. I will keep you guys updated on the condition of these animals when they arrive. any further info that you deem necessary for the proper maintenance of these gecko , id greatly appreciate it. thanx
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John woodward
JW REPTILES

pinheads are too small. go for 1/4 or maybe even slightly larger crickets for adults.

you can spray the geckos directly and it will induce a natural instinct to drink, just because they're fragile doesn't mean you cannot spray them

as for glass or screen. i've run into many smelly/moldy issues from cages that were kept extremely moist in order to keep the humidity up. i would recommond not overly spraying your cages but showering your uroplatus atleast every third day ( i shower all of mine atleast every other day). this will get their fill of water, high humidity etc. and keep them tied over until their next shower. as for humidity in the cage, i would get a screen cover and if humidity is an issue cover parts of the top with plexiglass or something similar. you need good ventilation or the air will become stagnent and will smell and be breeding grounds for mold/bacteria.

and finally, about eggs. you could get eggs anytime, from the second you put the females in the cage or never.... there are several people on here who get eggs fairly regularly and some who have never gotten eggs ( or lots of infertile ones) recreating natural living habitat is your best bet to getting fertile eggs on a consistant basis for any uroplatus species.

I agree w/ umop. in regards to his advice...A couple of things..

Phants DONT TOLERATE high temps, ie 80 degrees. I don't allow mine to go over 74. If they experience temps 80 or higher, they will suffer an acute death, NO MATTER HOW HEALTHY!

Invariably your gex will have a couple species of nematodes and also be carrying coccidia. Nematodes are easily treated w/ Pancur. Coccidia treatment usually involves more intense medication that can do more harm to your gex than the coccidia. They are fragile, and many coccidia treatments have the potential of crashing these guys if not administered professionally and kept under close observation. The best treatment for coccidians is LOW STRESS! Handle them as little as possible for at least the first 30 days, ideally, keep them away from areas of high traffic. Of course, proper husbandry hygeine is paramount.

Mike put it best w/ his statement of breeding phants, or any Uro species for that matter. KEEP IT AS NATURALISTIC AS POSSIBLE. Uros, as a genus, are too intrinsically valuable to cut corners, and they are too damn fastidious to amass any sort of profit. In essence; they don't tolerate ignorance. Best of luck, and enjoy your phants!