Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi I'm new to this forum but I have been keeping geckos for a few years now. I have 1.2 cresteds and just recently purchased 0.1 U. Sikorae. I bought them at a pet show and the seller told me that the Sikorae would probably be fine in a cage with the crested because I have a 65 gallon tank with plenty of wood, plants, and hiding places and they would probably not even run into each other very often. I know these animals are both fairly docile so I think this doesn't sound like too bad of an idea but they are from different countries so it kind of worries me. I have them seperated right now to acclimate the Mossy to his new environment. Does this sound like it would work out or has anyone had any bad experiences with a similar experiment?
Thanks

Okay, first, your U. sikorae is a fresh import, or has not been cared for properly. The first thing on your mind should be getting it properly hydrated, eating well, and overall healthy appearance. This is not meant to be rude, but Uroplatus are a touchy species, and if the first week or two they arrive they are not cared for properly, they will die. The best thing for you to do is leave your U. sikorae alone, by itself and not touch it, pester it, or bother it in any other way except for feeding, and spraying it A LOT ( many people even choose to shower them in tepid water for 1/2 an hour a day in an actual shower). Since your mossy is WC, not to mention most likely a fresh import, it is probably loaded with all sorts of stuff that R. ciliatus has never even thought about coming in contact with after being bred in captivity for the past 12 years.
Although temperature, and humidity requirements are very similar for the two species, there is just no need to house them together. If you have any specific questions about caring for the mossy, let us know, but the general consensus here will be to NOT house them together.

Nice to see you! hope everything is COOL
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PHEve / Eve

Contact PHEve

well, a freshly imported leaf tail can be a fragile gecko, if not cared for properly and urgently. buying a leaftail at a reptile show, where you can see the animal is probably the best way to aquire one, but they are always dehydrated. But, they do rehydrate just as easily as they dehydrate. i ,personally, prefer aquiring "leftovers" from a show where i would pay half the price and take a chance with the needy animal. if cared for properly ,right away, they come around real fast, but at the same time they can slip real fast. the shedding was a sign of dehydration. they shed within a couple hours of a drop in humidity. it seems to me that the animal had slim chances from the get go, but you have to know what youre getting into before you get mad at the vendor. its like buying a car, youre lookin for sumthin to buy and theyre lookin for sumthin to sell... who ever does the most research wins out. and i never kept leaftails with anything else, but if the animal was healthy, the only downside i would see is that there is more competition for food. usually when mixing these animals, there is less interspecific stress, as opposed to mixing animals of the same species.

Thanks a lot for the advice. I knew I had to keep the humidity high and I sprayed it once i got it every few hours. I might have just gotten one destined to die. Maybe I will try getting another and doing the shower thing like it sounds like a lot of people are doing. Thanks again
-Nick

yeah dont get discouraged. once you understand them, they are not that difficult to maintain. but before you go buy another one, make sure you know what a healthy or semi healthy leaftail looks like so you know what to look for.

ummm, I don't know what planet I've been on but since when do Uroplatus shed within a few hours when humidity drops? Maybe I'm not the brightest candle out there but um... since when does that happen? I've never had this occur and I've got quite a collection of uroplatus. I must be under a rock to never have seen this.

Sikorae are one of the most notorious for not coming in the country in good condition. To be truthful, they are usually don't fair well when not attended to appropriately. Try working with something like U.ebanaui first before trying Sikorae. They are easier to work with and will teach you everything you need to start with when choosing Uroplatus.

Also, don't get discouraged because of the vendor. Most don't have a clue on what they are trying to push off on the consumer. Most aren't in it for the animal, they are in it for the buck.

my two pence.

Jason P.
Mad Imports

And Yes I know my uroplatus, I've been working with them for quite some time.

yeah... with henkels and mossies...(wild caught especially)in my observation, they will shed their skin when the humidity level goes down. i mean, im not makin it up. with the henkels, the wild caught ones will shed quicker in response to a significant drop in humidity.