Reptile & Amphibian Forums

which of these two are better captives and how do their respective husbandry requirments differ?

Thanks in advance for any info.
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"Yeah ya told me, and ya wrote it down too. But how the hell am I supposed to remember!"

Rainer
I'd be happy to help you out with any of these questions you may have. Here is some basic care information for the Nephrurus amyae off of my website. This is what works for me anyway.

Nephrurus amyae Basic Care:
It has been my experience that these are very easy to keep. I am going to give you information on the basics of a breeder set up for these guys, but you can certainly utilize a more naturalistic vivarium if you choose to set them up for display. I have mine set up in Boaphile Plastics “Five Drawer Sideways (Sterilite) Blanket RhinoRaxx” racks. These are very nice racks, which I highly recommend, but any rack will work just fine. I keep them in my shoebox racks as hatchling and move them up to Sterilite #1754 sweater boxes as adults. I put adult females in the Sterilite #1756 blanket boxes for breeding. The temps are in the upper 80’s at the warm end of the cage. I keep them in a dry environment with a red sand substrate ½” deep. In the box I keep a medium 6” plastic plant saucer turned upside down with a hole cut in the side. I keep this on the cool end of the box. As adult females for breeding I add a medium sized Rubbermaid container with a hole cut in the lid filled with a damp peat moss / sand mix. The females will utilize this as an egg-laying container. Females of this species always seem to shed just days before laying a clutch, so if you have a female that you know is gravid and she sheds you will want to start watching her closely and make sure she has an appropriate place to lay her eggs. I feed all of my geckos in the evening as they are nocturnal and this seems to work best for me. I offer them appropriately sized crickets or Blaptica dubia, which have been dusted with a calcium supplement such as (Miner-All Indoor). They require very little moisture, which is supplied in the form of a gentle mist every other day at feeding time. These are the basics you need to know to successfully keep this species based on my experience and what has worked for me. I am always happy to supply my customers with additional information or answer any questions you may have along the way.

Matt Ozsvath

Lizards of Oz

Rainer

Here is the basic care for the wheeleri. It is very similar to the amyae just slightly smaller requirements. These guys are also more prolific then the amyae, but still quite rare in collections.

Nephrurus wheeleri Basic Care:
I have been thrilled with this species since they day I got my first pair. They just do so well for me. They eat great and have produced a number of very nice offspring. I am going to give you information on the basics of a breeder set up for these guys, but you can certainly utilize a more naturalistic vivarium if you choose to set them up for display. I have mine set up in Boaphile Plastics “Five Drawer Sideways (Sterilite) Blanket RhinoRaxx” racks. These are very nice racks, which I highly recommend, but any rack will work just fine. I keep them in my shoebox racks as hatchling and move them up to Sterilite #1754 sweater boxes as adults. I will breed the adult females in these same boxes. The temps are in the upper 80’s at the warm end of the cage. I keep them in a dry environment with a red sand substrate ½” deep. In the box I keep a medium 6” plastic plant saucer turned upside down with a hole cut in the side. I keep this on the cool end of the box. As adult females for breeding I add a medium sized Rubbermaid container with a hole cut in the lid filled with a damp peat moss / sand mix. The females will utilize this as an egg-laying container. I only put it in her cage when she is getting ready to lay. Females of this species always seem to shed just days before laying a clutch, so if you have a female that you know is gravid and she sheds you will want to start watching her closely and make sure she has an appropriate place to lay her eggs. I feed all of my geckos in the evening as they are nocturnal and this seems to work best for me. I offer them appropriately sized crickets or Blaptica dubia, which have been dusted with a calcium supplement such as (Miner-All Indoor). They require very little moisture, which is supplied in the form of a gentle mist every other day at feeding time. These are the basics you need to know to successfully keep this species based on my experience and what has worked for me. I am always happy to supply my customers with additional information or answer any questions you may have along the way.

Matt Ozsvath

Lizards of Oz