Location:
Madagascar
Size:
7-8 inches
Longevity:
unknown
Food:
crickets, mealworms, and waxworms
Housing:
A screened cage with cross ventilation will be adequate. Some
people use aquariums. The recommended size for an enclosure should
be at least 2ft. X 3ft. x 2ft. or larger. Taller cages are better,
as they are arboreal. Leaftail Geckos can be housed either separately,
by pairs, or trios. The subtrate most often used is peat moss
mixed with bark chips. Temperatures between 70-78 degrees Farenheit
is needed. Temperatures over 80 degrees Farenheit can be fatal
to them so watch this closely. The weather has been cooperating
as of late staying in the mid to low 70's, so I move the entire
enclosure outside during the day. I have no doubt that natural
sunlight can be beneficial to them (even though they are sleeping).
It also benefits my plants too. The humidity should be kept around
70-80% humidity. A water bowl, some potted plants and misting
2-3 times a day should suffice for the required humidity. Be sure
not to let the cage get too wet as items (i.e. substrate can start
to mold. To control the humidity even further if necessary, you
can use plexiglass to cover parts of the the screen to increase
the humidity. Tree branches about arm thickness are essential
as are flat pieces of cork bark. Lichens are desirable on the
wood as they will help the animal to blend in and really show
off their cryptic coloration. Sometimes they camoflague themselves
so well, you have to look twice to find them. During the day,
these animals will sleep face down against the wood. At night
they are out and about actively hunting insects. I use a night-glow
bulb to view this behavior sometimes.
Breeding:
This species is still fairly new and not much is known about breeding
these geckos. Some people are doing it, but very few.
Additional
Notes: Captive bred animals are always superior over wild caught
ones. Wild caught specimens should be checked out by a vet for
parasites. Leaftail geckos are really gaining in popularity, which
means there is more pressure on collecting them from the wild.
They will no doubt be protected in the future so it is up to us,
to try and establish captive populations in hopes of alleviating
this collecting pressure on wild populations. I would recommend
these types of geckos for the intermediate or advanced herp hobbyist.
