Blue cave gecko!

[phoenixflames44]

Your thoughts?

[Nighsliv]

Seems like a decent little gecko, they are a day gecko though so make sure you supply basking and UVB lights.

[phoenixflames44]

lol I don't own one. saw It at this years eths convention.... it was very iridescent. are they hard to keep?

[Nighsliv]

Never had one so couldn't answer that, plenty of care sheets available, found the first one on gecko's unlimited. Seems kind of basic in care nothing overly fancy.

[beckdg]

my thoughts: "mommy, can i keep it?".

[phoenixflames44]

Originally Posted by beckdg

my thoughts: "mommy, can i keep it?".

lol believe it or not, when we saw it my dad was like: "son can we keep it?"

seeing as I was the one paying and caring for anything we bought, I was like: "No dad we haven't researched that one yet."

[beckdg]

that is too funny.

[WingedWolfPsion]

I have had my trio for 10 days now, and I'm so taken with them, I'm getting more Lygos. (For those wondering, the 'blue cave gecko' is also the electric blue gecko, and the William's dwarf gecko--Lygodactylus williamsi. At least, I assume so, those common names can be tricky).

They're active, quiet so far, very entertaining to watch. Mine are chowing down well for me. They're eating fruit flies, dusted pinhead crickets, dusted mini-mealworms, and CGD. I've offered small phoenix worms, and I'll find out today if they were eaten. I'll be adding tropical isopods to their diet as a staple once I get the cultures going, and eliminating the crickets, as I hate how they can hide in a viv. My williamsi have already determined that the 'mushroom feeding platform' I got from Pangea is where interesting food appears, and they regularly check the cups--they're especially attentive right after I put a new cup in.

My male williamsi is still quite nervous of humans, and tends to dive behind the scenery when someone moves in the room. Both females are more cavalier about us. Even the male is quick to check when I change the cups in the feeding platform, though. These guys display incredible intelligence for a creature that size.

I did have to separate out one of my females soon after they all arrived. She is just incredibly aggressive, and was throwing her weight around so much that I feared the other two would have trouble recuperating from their ordeal. (They are all wild caught, and the male was black for days after they arrived). With her gone, the other two are more active, and are eating a great deal more. I will leave her out for several weeks, until I am comfortable that the male and subordinate female are fully recovered and are very healthy, then I will try reintroducing her, and see how it goes. Worst case scenario, I will be in the market for a very aggressive male to pair with her. lol

The aggressive female was definitely the most fearless, and would not even bother to hide immediately when I removed the tank lid. She's always first out of hiding after a disturbance, and she eats absolutely everything in sight--she's round as ball. ^_^ I would think she was gravid if I hadn't seen her eating. There's no way there could be eggs in there along with all that food.

I would give these guys top ratings as vivarium animals--they need very tiny food, but it's not hard to culture the little bugs they like. They're always doing something interesting, and they have a lot of personality packed into their little frames.

I'm keeping them in a tank at about 80F during the day, with an 85-89 basking spot up near the UVB light. They get misted at least 3 times a day, and humidity hovers between 55 and 89 (usually around 70-75). A female has already shed out well in this environment, and they appear to be improving in condition. They bask occasionally, but don't spend excessive amounts of time at it.

[beckdg]

awesome, keep us updated.

[WingedWolfPsion]

They're little hogs. They're fully up to (and above) normal weight now, and they've been porking down a mix of CGD and peaches. I couldn't get them to eat the CGD at first, I guess it just didn't smell or taste right--giving them peaches did the trick. When I offered the peach/CGD mix, they went into sugar overload and started doing backflips after gnats, and the male was courting like crazy. It was hilarious to watch. They calmed down after that, and now they're getting fat, so I'm cutting back on feeding frequency and quantity, lol.

I've been told now that day geckos can be raised on CGD alone. I am going to be doing trials when I have baby Lygos to work with, to see if they can be raised exclusively on CGD. If so, that makes things super-easy for vivarium-keepers, it's a nice option for people who can't deal with insects. My breeders are still getting a wide variety of food. I'll be trying them on straight CGD again once the mixture runs out.

I just got some silkworms to culture, and I'm going to try to breed the crazy things. Silkworms are a pain--their food is cooked, has to be kept as sterile as possible (as do they), and they're mentally deficient, even for caterpillars. If they have to move further than 2 inches to locate food, they probably won't find it. You would not have thought it possible that domestication could reduce the mental capabilities of an insect, but it has.

After a long absence from the main tank, and seeing the male and sub female fill out and become fully healthy, I have reintroduced Dom. She isn't yet used to the slightly different light cycle, which is giving the other two a chance to get used to her. The male is completely beside himself--he puts on the show of a lifetime, and comes bouncing up to her, licking her face--whereupon she puffs her throat out and bites him, and he runs off. He keeps trying, though. ^_^ The Sub girl is jealous, and tries to get his attention when he starts displaying at Dom. She won't let him actually let him catch her yet, but she will run up and lick his face and distract him when he's after the other female.

They're getting their first silkworm meal today, so it should be interesting to see how they react to them. They've gobbled everything else I've offered them so far.