chameleon geckos

[jordanmulder]

good photo's michael
did you do those in your studio

 

[bensen]

is there any good literature on them

most literature is about natural history and wild animals. captive husbandry has been reported on minimally, and sometimes by people who have never kept them. i am sure that wild animals do not sleep amongst epiphytes up in the trees like recently claimed by some author.

i have found, like the saying goes, half of what you hear is b.s, the other half is crap.

 

[Snakeluvver2]

hahaha Thanks.
Forums are great for information thats is relatively incorrect

 

[Waterrat]

anauc, they don't change colour as chameleons do, they probably got that name because they are (unlike other aussie geckos) bi-laterally flattened.

bensen, funny you mentioned epiphytes, untill recently, it was generally believed that GTPs nest in epiphytes - wrong! They lay eggs in ground nests (if you can call it a nest). A colleague of mine was studying water retention in rainforest epiphytes at the canopy crane at Cape Trib and we frequently found melomys nesting in them.

jannico, I published a short article on Chameleon geckos in Reptile Australia Vol. 6, issue 1. There is also a chapter in Mike Swan's Keeping & Breeding Australian Lizards p. 95

 

[Sock Puppet]

Some captive pairs exhibit low fecundity.

Hi bensen,
In what context are you referring to low fecundity? As in only one clutch/season, more often one egg than two, not breeding every season, some/all of the above?
Cheers

Interesting thread

 

[Laghairt]

Ok thanks Waterrat, they are some fantastic photos.

 

[bensen]

Hi bensen,
In what context are you referring to low fecundity? As in only one clutch/season, more often one egg than two, not breeding every season, some/all of the above?
Cheers

Interesting thread

none of the above! the scenarios you present would soon see the extinction of a species. poor fertility and hatch rates. i suspect that it is a combination of environmental factors, because some animals are reliably productive with 100% (or close to it) hatch rate, whereas most eggs in others' collections fail to hatch. i reiterate, they are to be kept differently to any other aussie gecko species.
the eggs need to be kept very humid in order for the shell to be able to tear at hatching.prior to hatching the baby becomes very energetic and the egg can be seen moving uo to three days before release and in some circumstances can even flip the egg around in the medium.

 

[Waterrat]

bensen, would you compare the incubation requirements as similar to those of Leaf-tailed Geckos?

 

[Sock Puppet]

none of the above! the scenarios you present would soon see the extinction of a species. poor fertility and hatch rates. i suspect that it is a combination of environmental factors, because some animals are reliably productive with 100% (or close to it) hatch rate, whereas most eggs in others' collections fail to hatch. i reiterate, they are to be kept differently to any other aussie gecko species.
the eggs need to be kept very humid in order for the shell to be able to tear at hatching.prior to hatching the baby becomes very energetic and the egg can be seen moving uo to three days before release and in some circumstances can even flip the egg around in the medium.

Thanks bensen.
Sorry, I should have been a bit clearer, I was referring more to your other post when you mentioned "some pairs in captivity", I didn't mean for the question to encompass the species as a whole, captive & wild populations.
Cheers, you have answered my question anyway

 

[bensen]

bensen, would you compare the incubation requirements as similar to those of Leaf-tailed Geckos?

they would probably hatch as we have with cornutus, but swaini and wyberba require less humidity. cornutus can hatch with a lower humidity, but for carph's it is essential. we use sphagnum for carph's and cornutus and repashey's for every thing else (occasionally vermiculite and perlite for some easy to hatch eggs)

 

[Waterrat]

The reason I asked is because cornutus and carphos have very similar ecology and are often find co-inhabiting the same habitats although in many areas cornutus extend into the ecotone (wet sclerophyll). It's another species often claimed to lay eggs in epiphytes.

 

[wizz]

All great info!!... i have never seen a wild one befor so do not no how they behave. i have bin spending a lot of time watching mine there is lots to learn like if i have no heat on them they are very active temp of 19 deg and if i heat them up to 27-29 i do not see them out and about dont no if its just a captive thing im shore they are out in summer in FNQ.....???

 

[Magpie]

wizz, they're mostly found in the cooler areas and are often active on the cooler, wet nights.

 

[wizz]

i have not spent alot of time up there but when i was there i wish i could find the cool spots lol i lived in the pool at the Sheraton in port Douglas for a week...