Hemidactylus frenatus abundance

[Rocket]

Hi all,
Mainly directed at the QLD and NT keepers, I am just wanting gauge the public perception of asian house gecko abundance... i.e. how many would some of you see on the walls or trees each night?

I have been speaking to the NPWS SA and have found a new method that will allow for keepers in SA to keep Burton's Legless Lizards without requiring animals that need to be force-fed (or assist-fed) rodents or their limbs.

It is not an offence in Qld to capture or humanely kill an exotic, such as the asian house gecko, and it is not an offence in SA to use dead exotic animals as a food source. Also, permits etc are not required for the transport of the dead animals as they are exotic.

My question is two-fold:
1) who has luck feeding dead animals to Burton's Legless lizards (using movement stimulation such as shaking, twitching etc to encourage feeding)?; and
2) would anyone be willing to catch and freeze approx. 20 asian house geckos and send them to Adelaide (with financial reimbursion of course)?

Regards,
Rocket

 

[Heelssss]

Cannot answer all your questions but regarding the asian geckos- when i stayed in darwin they were all over the city. I had to park my hire car at the back of the novotel & the carpark main entrace wall was full of them. even one house himself on the side mirrors of my car. lil bugger but still so cute. They are like weeds over there. My mother lives in rainbow beach QLD and they are a pest there also. so theres def no shortage of em!

 

[Red-Ink]

Plenty.. I did a road trip last year from Port Douglas to Longreach to Melb. I had them as companions at night all the way to Longreach. As far as studies goes... no info from me I'm afraid.

Definitely tons in FNQ.... I watched at least 5-10 along the resort wall (one wall not even the other walls and their lights) for 3 nights.

 

[eipper]

Rocket

Burtons eat them.

As for abundance.... I have around 15 on the house and around 5 dubia and a pair of tyroni. I find that around 20 per year can be taken on my house without seeing massive depression. While all natives are bigger and in better condition they don't have the recruitment success that frenatus do. So while in theory as the Ahg are harvested you would think that the gehyra or oedura would increase (more food, better shelter site selection etc). The reproductive output is just so much greater in the Ahg there is little to no change in the gecko species on the house.

Cheers
scott

 

[Justdragons]

how big do they get?

 

[Rocket]

Cheers eipper,
Feel like catching me some for my burtons mate?

Cheers mate.

 

[scratchy]

Some Burton's can be convinced to take dead items. Some will even take dead pink mice if your lucky mate.

 

[Rocket]

Hey scratchy, my female is feeding (assist/force-fed) o fuzzy rat tails or pinky mice but it is quite an intensive activity, hence my interest in obtaining dead asian house geckos.

How did you go about getting them to take food unassisted? Did you cover the prey items in anything?

 

[butters]

I feed mine ahg's and from 4 houses I would collect at least 400 each spring/ summer.

They don't just go to the Burton's but a range of small elapids etc as well. Green trees and whips love them.

As for feeding them dead I hand feed all of my Burton's as it is so no huge drama. Just have to get the wriggle right.

The recruitment is phenomenal with these things. I catch, on average 20-30 per week and can go back 2weeks later and get the same.

 

[butters]

So have you found anyone to send you ahg's yet rocket?

I am game to give it a go once it warms up and they are active again.

Just have to source some kind of small foam esky that is airline approved.

 

[Rocket]

I did find a person willing to catch, kill, freeze and send me about 20 but she is collecting them slowly as they aren't as abundant at the moment. I think she is just going to send them wrapped and in a parcel via Australia Post.

Thanks for the offer butters, I'll be sure to let you know if this deal falls through. Do you have any photos of your burtons? It's always interesting to see the different colours and patterns of the species.

 

[butters]

Yeah I do but nowhere to host them at present. Pretty standard though. Some with normal Burton's face markings and plain/ partially striped spotted bodies and some unmarked at all.

One of my females was bred by Nathan Clout the others came via the zoo system so unsure of their original origin. I have bred some as well.

Pm me an email address and I can send you some pics if you want.

Cheers Andrew

 

[Jande]

One word: EVERYWHERE! :lol: My FIL was up here and chased them off the patio because he wasn't used to seeing so many (he lives in Qld). The ones he did get back home always pooped on his freshly polished deck so he used to get mad about it. I can go outside at night and there's about 30 all crowded around the bug zapper for a free feed. We have one that looks like an albino, too (though not sure how to tell). Startling red eyes, really pink tummy and zero mottling over an almost white back and tail. I check for it every couple of nights and she/he is still hanging around. But yeah, they're everywhere in the NT lol.

 

[Darlyn]

Certainly are abundant up here. Jande the one that looks like an albino must have been
hiding. You see quite few that are whitish/pink they tend to be inside or good hiders.
At the moment there aren't many around, I think they are all shivering somewhere cos it's so cold.

 

[GeckoJosh]

One word: EVERYWHERE! :lol: My FIL was up here and chased them off the patio because he wasn't used to seeing so many (he lives in Qld). The ones he did get back home always pooped on his freshly polished deck so he used to get mad about it. I can go outside at night and there's about 30 all crowded around the bug zapper for a free feed. We have one that looks like an albino, too (though not sure how to tell). Startling red eyes, really pink tummy and zero mottling over an almost white back and tail. I check for it every couple of nights and she/he is still hanging around. But yeah, they're everywhere in the NT lol.

Would be nice to see a pic, if it does have red eyes then it is an Albino

 

[Darlyn]

Would be nice to see a pic, if it does have red eyes then it is an Albino

I can get you heaps of them : )

They seem to enjoy being squished in doorways

 

[GeckoJosh]

I can get you heaps of them : )

They seem to enjoy being squished in doorways

Yeah I meant a pic of the one with red eyes

 

[Rocket]

Greetings, I still have no AHG to feed this young lady, look at her, she's desperate for them

If you can help out in the next month or so, please PM me.

 

[jordo]

Just send her here mate