Fimbriatus Breeding

[mrdavidc]

Hi all, I just joined this forum and I have a pair of U. Fimbriatus that I would like to breed. I've had the male for about 8 months and the female for only about 2 months. They both seem to get along great. Does anyone have any experience producing viable eggs from these? Any advice or info would be great. Ill share anything I find with the group as well.

Thanks!

 

[Northstar Herp]

I figured I'd chime in since you don't have any responses yet, maybe I can be a little helpful. I don't have any experience producing eggs, but I have recently gotten into Uroplatus, specifically Fimbs and have been doing my due diligence toward producing some in the near future.

First, you're not going to find very many people at all who are consistently producing these guys, and if you do, you'll be doing the herp world a service IMO.

Second, keep checking different forums and you'll be able to pick up a lot of info. Try the Repashy forum and Geckos Unlimited, they have a larger base of Uroplatus-specific threads. This one just recently got going with related threads and will build with time though.

In general though, keep their humidity very high, they are big eaters, and keep them from the very high 60's to the mid-high 70's. Don't handle them, give them a few inches of soft substrate (so they don't break their faces pouncing on prey. Use large diameter vertically oriented "trunks" but don't crowd the cage with foliage. Who knows? Maybe you'll post some VERY good news on here in a few months!

Please keep us updated if you get eggs. PM me and we can stay in touch via email and trade intel.:main_thumbsup:

 

[mrdavidc]

Thanks for the info, its appreciated. The female I have has laid two eggs, but they were shriveled up ones. Then last weekend the pair mated. Im hoping that the next set will be viable. One thing I noticed is that the female was rooting around in the substrate with her nose last night. Im wondering if that meant she was looking for a place to lay eggs. Also, the substrate is rather wet in my cage from the fogger. I have a false bottom in my cage below the substrate with screen and plexiglass (with holes) below it for drainage. Do you have any experience with locations for egg laying and damp substrate??

 

[T-ReXx]

Uroplatus like to lay their eggs under leaf litter if they can. I keep piles of dead leaves in my fimbriatus and henkeli cage and the one egg(infertile) that my female fimbriatus laid was placed under leaves in a slightly drier area of the enclosure. You don't want constantly wet substrate as it encourages mold growth. The key with these guys is humid conditions, not saturated. If you are constantly having soaked substrate I would recommend either mixing in some orchid bark to promote airation and/or cutting down on the amount of fogging. I use living substrates in my cages as well, earthworms, pill bugs, and other detrivores turn the soil and help keep things from turning into a swamp.

Added:If she's digging she's probably going to lay soon. Keep an eye out!

 

[Northstar Herp]

Any luck Dave? Did your girl ever lay for ya?

 

[mrdavidc]

Thanks for the info on keeping the moisture down. I hadnt thought of worms or using orchid bark along with the coco mix. That may help.

My female laid another egg, and this time it was not shriveled up. I took out the egg and put it in a incubator at 78 degrees, but I dont think its fertile. It has a flat bottom and is a bit firm. Im not sure if I just didnt incubate it right or what. Hopefully Ill get another soon.

 

[T-ReXx]

If it's not perfectly round I'd bet on it not being fertile, but you never know. When in doubt, incubate!

 

[Luis - TRH]

Thanks for the info on keeping the moisture down. I hadnt thought of worms or using orchid bark along with the coco mix. That may help.

My female laid another egg, and this time it was not shriveled up. I took out the egg and put it in a incubator at 78 degrees, but I dont think its fertile. It has a flat bottom and is a bit firm. Im not sure if I just didnt incubate it right or what. Hopefully Ill get another soon.

Typically eggs don't change shape. Unless you found it deposited on a hard surface, the egg should be nearly perfectly round, with exception to U.lineatus which hatch from cracked eggs even!

Cheers!

Luis

 

[mrdavidc]

So I think Ive figured out a couple of things. One is that when my Fimbriatus lays infertile eggs, they are laid on top of the substrate and they are soft, not fully round and somewhat sticky. Those eggs quickly rot in an incubator.
Other (hopefully viable) eggs are buried in the subtrate and are fully round, and hard after they have a few days to sit. I found my Fim digging holes the other day, but didnt think anything of it. Then I dug around last night, and there was an egg! Does anyone know if I can find out for sure if its fertile at some point? Maybe using a pen light? Im now incubating in hatch rite at 78 degrees in a GOF Hova-Bator.
One quick note about substrate... I use a mix of soil which has charcoal in it. I also add springtails to the mix. They like the charcoal, and the charcoal seems to help balance the saturation problem. You can buy the mix at Josh's frogs.

 

[T-ReXx]

So I think Ive figured out a couple of things. One is that when my Fimbriatus lays infertile eggs, they are laid on top of the substrate and they are soft, not fully round and somewhat sticky. Those eggs quickly rot in an incubator.
Other (hopefully viable) eggs are buried in the subtrate and are fully round, and hard after they have a few days to sit. I found my Fim digging holes the other day, but didnt think anything of it. Then I dug around last night, and there was an egg! Does anyone know if I can find out for sure if its fertile at some point? Maybe using a pen light? Im now incubating in hatch rite at 78 degrees in a GOF Hova-Bator.
One quick note about substrate... I use a mix of soil which has charcoal in it. I also add springtails to the mix. They like the charcoal, and the charcoal seems to help balance the saturation problem. You can buy the mix at Josh's frogs.

Uroplatus eggs can be candled like any other herp egg. Just use a dark room and a small flashlight(pen lights work great). Early on veining can be seen at the top of the egg(looks like a shadow) and later in incubation the embryo can be seen, often it moves later in development(very cool to see). :main_thumbsup: Sounds like you're incubation is spot on.

 

[mrdavidc]

My egg finally hatched. Here is the image of the new Fimbriatus. Not sure if its a M or F yet.

 

[mrdavidc]

Here is the picture...

 

[Northstar Herp]

Right on man! Major congratulations to you! It looks very nice.

Did you get any more eggs, or was this one the only one?

 

[T-ReXx]

Congrats! Great looking hatchling! You most likely won't be able to sex it until 7-8 months old, they aren't sexually dimorphic like henkeli.

 

[Northstar Herp]

I'd love to see an update on this one, and hear if you got any more eggs. I'm in a similar situation with a pair of mine right now- just found an infertile egg stuck this morning, but it had probably been there for a few days. I saw them breeding a few weeks ago, so I'm hoping for a fertile clutch in a couple weeks if all goes well.