First of 2010 -- U. phantasticus

[MonteQ's]

This little fella hatched last week. He's the first baby to hatch from eggs layed this year.

All I could say was wow!

At hatching - 92 days at 69.3 f

Out of his first change of clothes...

Hope you'll enjoy him as much as I do!

 

[triplegex]

Incredible! :main_thumbsup:

 

[MonteQ's]

Thanks Adam! I'm pretty proud of this guy!

 

[kenske]

Sweet! really like the color on him/her. Is this the first one you've ever produced?

I got tired of drooling at pics on the net...and finally able to locate a pair. I just got them a few days ago, hope i can keep these guys alive..lol. Any tips or insight about keeping these guys are much appreciated.

Regards,
Kenny

 

[Enigmatic_Reptiles]

Gorgeous

 

[MonteQ's]

Thanks again guys!

Kenny, check out Mike's care sheet here:
http://www.freewebs.com/thegeckofactory/caresheet.htm

GU is a good resource too. Feel free to shoot me a pm if you have any specific questions.

 

[kenske]

Thanks for the link. I have been "studying" Mike's caresheet before i picked up the phants. The problem i am having right now is with the female. She looks fat and healthy with the exception of her tail. The edges are folded under, which according to what i have been reading is caused by de-hydration.

I have been giving her a few drops of pedialyte , 3x a day for the past 3 days. Still not looking any better. I also mist 3x a day and the temps are between 74-78. I really do not want to loose her. The male seem to be just fine and happy. Any idea as to what else i can try?

Regards,
Kenny

 

[MonteQ's]

Hey Kenny,

Glad to hear the link helped. Mikes caresheet should get you pretty well squared away.

I'd try getting the temps down a little 70-72. Especially since they just arrived. These guys really don't deal well with stress. How is the humidity in the tank? What kind of a night drop are you giving them? The tail curling is usually a sign of dehydration. It may signal other problems too. Are they feeding for you? How are her movements? Fluid, jerky etc. Does she appear to be gravid?

Showering her might be an option, but I'd save that for later. If you have pics, feel free to post them. Try to give her space though, to let her settle in. People have a tendency to dote on them a bit too much in the beginning. The stress might just compound the situation.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

how did u cool it that munch?

 

[MonteQ's]

Cool what?

 

[kenske]

Thanks for the reply MonteQ!

She has a full belly. Im not sure if she's gravid or not. Will being gravid cause the tail to fold under?

I got the pair as ltc/cb...drove over 2+ hours each way to pick them up... so they didn't have to be shipped. I kept the lights off for the first few days. I really did not mess with them much. I haven't even taken any pics of them b/c i wanted them to settle down. When i see that she is in a spot where i can get a good shot, i'll post it. Should be able to do it this evening.

I have not witness either one feeding so far. Her movements are slow and seems fluid. She actually moves around very little. But she is up high and sleeping during the day. She really does not look ill (other than the tail). I will take your advice and crank up my a/c to lower the temp.

I do not have a humidity guage at the moment. But i mist a few times a day. I have them in a 12x12x18 exo-terra with the screen covered.

Thanks again for your comments and advice!

Regards,
Kenny

 

[kenske]

...And i did not offer any night drop. I kept it the same. Maybe this is the issue? I will do so from now on.

Best,
Kenny

 

[kenske]

Pics

I noticed the female is having trouble "sticking to the glass" and i do not see any stuck sheds on her foot. Should this be a another concern?

Just took some pics. Please excuse the quality.

Female:

Male:

 

[MonteQ's]

Yeah, her tail is looking pretty wilted. With what the imports it's usually dehydration... But it seems to pop up just about any time there's an issue. It's their reserve, minimal as it is. It might help to get the substrate good and moist, to help keep the humidity up. I usually give mine a night drop into the mid 60s, they really seem to appreciate it.

She looks to have decent weight and calcium sacs so I don't really see any red flags there. They'll start slipping on occasion when they're going into shed, don't see any stuck shed in the pics either. She might be starting a shed, but doesn't appear too chalky from the pics. Some of my girls have had trouble with calcium absorbtion... doesn't seem to be the case here... you'd have similar symptoms, but jerky uncoordinated movements along with it.

I'd try to get some nutrients in them keep em cool and humid. Keep them in a low traffic area. Maybe try showering them in the cage a little after lights go out. Give them a good minute misting or so. Use a fine mist though, like from a pump mister. What kind of a light do you have on them? Have you noticed any labored breathing? You also don't want the tank to be too wet either... a bit of a tricky balance.

It's hard to tell you much more with out seeing them and the set up first hand. Any change can really upset these guys. It could be something as simple dehydration, humidity swings that sent her into shed etc. Or it could be some underlying issue that popped up with the stress from the move. Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[kenske]

The substrate and plants are pretty moist. They do not even get the time to dry out (i know it is suppose to). I will follow your advice and hopefully i can get her back on track. Do not notice any breathing issues. Im going away for 3 days and i know the phants will be on my mind the whole time. I will call my mom everyday to check up on them...lol

Thanks again for your input and thoughts. I will post updates on them when i get back next week.

Regards,
Kenny

 

[kenske]

"Do not notice ..."

correction: "Did not notice...."

 

[MonteQ's]

Seems like you've got them in acceptable conditions. Hopefully she'll bounce back once she's had a chance to settle in. Wish I could be more help. Sometimes there's really no rhyme or reason with these guys. Keep me posted. Good luck!

 

[kenske]

Well here's the update: I give up!

When i got home from my camping trip, i lost the female. I said fine, i will replace her. Then a few day's later, the male died too. When i found him, he had dropped his tail already. I thought he was doing well since he "looks" good and i think he was feeding b/c i did find feces every few days. This is very discouraging .

Thanks for all your help, i do not think im ready for this species yet..lol

Now i just gotta see what to keep in the nice terrarium i set up for the Phants

 

[MonteQ's]

I'm sorry to hear that Kenny. I was really hoping for some good news. I wish I could have been more helpful. The reality is they do not adapt well to change. I've had well established animals decline after being moved to an identical neighboring tank. Sometimes you can do everything right and still end up with problems, especially with the wc's. They're a tricky bunch.

If you decide to give them another go, I'd set up the tank well in advance...just so you get it all dialed in prior to their arrival. There's just not much wiggle room with new arrivals. Again, I am sorry for your loss.

 

[kenske]

Hey MonteQ. Thank you very much for your assistance. Even though they did not make it... you have been soo helpful all along. The crazy thing is that the pair i had were supposed to be captive bred. The animals did look healthy when i went to pick them up. I still really dig these guys, but i think it will be a long while before i try again

Regards,
Kenny