Lygodactylus Williamsi

[Star1]

I'm getting a male Lygodactylus Williamsi on Friday! I was obsessively trying to find one for the longest time. I haven't been looking now and found one! I was wondering if it would be safe to use my waterfall in his enclosure?

 

[acpart]

Congratulations! I've had my male for a few months and will be getting a female (which I've already paid for) as soon as it warms up. I generally don't recommend waterfalls with geckos because the crickets can get in there and die and the geckos can poop in there and foul it (though L. williamsi poop is pretty small).

Aliza

 

[Rylee]

Awesome!! Theyre so cute!

 

[Star1]

I was gonna try the waterfall at first to see if it would work out but the cord was too short to reach the closest outlet. I was wondering if they need UV light or not? I've read care sheets saying they do and some saying they don't. I've already ordered one that should be here the same day as my gecko so it's not a problem and I've got a timer for it.

 

[acpart]

If they are adequately supplemented with calcium and vitamin D3, they should not need UV as per Leann Christenson in "Day Geckos in Captivity" (she generally writes about Phelsuma but I don't see why this wouldn't apply to L. williamsi as well).

Aliza

 

[Star1]

Thank you! This is the first time I've found conflicting care sheets about whether or not you need UV light so I just want to get that cleared up before he gets here All my other geckos don't need it (leos and an African fat tail)

 

[Star1]

I've been to the store twice to get the correct basking light. I got a 75 watt the first time because I thought I had a 50 watt at home that wasn't getting hot enough, but it was 75 so I exchanged it for 100 watt, and it's still not getting hot enough! The box said at 6" away it should be 102 degrees. My thermometer probe is about 7" away and it's only 82 degrees. So frustrating. Right now I definitely prefer UTHs. I also got a culture of fruit flies for the little guy to eat when he gets here because I didn't think I'd be going back to the store so soon but I'll have to go back to exchange the bulb yet again.

 

[jobymoby123]

I have a small colony and am breeding L. Williamsi and I find that a 75 watt bulb is plenty even if it doesn't reach 102 degrees. As long as they have somewhere to warm up it should be fine. I do have UV bulbs on my critters and they are doing well. Had my first babies hatch a couple of weeks ago.

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[Star1]

It's barely getting above 80 though, that seems like it would be too cold. And that's over halfway up to the top so below that is even colder. Do you use a UTH at all?

 

[jobymoby123]

Sorry brain is on vacay. UTH is what again?
Terrarium ambiant temp should be 75 or so degrees. I have a piece of cork bark about six inches under theheat bulb and sometimes they are directly under and other times just at the edge of the heat zone. There are a number of keepers that do not believe that any heat bulb is required and keep them at room temp.
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[acpart]

I use 2 lights for my day geckos: a florescent or compact florescent for light and the plants and a halogen puck light with a 20 watt little bulb for basking.

Aliza

 

[jobymoby123]

UTH... Under tank heater. Brain came back. I do not use those on the williamsi tank as they do not walk on the ground. I have not seen a healthy one ever on the substrate of my tanks.

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[Star1]

It got too cold for them to ship, so I have to wait til it gets warmer again (the joys of living in Minnesota... 50 something degrees one day, snowing the next). I got some bamboo branches so he'll have plenty of places to climb. I will probably take the hide out that I have on the ground since he most likely won't spend any time down there. I read that you can feed them Repashy day gecko food along with insects, do you do that? If so, how often?

 

[Star1]

I have a small colony and am breeding L. Williamsi and I find that a 75 watt bulb is plenty even if it doesn't reach 102 degrees. As long as they have somewhere to warm up it should be fine. I do have UV bulbs on my critters and they are doing well. Had my first babies hatch a couple of weeks ago.

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Congratulations on having babies hatch! How are they doing? I've heard they're kind of difficult to keep alive when they're first born.

 

[jobymoby123]

I feed the adults 1/4 - 3/8 inch crickets, meal worms in a dish up off the floor and fruit flies. In the wild they eat rotting fruit, I have never tried to feed the repashy gecko food, I suppliment with baby food. I usually pick up a mango or banana mixed baby food, add some calcium powder and freeze in small spoonful amounts on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. I put these in a small dish up in the vines they traverse.

The little ones eat fruit flies. The biggest issue I have had with the babies is keeping them in the cage. I am using a ten gallon aquarium with a terrarium lid and they fit right through the mesh of the lid. Had to tape window screen all around lid to prevent further escapes. Lol.

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[acpart]

I feed my L. williamsi Repashy's CGD in addition to the crickets and it seems to be disappearing. A friend of mine keeps hatchling mourning geckos, which are also very small, in those tall deli cups with the holes in the lid covered by white cloth (like the deli cups people culture fruit flies in) which is what I'd plan to do with my hoped-for babies (getting my female on Tuesday).

Aliza

 

[Star1]

He arrived this morning!!! He's even smaller than I expected... smaller than my leopard gecko that hatched over the weekend.

 

[acpart]

Yes, my female arrived today and she's much smaller than my male L. williamsi as well as my fat tail that hatched Sunday.

Aliza

 

[Star1]

I heard they were small, but didn't realize how small. I thought he'd be about the same size as my hatchling leo. I named him Cruiser because he moves so quickly! Had to go back to work after he arrived, and when I got home he had escaped and was sitting on the back of his enclosure. I managed to get him back inside, and put packing tape over everything that seemed like an opening (he's in a 18X18X24 Exo-Terra), I think he got out from the spot where the cords can go through so I shut the sliders and taped over them from the inside and outside.

 

[acpart]

The exo-terras need a lot of taping to be escape proof for these guys. I got a juvenile P. klemmeri about 6 years ago, put clear packing tape on every hinge area to eliminate the gaps and she still got out. The new williamsi is in a tall exo-terra nano (8"x8"x12") for the next month and will then join the male in a 12x12x18. Just be sure the size exo-terra you're using isn't so big that the gecko can't find the food.

Aliza