Simple question...

[hdavidf309]

I am mostly into Rhacodactylus species, but have owned ad have kept other herps in the past and I keep a few different ones now. QUESTION: I was wondering what would be a great starter? Any additional advise, comments on this, or people who may even have some for sale...please let me know what you have to say/what you have. I am currently enrolled in a herpetology/zoology course and am an experienced keeper and breeder....and have done lots of research on leaftails. I feel you can NEVER know enough about reptiles, but am confident in saying that I believe I am ready to take on the responsibility of these amazing creatures!

 

[Northstar Herp]

First off, anything you buy should be CB if at all possible. There is a MASSIVE difference between a WC and CB Uroplatus, and it would be wise for your first Uro to be CB.

Fimbriatus, Henkeli and Sikorae are good ones to start out with. I see more CB sikorae being offered for sale than Fimbs and Henks, so that might be a good one to shoot for. They're sexually dimorphic, so making sure you have a pair shouldn't be a problem. They're also nice and small, so you don't have to fix such a large enclosure like you do the fimbs and henks. They have a reputation for being fragile, but I haven't noticed it with mine, and since I'm seeing more CB offered than other Uros, I have to wonder if it's true or not.

 

[MonteQ's]

I'd also add U. guentheri to the list. The medium-large species tend to be pretty hardy in my experience. The smaller ones can be a bit fragile.

 

[Amped Herptiles]

I would start with henkeli; they are medium-large species which is perfect as ones first leaf tail. Good luck finding any CB for a decent price, still they are a magnificent gecko to work with.

 

[uroplatus99]

I'd also add U. guentheri to the list. The medium-large species tend to be pretty hardy in my experience. The smaller ones can be a bit fragile.

Got to second this one... Though they come up from time to time in the US... most are males... I purchased a couple males at the end of last years and I have to say, the easiest of all Uroplatus to keep... much more forgiving on the misting part.

You can find them CB for about 150 to 200 bucks each... so not so bad.

My second choice would be the U. henkeli, pretty hardy as well.

 

[T-ReXx]

Big +1 on the henkeli and guntheri. Definitely the hardiest Uroplatus species. I've kept sikorae, lineatus, ebanaui, and phantasticus in the past and currently have pairs of fimbriatus and henkeli. My experience with sikorae has been that they are less forgiving of temperature swings than the other similar sized species, but I worked with wc animals. I found lineatus to be fairly hardy. Phants seem like they die if you breath on them wrong, but they do breed fairly easily. U. fimbriatus has a rep for being delicate, but I've had a wc pair for over a year and they've given me no problems. The henkeli are nigh bullet proof, they come from a more varied locality than most Uroplatus, so they adapt well to different temperatures; handling the low 80s without issue. My pair has been breeding and the female has been digging around a bit lately, so I'm hopeful for eggs soon. Generally with Uroplatus the key is getting quality stock to begin with and keeping humidity and temps stable and leaving them alone. If you can't find cb animals(and if you do I recommend buying them, it will be pricier but well worth it) then look for established LTC(6 mos+). And buy from a reputable source, lots of importers have Uroplatus now and then, but few care for them correctly or acclimate before selling them.

 

[Luis - TRH]

U.guentheri is by far the easiest Uroplatus to care for. They're a barrel of monkeys to observe at night and will win you over with their personalities alone.

As mentioned above...well acclimated or CB animals are by far the easiest to start off with!

Cheers!

Luis

 

[hdavidf309]

Thank you all for your advise!!!!!!! I am very appreciative and keep it coming! i will maybe be waiting until around July to buy a new Uroplatus (probably Henkeli or guentheri...captive bred). I may even buy a pair! I will keep on frequenting this discussion and we will get me started TOGETHER! Haha...Thanks again!

 

[Northstar Herp]

Look for henks, man. Guentheri are super hard to come by here in the states.

 

[T-ReXx]

Look for henks, man. Guentheri are super hard to come by here in the states.

Henks aren't much easier, took me over a year to find a female. There are a FEW breeders but most aren't selling. They do show up as imports occasionally though.

 

[Northstar Herp]

Which leads me back around again to my original suggestion- Sikorae. It's like I tell my wife- I can't be wrong ALL the time, it's statistically impossible.

 

[hdavidf309]

I actually know a guy that breeds all of the different types of Uroplatus (male and female0, so finding what I want shouldn't be a problem. Thank you all!

 

[hdavidf309]

also there is a nice Sikorae available online too that i have inquired about...thats another option to concider too

 

[Northstar Herp]

I actually know a guy that breeds all of the different types of Uroplatus (male and female0, so finding what I want shouldn't be a problem. Thank you all!

Well get a pair of henks and Guentheri for me man!!!!