Knob tail keepers check in!

[BarelyBreathing]

I'm thinking about purchasing a trio. I'd love to hear personal experience about what works and doesn't work.

[beardeds4life]

I am fairly certain there are only 1 or 2 keepers on here. I would be interested as well.

[BarelyBreathing]

I believe Red Ink keeps them. Where are you, Red Ink?

[red ink]

Ask away mate.....

I work on specifics, what do you want to now?

[BarelyBreathing]

WOOHOO! Alright. First let's start out with all the discrepencies I've found amung care sheets.

1- Which substrate have you found to work best?
2- What surface temperature do you find works best for a laying female?
3- Do you provide a humid hide?
4- Do you house in pairs or groups, or separately? If you keep them in pairs or groups, what size enclosures do you use for pairs? Trios?

And not on any care sheets that I've been able to find:
Are these guys temperature sexable?

[red ink]

WOOHOO! Alright. First let's start out with all the discrepencies I've found amung care sheets.

1- Which substrate have you found to work best?
70% sand 30% coir peat mix (coconut husk shredding fertiliser free)

2- What surface temperature do you find works best for a laying female?
31C


3- Do you provide a humid hide?
Spray the whole enclosure every three days heavily on the cool side and under the hides

4- Do you house in pairs or groups, or separately? If you keep them in pairs or groups, what size enclosures do you use for pairs? Trios?
You can house them in groups but as always you need to keep watch, once they sort it out they should be fine. You will need a floor space of at least 75cm x 30cm for a trio for the smooth knob-tails N. levis ssp. or N. asper, 100cm x 30cm for N. amaye . I keep mine separated in tubs unless breeding.


And not on any care sheets that I've been able to find:
Are these guys temperature sexable?
No they are not



Hope that helps mate

[BarelyBreathing]

It helps a ton. Thanks so much for the information!

[Gatorhunter1231]

I have been thinking N.amaye or ornate uros to mix up my varanus world. What kind of clutches do you get? Do they only lay one or two eggs off and on like most geckos? Primary food? (crickets, mealworms, roaches, all the above) Basking temps? Humidty requirements? Depth of substrate?

[beardeds4life]

BB do you have a breeder? If you find one can you please p.m. them to me? I would love to get some!

[BarelyBreathing]

PM coming.

[red ink]

Keeping Australian Geckos by Rob Porter will answer most if not all your queries about Nephs.

[BarelyBreathing]

Thanks. I will see if I can get it.

[red ink]

It's a good read mate... I have a copy myself as well as Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards edited by Mike Swann. Anobody that has an intrest in Australian lizards should get a copy of the book, cant recommend it enough.

[BarelyBreathing]

Awesome. Thank you again.

[Gregg M]

I have kept bred them back when they were $1000 geckos. In my opinion, they are super boring. When given the proper set up, they hide all day long very rarely out basking during the day. Not my cup of tea but I know people dig them a lot.

[BarelyBreathing]

I have kept bred them back when they were $1000 geckos. In my opinion, they are super boring. When given the proper set up, they hide all day long very rarely out basking during the day. Not my cup of tea but I know people dig them a lot.


Yep, if you remember I'm a fan of empty cage syndrome. It makes seeing the animal all that much more exciting.

[red ink]

I have kept bred them back when they were $1000 geckos. In my opinion, they are super boring. When given the proper set up, they hide all day long very rarely out basking during the day. Not my cup of tea but I know people dig them a lot.

Yep... not much to look at during the day but if your a bit of an insomiac they do have their endearing charms. Little tailwags, push ups, all sorts of antics.

They wag their tails (well the last milimeter with the ball on it) like dogs when excited by food lol.