u. phantasticus....

[nouserpif]

What do they need in terms of care?
I really love these guys, and may buy one, if the care seem reasonable...
Dan Conner

[sara]

They really aren't as hard to keep as most people think, but they are definitely not for beginners. The only difficult thing is keeping up the humidity, it should be between 80 - 100%
They are exclusively nocturnal, so you don't see them too often unless you stay up late. I've noticed that c.b. take to handling quite well.
They can be really picky about temps and setup cond., so it's worth trying get help from someone experienced when you're setting everything up for the first time.
I hope this helps :)

[Dilshad]

CBB U. phantasticus are hard to come by, but probably a safer choice. WC and LTC are available from time to time, but there is a mortality rate associated with them. I count myself lucky; having dealt with six WC so far, I only lost one, and that one rather quickly.

The trickiest thing about them, in my opinion, is that they're a montane species, so need to be kept cool. My own never see a daytime high above 74F , and the night time temperatures can dip to the mid 60s. This species has been observed active and feeding in captivity at 59F.

They also need high ambient humidity, again, trickier when dealing with cool temperatures. Mist them at least twice a day. I wouldn't keep them without lots of live plants. I'll take some pictures of my phant vivs and post them in a day or two.

Other than that, calcium requirements, particularly for females, are rather high, and given that they sleep out in the open and probably get hit by scattered UVB, I place the appropriate light bulb in one corner of the tank.

There's more that could be said, but a quick summation would be:

-Delicate
-Cool and humid
-Stay on top of supplementation
-Full spectrum lighting
-Lots of live plants

Given the situation in Madagascar, and the lack of consistent breeding in captivity, if you do get U. phantasticus, I'd advise you to get a pair and do your best to produce them -- the hatchlings can be difficult to raise --- and be very careful about getting unrelated stock. I don't know how many are in captivity at this point, but I'm already worried about the gene pool.

I've been slowly building a group and I'm doing my best to track my bloodlines.

[nouserpif]

Hahaha... my room temperatures... I am no expert on herps, and I do not buy many, but I do a lot of research on them, and get set up perfectly before I buy them, so I think if I can find a cbb pair (unrelated), I may just treat myself to a pair... I think I'm ready for em...

Don't want to part with that kind of money on a WC pair :D

I can keep humidity up fine with them, and live plants shouldn't be a problem...
Although you did say full spectrum, plant-grow bulbs arn't full spectrum... Is it only the plants that need the UV, or do the geckos need it too?
I have read that even nocturnal geckos benifit from UV light, but many more sources tell me all it does is irritate them... what say you?

Also, what size of tank would you reccomend?

Thanks,
Dan Conner

[KaHane]

Wow, I was going to reply to this thread, but it looks like Sara and Dilshad have covered the topic:) Great post !

[sara]

I recently moved my u. phantasticus into an acrylic cage, it's amazing, I would honestly say that it's the best type of enclosure for thier husbandry requirements. A well made acrylic cage is easily worth it's price tag.
When you're buying an enclosure keep in mind that they like to be near the ground almost all the time, so an arboreal enclosure is a waste of space. I would go with a minimum of 16" x 16" floorspace for 1.1
A good guide to follow is to find something suitable for dart frogs.

Personally, I think UV is beneficial to these geckos and their enclosures, the best source for this is indirect sunlight if you can manage it.
(N.B. , I said INDIRECT sunlight)

[Dilshad]

Dan;

By full spectrum lighting I mean a bulb that produces UVB. I know of people who use Vitalites, personally I use ESU coil bulbs...I think they're rated at 2% UVB, been a while since I looked that up. Note that a lot of bulbs labeled "full spectrum" for the home or horticultural use, do not produce any UVB.

I currently use the following tank sizes: 30" X 12" X 18" and 36" X 12" X 18", but I'm also awaiting an order of custom tanks that measure 24" X 24" X 24".

The more space the better, given their near-suicidal hunting style which results in flying leaps and pounces that require a bit of clearance.

Contrary to Sara's experience, mine don't spend a lot of time on the ground. In the field, this species has been observed about a metre off the ground, sleeping or foraging in shrubs...and foraging on the ground as well.

Other keepers have told me that their animals will get closer to the ground if ambient humidity drops, although I do have one female that sleeps on the ground very infrequently.

Regarding indirect sunlight, it's kind of difficult to measure what they're getting, and keep in mind that UVB is blocked by glass and most plastics. You generally have to pay extra to order UV-transparent plastic.

As for light irritating them...as with most things, give them a choice. I have individuals that always sleep directly beneath the light, others that sleep there only sometimes, and others that always hide under foliage during the day.

[sara]

Dilshad is right, they aren't very terrestrial, but mine rarely climbed any higher than 2' when they had the option. It's just my presonal preference to give them more terrestrial space for hunting as opposed to vertical space for climbing.

It doesn't cost too much extra for UVB penetrable plastics, but it's hard to find someone who works with it. Again, this is just something that works for me, many tricks/aspects of this species are subjective.

[nouserpif]

Also... I'm just wondering, what are the benifets of live plants over fake plants/branches, and is Bamboo a good climing surface for them? I have heard it is, but I just want everyones opinion...
Thanks a ton for all the replies! Also, do you know anyone in western Canada with any for sale? What prices am I looking at for a 1.1 pair? Thanks!
Dan Conner

[Dilshad]

Live plants look and smell better, but more importantly, if you go with a fully naturalistic vivarium, they'll recycle waste products, and even if you just put potted plants in the tank, they'll aid in keeping your ambient humidity up through transpiration.

[nouserpif]

Also, one more thing.. I have decided to get a male u. phantasticus, for $150, and I am wondering about something not discussed in any care sheets I have read...

What is their temperment like? What would make them throw off their tail?

And 1.2 would be comfortable in the terrarium, wouldn't it?
thanks!
Dan Conner

[Dilshad]

Hey Dan...let's see if I can answer those questions:

Temperament: I haven't really seen a huge difference in temperament between WC and CBB animals...if anything, the WC seem to be better and more ferocious feeders, perhaps because they've had to work harder for food than a captive bred and born animal would, but that's a sketchy claim, given that it only "seems" that way to me...so strictly speaking, no difference I've seen.

I don't like handling any of my animals, but when I've had to, phants usually react by perching, followed by flying leaps into space, on to my face, etc.. I don't really recommend it, even if it doesn't stress them out, it sure stresses me out! :eek:

I would classify these as "look but don't touch" animals, so temperament towards humans isn't a huge issue. I've read accounts of male-male combat, but nothing substantiated. I haven't witnessed any intraspecific aggression myself, and people more experienced than I back that up. Given adequate space to keep clear of each other, you should be able to house multiple animals.

One thing I did notice about keeping multiple males together; in both cases, one of them was always smaller than the other, which may indicate some kind of subtle hierarchy.

I've never seen one lose a tail...I dimly recall reading that the only place they can do so is at the base, unlike some other geckos, and I don't think much regenerates. Basically, don't grab their tails (duh) and arrange cage furnishings in such a way that they're unlikely to catch their tails during a leap.

I would keep 1.2 in a 30 X 12 X 18 tank, or something close to those dimensions.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[nouserpif]

Yes, I don't mean like handling them, but I meant like what would spook them out, like with vacuuming, playing music in my garage (not where they would be_) etc. etc.
Thanks, but I've got that answered!
Dan Conner