Smooth Knob Tailed gecko or...

[mathaldo]

A crested gecko.

I'm going to be getting a 20 gallon in the next month or so, and I am looking to get 1 or 2 new geckos. I'm really really interested in 2 very different ones. Crested geckos, and knob tailed geckos.
Now I have a few questions about them.
Which is easier to take care of?
Can I use sand for a knob tail, instead of paper towel?
Do either need a fluorescent light fixture?
Can a pair of either speices live comfortably in a 20 gallon?
Are either easily stressed with human contact? As in noise, handling, etc.
I may post some more questions later, but these are the only ones I can think of now.
Thanks,
Mat

[little_dragon_]

I have never dealt with knob tails but a pair of crested geckos would be fine in a 20gallon. Here's my two set ups.

[little_dragon_]

And the other

[hahagy]

the problem is ~ where are you going to get your pair of knob tail

they don't pop up in Canadian market often

[JeffT]

Yeah and if they do they are $350 a piece CB.

[manville]

just get a pair of cresties because they are really nice and easy to care for

[DragnDrop]

Talking from experience, knobbies are not easy. They have very little compromise on set-up and care. If you can cater to them, they're hardy enough, but you really have to work at it. Breeding is another milestone - they'll lay eggs, but a vast majority of the babies don't thrive. There's been a lot of inbreeding in N. American knobbies, so many breeders are finding weak babies or eggs that don't hatch at all. I've had eggs from mine, but they don't survive to hatching.
There used to be a lot of knobbies for sale a few years ago, but most could trace their origins back to one or two bloodlines which caused all the inbreeding. If you really want to go into knobbies, import some new blood from Europe to mix with the N. American lines. That's probably the only way to go if you want to breed them.

Cresties are by far easier and less frustrating.

[hahagy]

I haven't had a knoby yet....... but from what i heard, they are quite tough (all they need for set up would not be far away from what leo. gecko need, (but with a alot of sand) )

Genetic part would be a problem~ Why does the Australian Gov. has to be so tight! Open up your animal trade!

[mathaldo]

I'm not planning to breed them, I just want them for display animals.
Also...
Can I use sand for a knob tail, instead of paper towel?
Do either need a fluorescent light fixture?
Are knob tails easily stressed by human contact such as noise, or handling, etc.
Mat

[DragnDrop]

The species isn't easy, no matter what anyone says. Check the rating at The Arizona Gecko Co. On a scale of 1(hardest) - 10(easiest), knobbies rate a 2. This is about par with anyone else's rating of them, and what I'd rate them as by my experience with them.

They need a substrate that allows them to burrow in during the day. When I mentioned in the other post that they have very little room for compromise, one of the things I had in mind was substrate. If they don't like what you're using or if it's something they'd never encounter in the wild (instinct won't tell them it's paper towel, it's something they don't recognize) they won't be happy for long and probably go downhill fast. Knobbies need sand. They dig their own burrows (fast as lightning too), or use/share burrows that some other critter dug. Their instinct says do dig down for life giving moisture. If they can't dig a few inches as in paper towel, they do the gecko version of a panic attack. Keep it up too long and they stress out, possible die, but at least don't prosper. There are a couple of subspecies that don't necessarily live in burrows, they live under rocks and in crevices, but it's still humid there and they do have access to sand at will.

Good caresheets are hard to come by, but there are some. The Care and Breeding of the Smooth Knob-tail Gecko (Nephrurus levis levis) by Justin Julander is a reasonable basic explanation of their setup needs and general care. Go to the old version of the GGA archives and do a search for knobtails (also knob tails or neprhurus) and you'll get more info, though it's in bits and pieces from posts throughout several years. But at leat the info you'll get there is accurate. The new archives are at The gecko Archives but it's not as easy to search through.

Some knobbies are almost bold and daring, but generally they're somewhat shy and easily stressed by handling.

[Aug]

Just talking from experience, knob-tail geckos aren't that bad.

Setup:
I currently have 5 Nephrurus Amyae and asfar as the tank setup goes, it has a 2 inch layer of sand, and rocks for hidding.

Diet:
I mist their heads twice a week and feed them 5 times a week with crickets/maelworms/waxworms/butterworms/Roaches etc. Most nephrurus eat more than the usually gecko.

Lighting:
For lighting, they don't require UVA. Most people say UVB is a must. But from my observation, they are hardly seen in the light. However, i would still provide at least UVB and an optional timer.

Handling:
General, you should not handle this gecko. They are mainly for display. However, i do handle mine from time to time. They don't don't appear to be stressed by it. However, if you notice a threat display, barking, and/or panting, i would stop.

Breeding:
If you ever decide to breed Nephrurus, I suggest you separate them individually. When the females is of sufficient size to breed and you decide to breed them, I would begin by spraying the enclosure more frequently to mimic spring. This increased humidity should be sustained for one week. Then introduce the male. If however, the females rejects the male. You will need to repeat the cycle with at least one week resting time.

Keep in mind, I've only kept Nephrurus Amyae - a subspecies of Levis maybe diffierent. However, note that this description is almost identical to most typical arid gecko species.

Cheers
Augustin

PS. I also have crested gecko too. They aren't bad, aside from the odour the enclosure produces. this is typical of all humide (~70%) enclosures. I personally hate the distinct smell. Then again, i'm picky.

[adamofsound]

I am keeping cresteds (4) and a few other rhacodactylus species.
I highly reccomend them. they come out at night and are fun to watch climb around, they are very good eaters, and mine all thrive on paper towel as a substrate. oh and they seem to enjoy handling, they seem to think you are a new tree they must conquer!. you can have endless fun letting cresteds climb out to your raised finger tips and then putting your other hand 6 inches or so away. the cresteds almost always make a spectacular leap to the next "branch".
as display animals they are great. the only thing is creteds are becoming very common, very fast, but that says something for the ease of care. as far as smelly cages go, I havent noticed any smell. i mist a couple of times a day, and let the cage dry between mistings. I mist heavier at night, and they drink right away.

this is just my opinion though.
good luck with the choice.

[hahagy]

Aug~

cool! you are keeping my dream geckos the " Amyae", and you are keeping 5 of them!

DragnDrop:

from your reply, the only "difficultness" that i noticed is "sand".

Could it be easily solved by picking up a big bag of desert reptile sand?

[DragnDrop]

Don't use the manufactured sand. Use real sand 'wild caught', collected from outside, it's been weathered smooth. The manufactured sand (CB ) is crushed gravel or rocks of appropriate composition, it's still got shart corners and edges. The real sand is safe if boiled or baked to kill off cooties and give it a good wash.

[mathaldo]

So unlike leopard geckos they don't get impacted?

I was looking at Levis becasue they seem to be so much less than Amyae in terms of cost.

Does the temperature requirement resemble that of a leopard gecko? For example what is the lowest/highest temperatures that they can withstand?

Would a reptile heat pad be sufficient enough? Or do you need overhead heating?

Thanks for all your opinions so far.
Mat