African Fat-Tailed Gecko Hemitheconyx caudicinctus
Description: Similar in size and shape to the popular Leopard gecko but Fat-tails require a more humid environment. From the dry open woodlands and tropical savannas of West Africa. Both a banded type and a type with a white stripe down the back are available. Different color varieties are also available. Males are very territorial and will fight if kept together. Females tend to get along fine. Fairly docile towards people and can be handled and tamed with patience. Adult size is about 5" to 8" and they can live for 15 years or more. Temperature: 75° to 90°F day time with a 5° to 10°F drop at night. A temperature gradient throughout the enclosure is preferred. Humidity: High humidity should be provided, approximately 65 to 75%. A humidity gradient throughout the enclosure is preferred, slightly moist hiding areas and a dryer feeding area. Lighting: Plant grow lights may be necessary for live plants, use a timer to simulate the tropics, 12 hours on / 12 hours off. Seasonal day length fluctuations are not needed but could help to stimulate breeding. A dim night light is required for viewing nocturnal activities. Feeding: Crickets are the main staple diet along with mealworms and various other insects when available. They may even eat a pinky mouse on occasion. Dusting food items with a supplement (twice a week for adults and more often for young geckos) will help to keep them healthy. A bowl of clean water must be available at all times but some will only drink water droplets. Be sure to mist the enclosure at least daily. Habitat: A ten-gallon tank with a ventilated top will work for a single gecko but a larger tank would be more suitable. A forest should be created with branches to climb on and plenty of hiding places or hide boxes for them to sleep in. These geckos will normally choose an area that they prefer to defecate in. Estivation: A gradual cool down to 68° to 72°F for a month or so (usually in late fall to early winter) will condition them for breeding. Do not feed them or mist the tank during this period but do provide a water bowl. Sexing: Males are often larger than the females, have a larger head and hemipenes bulges at the base of the tail. Males also have an angular row of 9 to 14 pre-anal pores just above the cloacal opening that females lack. Breeding: De-worming 2 times a year is recommended, just after the last eggs of the year are laid and a little before the next breeding season. A breeding group can have only 1 male with 1 to 4 females. After the cool down period, gradually raise the temps back to normal. Start feeding again when they become active. Be sure to give the female extra supplements and pinky mice to boost her reserves. A simple way to provide a nesting site is to keep one area of the substrate slightly moist by misting it daily. A better way is to make a nest box out of a plastic container with about 2" to 3" of moistened coarse vermiculite or sphagnum moss inside. Cut an entrance hole just above the nesting material and be sure to mist inside it as needed (this also works well as a hide box). The nesting material must not be too wet or allowed to dry out, the eggs can quickly be harmed by either condition. A gravid female will show bulges on her sides from the developing eggs. A female can produce 2 to 10 clutches of 2 eggs each after a single mating by delayed implantation of the male's sperm. The first clutch of eggs should be laid 15 to 45 days after mating with subsequent clutches every 10 to 15 days thereafter. Healthy, mature geckos produce more eggs and fertility decreases with age until no more eggs are produced. Incubation: Remove the eggs for incubation without changing their orientation. Fertile eggs will quickly firm up, infertile eggs are often thin and may stay soft or collapse. Incubating the eggs at 84° to 85°F may give an even ratio of males to females. A little higher produces more males (shemales?), a little lower produces more females (feminine males?). Place a few inches of lightly moistened, coarse vermiculite in a plastic container. Carefully bury the eggs half way into this incubating medium without changing the orientation from the way they were laid. Put the lid on the container and place it in the incubator. Open the container every few days and add water to the vermiculite as needed. Check more often as hatching time nears to remove the babies upon hatching. It usually takes 1½ to 2 months for the eggs to hatch. Hatchlings are somewhat delicate and do not eat for 3 to 7 days, living off their yolk reserves until after their first shed. Provide a shallow water dish and mist the tank every day. The first meal should be small crickets dusted with vitamin/mineral supplement. Any that refuse to eat may need to be hand fed to get them started. Larger geckos may intimidate smaller ones who could starve as a result. Raise the different sizes of babies separately, small plastic enclosures work fine, each with a water dish and hide boxes. The babies need a little higher humidity than adults so mist the nurseries a few times a week. |