Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Captive care and husbandry.

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umop apisdn
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Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by umop apisdn »

Sphaerodactylus elegans that hatched a few days ago:

Image

It's almost kinda depressing that these guys won't hold onto this color or pattern into adulthood.
VICtort
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by VICtort »

What a spectacular animal. I would love to see the adults if possible. Is this captive bred or from a gravid female you found? Cool photo, how long do you think it is? I imagine you will be busy with a fine mesh bug net to feed it. I would love to hear about breeding and raising them. Thanks for posting this rarely photographed species.
Vic :thumb:
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Cole Grover
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by Cole Grover »

Bad. Ass. Sphaerodactylus are simply awesome. I can't tell you how much will power it drains me of to NOT dive into them head-first. Do you keep any other species? I've heard that they're pretty easy if given the right conditions (well, what isn't?). Thoughts? What are you feeding them? I would suspect Drosophila (melanogaster and/or hydei)? Do you keep them moist or dry?

Thanks for indulging me.
-Cole
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umop apisdn
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by umop apisdn »

Well, I'm kinda new to the Sphaerodactylus. This one hatched from an egg found on a trip several months ago. The last one that hatched from the other egg we collected died within a day of hatching. Right now, I'm keeping this one in a very simple setup. Basically, just a large deli cup/tub with leaf litter covering the bottom. I'm trying to maintain it in the upper 70s during the day and down to the low 70s at night. Currently feeding it flightless D. melanogaster and bean beetles, though I'm unsure whether or not it has actually eaten any yet (I generally don't expect gecko hatchlings under 1 week old to feed).

Edit: finished editing a second shot

Image
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Sam Bacchini
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by Sam Bacchini »

Beautiful!
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Cole Grover
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by Cole Grover »

Awesome! Thanks for the info. I've been considering Sphaerodactylus for years, but can't seem to get off the fence and do something about it. Is that the only species you're keeping?

Thanks,
-Cole
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justinm
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by justinm »

Beautiful animals, your shots are great. They awfully neat looking little guys. So am I to understand you found wild eggs and hatched them? They're so small you must have very keen eyes.
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umop apisdn
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by umop apisdn »

Yes, you understand correctly. I'd like to think most herpers have keen eyes.
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CCarille
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by CCarille »

Great shots Mike! Beautiful hatchling as well!
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by BillMcGighan »

Thanks for showing that one, WW, and good luck with raising it.
Take pics of its development along the way.
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umop apisdn
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by umop apisdn »

BillMcGighan wrote:Thanks for showing that one, WW, and good luck with raising it.
Take pics of its development along the way.
Took me too long to realize what you were referring to there! :?

Thanks, and will do!
Reptiluvr
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by Reptiluvr »

I love Sphaerodactylus too. I had some S. elegans and S. notatus that I caught in the FL Keys. They're the smartest geckos next to Phelsuma that I have seen. They behave like mini Varanus monitors.
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Kelly Mc
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by Kelly Mc »

Stunning.
You are like a fine jeweler of a keeper. Everything you do is elegant, precise.

Thank you for sharing :thumb:
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PNWHerper
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by PNWHerper »

Beautiful animal!!

What did they egg look like that this little one hatched from?
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umop apisdn
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by umop apisdn »

Sorry, I don't keep tabs on my threads in this section very frequently. But it's hard to describe the size of the egg, other than saying it was smaller than a pea. It was elliptically shaped.

And sorry, I haven't kept up with my promise to keep the gecko's transformation to adult form photographed. It's been interesting. By far, this animal is the wiliest, most entertaining gecko I've kept to date. Apparently, it's still small enough to escape its cage somewhat regularly. I've actually spotted it outside of the cage twice so far, but the amount of poop around the edge of the vivarium tells me it goes on jaunts whenever it feels like it, then comes back for a drink and a nap.

As best as I can describe, the black bars begin to obscure when the outside edges seem to develop edges that migrate outward, while the colored parts between the black bars just slowly go toward that adult brownish color. The tail is no longer quite as brilliant as it had been, though there's still a decent bit of orange left in it. They're very secretive and quick to jump away when I approach. The only relatively easy time to get my hands on it for a photo are when I can actually find it outside the enclosure.
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Kerby Ross
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Did you....

Post by Kerby Ross »

Did you take the pic of the gecko on a mirror? And with a black backround? Looks great!

:)

Kerby...
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umop apisdn
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by umop apisdn »

Yes, I photographed it on a mirror. However, I did not have a black background. I did some editing to remove some of my equipment's reflection, but beyond that, the light was too weak/diffuse to light anything, hence the blackness.
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Kerby Ross
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by Kerby Ross »

Thanks!

Kerby...
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Scott Waters
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by Scott Waters »

Featured on the http://www.HerpNation.com! Great shot!

scott
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umop apisdn
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Re: Colorful hatchling Ashy Gecko

Post by umop apisdn »

Well, it's been a while...but this little gecko turned out to be a female. A little over a year later, I started seeing a single egg in her belly roughly every two weeks. May 1st, I found the first egg in the cage, and just a few days ago...

Image

4 more eggs waiting to hatch, with another showing in her belly as of today.
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