Welcome to our care and knowledge article on the Eurydactylodes (yuree-dactyl-loadees). If that is your first time listening to about these guys, congratulations on discovering one of the distinctive and fascinating geckos round!
The Eurydactylodes genus consists of 4 species, E. agricolae, E. vieillardi, E. occidentalis and E. symmetricus. The 2 which can be often out there within the interest are agricolae and vieillardi and this text will deal with these two particularly.
All species are endemic to New Caledonia and inhabit the maquis scrub and sclerophyll forests. They are often discovered hanging out in low mendacity shrubs or related vegetation. (Herpetofauna of New Caledonia; Aaron M. Bauer, R.A. Sadlier) These arboreal geckos hardly ever depart the vegetation and have a tendency to stay out within the relative open even in the course of the day relatively than looking for out hiding locations or shelters. They’ve robust ft and tails which permit them to cling relatively tightly to small vines and branches. They’re primarily nocturnal however do transfer about to some extent in the course of the day.
There are some frequent names for these geckos like Bauer’s Chameleon Gecko for agricolae and Vieillardi’s Chameleon Gecko for vieillardi. The frequent names have not likely caught and other people typically simply consult with them by their species identify. Folks have totally different pronunciations for the species identify which might at occasions be hilarious when making an attempt to speak with individuals who say it otherwise. We pronounce the names like this; agricolae (agri-cole-ee) and vieillardi (vai-lard-ee).
Vieillardi vs. Agricolae
Many of us surprise what the distinction is between these two species. Which of them are costlier, which of them get larger or are prettier, and the way on earth do I inform the distinction between the 2?
To reply a few of these burning questions I will begin with which is costlier. E. vieillardi is much less frequent within the interest and due to this fact tends to be costlier. The distinction in worth appears to be born out of pure economics relatively than one being extra aesthetically fascinating than the opposite. There are simply much less vieillardi out there to fill the demand which drives their costs a bit greater.
So far as which species will get bigger, our private assortment would counsel that E. agricolae get barely bigger as adults however others report the alternative to be true. Let’s simply say there may be some measurement variation for adults of each species with a median complete size being round 4.5-5.5 inches. Males are smaller than the females and are normally just a little extra brightly coloured. On the query of which one is prettier, it is actually a matter of private opinion so we’ll allow you to make up your individual thoughts on that one.
Telling the distinction between the 2 may be difficult at occasions. Vieillardi have extra well-defined scales, which permits skilled keepers to have the ability to inform the distinction fairly simply. Essentially the most dependable technique to inform which species you might be coping with is the yellow band, which for agricolae, extends from the mouth to the ear cavity. The band doesn’t attain the ear cavity in vieillardi.
Care
Eurydactylodes are pretty simple to look after as they don’t have stringent necessities so far as housing, temperature, humidity or feeding. They do require just a little extra effort to maintain correctly than different New Caledonian geckos however nothing that’s past an intermediate keepers skill.
Housing
Hatchling to juvenile measurement specimens may be housed in plastic kritter keeper sort enclosures or small glass terrariums. The medium or giant Herp Haven kritter keeper is what we use till they’re sufficiently big to graduate to a everlasting enclosure. As adults, they’ll simply be housed in a 12x12x18 Exo Terra Terrarium singly, as pairs or as trios. Grownup males will most likely battle if housed collectively so ensure you have just one male per enclosure. Crucial side of their arrange is that they’ve loads of climbing vines, branches or crops with a diameter sufficiently small for them to completely grip onto. Bigger diameter branches won’t be utilized practically as a lot so pay shut consideration to what you select to make use of for climbing, conserving in thoughts they’ll spend practically 100% of their time right here.
Feeding
Supply bugs in addition to fruit-based gecko diets. Hatchlings needs to be supplied both pinhead to 10 day outdated crickets or flightless fruit flies, each of which needs to be dusted with a calcium and vitamin D3 powder. They don’t appear to love giant prey objects so hold that in thoughts when choosing meals objects. Adults can deal with 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch sized crickets or equally sized feeder roaches. Feed them bugs a minimum of 2-3 occasions per week and Pangea Fruit Combine Gecko Diets 2-3 occasions per week. Ours appear to favor the Watermelon selection in addition to the With Bugs selection.
Gentle & Warmth
These guys truly wish to bask every now and then so we advocate a small wattage warmth lamp on the high of their cage in the course of the day. The sunshine may be utterly turned off at evening permitting for a pure temperature drop. A 25-40 watt bulb ought to do the trick relying on ambient room temperature and the dimensions of the tank. The basking spot needs to be the most popular spot within the cage ought to attain 82-85 Fahrenheit (27-29 C). Be sure that to get your self a superb digital thermometer and measure temps on the basking spot in addition to all through the cage.
There completely needs to be sufficient house within the cage for them to retreat to an space that’s nearer to 75 levels F (23-32 C). If the room they’re in begins to get heat it is best to flip off the basking mild. As a tenet, the temperatures needs to be stored between 70-75 F (21-24 C) not together with the basking spot.
Are basking spots actually crucial? No, many keepers don’t use them in any respect and have nice success so long as the ambient temperatures are acceptable. Since basking seems to be a pure conduct for them we expect it needs to be supplied a minimum of as soon as they graduate to their everlasting enclosure.
What About UVB? Once more many keepers don’t use any UVB lighting and have zero issues. People who do present entry to UVB lights report that their geckos are extra energetic and have higher, extra vibrant coloration. Since these geckos don’t conceal away in the course of the day it could make sense that they do get some publicity to UVB within the wild and should profit from it in captivity. The decision for UVB is that it is non-obligatory however beneficial.
These geckos are a riot to look at at evening when they’re energetic. To view them extra simply at evening you may make use of a purple or blue reptile evening mild. There are numerous choices and crucial issue could be to decide on one that won’t overheat them. If room permits, the Exo Terra Day/Evening LED or the Exo Terra Full Moon LED work properly for this.
Water & Humidity
Searching for out standing water to drink from doesn’t come naturally to those guys, so it is very important mist them a few times a day with sufficient water to offer droplets on the foliage and sides of the tank for them to lick up. There isn’t any must drench the tank with water, mist completely whereas ensuring that their enclosure dries utterly between mistings. Despite the fact that they don’t sometimes drink from dishes we all the time make sure that there’s a shallow dish of fresh water with them as a backup supply. A thirsty gecko will drink wherever it finds water.
Dealing with
You possibly can deal with your geckos should you select to. As soon as they change into used to it they’re very mellow and can simply cling to your finger or hand with out a lot fussing about. They aren’t fast paced and infrequently chew. Dealing with needs to be restricted to fifteen minutes or so a day in order that they don’t change into harassed. Newly acquired animals ought to all the time be left alone for a minimum of two weeks to allow them to acclimate to their new environment. Hatchlings shouldn’t be dealt with besides to maneuver them to a clear cage. As soon as they’re 3 months outdated you may start dealing with them beginning with only a minute or two at a time and dealing your method up.
Conduct
When threatened or agitated, agricolae and vieillardi are able to secreting a pungent smelling sticky substance from the caudal glands situated of their tails. The science continues to be out on precisely what that is so no one can actually snigger at you while you name it “the bizarre, smelly, thriller goo”. The secretions don’t appear to annoy human pores and skin however there are experiences of it inflicting very intense irritation to the eyes. If you’re unlucky sufficient to get slimed, it goes with out saying, wash up instantly. Geckos which can be used to human interplay won’t do that so long as care is taken to not startle them an excessive amount of.
One of many nice elements of this genus is they don’t autotomize their tails, which means they don’t drop them voluntarily in response to predators or excessive stress. If the tail is someway severed partially or utterly, it would regenerate.
