# chameleon geckos



## wizz (Jul 27, 2010)

hay all has any one got pics of there chameleon gecko cage setup ??? would love to see some .....


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## Waterrat (Jul 27, 2010)

I haven't got any pics but I kept them. They are tropical rainforest species that require high humidity and temps but also need a cool retreat to hide in during the day. Put them in a tub and they will most certainly die. They are best kept in similar set up to GTPs but instead of horizontal branched, these geckos like vertical, thin "sapling trunks" on which they sit head down. That's their usual ambush hunting position. Also, they don't like to be housed in groups, sometimes even pairs are trouble. In the wild, they're solitary species.
Sorry, you probably know all that, perhaps someone else will post a pic.


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## wizz (Jul 27, 2010)

thanks for that my setup is like you said but i have no heat on them at all ...


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jul 27, 2010)

So how about showing us then???
How many of these are in captivity?
Will they be relatively similar to Green Tree Pythons in the reptile community as they will be widely available in a few years, additionally arn't they quite easy to breed?
Jannico


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## Just_Plain_Nuts (Jul 27, 2010)

are there any chameleons in australia ? would love to have one


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## Paulie (Jul 27, 2010)

*...*

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/herp-help-38/chameleons-oz-123336 

here's the thread i started and i don't know if many people will post up pics as they might be afraid as they are illegal. well that's what was said in my thread. but good luck anyways..


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## Wally (Jul 27, 2010)

Please read the thread very carefully guys...


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jul 27, 2010)

Chameleons Geckos are native....


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## GeckoJosh (Jul 27, 2010)

lmao, another APS fail
I would also love to see some setups (hint hint water rat & wizz), they are an amazing species.
I think one of the reasons they are not very common in NSW at least is the fact they are a Cat 2 species


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jul 27, 2010)

Dammit where are the pics


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## Waterrat (Jul 27, 2010)

I can post pics of chameleon geckos but not of an enclosure. It has been a long time since I kept them.
We are talking about *Chameleon Geckos* also known as Carrot-tailed Geckos *Carphodactylus laevis* NOT CHAMELEONS. These are native species and few people keep / breed them.


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## bensen (Jul 28, 2010)

Jannico said:


> arn't they quite easy to breed?



you'll find that is a myth perpetuated by folk with access to wc animals. 

they have been in captivity for nearly 20 years with limited success. their housing requirements, incubation, care for young are all unique, so applying techniques used for other geckos will generally fail.

comparing the market to that of gtp's is ridiculous, there are only a handful of pairs held in overseas collections, so how could 10 thousand of them be smuggled into Australia to be laundered ????

Carph's are a species only for dedicated geckophiles. although they are probably the most sought after gecko in the world, they require far more attention than most species and should never be in the hands of people not prepared to provide that extra care.


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## bensen (Jul 28, 2010)

and more reasons why they won't flood the market : they are not sexually mature until in their third year, and they have a long incubation time, up to 135 days. some captive pairs exhibit low fecundity. unlike gex such as wheeleri that can breed at less than 9 months and have less than half the incubation time, you cannot mass produce Carph's across several generations quickly.

and waterrat, tubs would likely kill them, although humidity is important, ventilation is even moreso.


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## wizz (Jul 28, 2010)

yes they are bin breed by a gecko breeder her in oz ...but as bensen said you need lots of time to look after them...... and a long time to they breed.. any way some pics


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## shaye (Jul 28, 2010)

There pretty cool looking geckos nice setup wizz


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## JasonL (Jul 28, 2010)

Good to see such a unique herp being bred in captivity, well done.


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## Waterrat (Jul 28, 2010)

They are amazing geckos. I see them often in the wild and surprisingly, they are out even in the middle of the winter. Years ago we had them at the Zoo, they originally came from the tablelands and just didn't survive through the hot and humid summer down the coast (we didn't have the funds to provide proper conditions). As bensen said, air flow is very important and that was the main problem we had. There is a lowland population at Cape Tribulation, they may be more suited to local conditions but still, an enclosure is just that. If I had the opportunity, I would like to keep them in outdoor set up, it should work better than in artificial conditions.
Enjoy few shots.


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## OzGecko (Jul 28, 2010)

Thanks for posting the pictures and information. They are a species I have always been fond of.


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## Laghairt (Jul 28, 2010)

Why are they called chameleon geckoes? Can they change colour?


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jul 28, 2010)

> you'll find that is a myth perpetuated by folk with access to wc animals.
> 
> they have been in captivity for nearly 20 years with limited success. their housing requirements, incubation, care for young are all unique, so applying techniques used for other geckos will generally fail.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the info  is there any good literature on them. I dont want to keep them just knowledge would be great.


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## jordanmulder (Jul 28, 2010)

good photo's michael 
did you do those in your studio


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## bensen (Jul 28, 2010)

Jannico said:


> is there any good literature on them


 
most literature is about natural history and wild animals. captive husbandry has been reported on minimally, and sometimes by people who have never kept them. i am sure that wild animals do not sleep amongst epiphytes up in the trees like recently claimed by some author.

i have found, like the saying goes, half of what you hear is b.s, the other half is crap.


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## Snakeluvver2 (Jul 28, 2010)

hahaha Thanks.
Forums are great for information thats is relatively incorrect


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## Waterrat (Jul 28, 2010)

anauc, they don't change colour as chameleons do, they probably got that name because they are (unlike other aussie geckos) bi-laterally flattened.

bensen, funny you mentioned epiphytes, untill recently, it was generally believed that GTPs nest in epiphytes - wrong! They lay eggs in ground nests (if you can call it a nest). A colleague of mine was studying water retention in rainforest epiphytes at the canopy crane at Cape Trib and we frequently found melomys nesting in them.

jannico, I published a short article on Chameleon geckos in _Reptile Australia Vol. 6, issue 1_. There is also a chapter in Mike Swan's _Keeping & Breeding Australian Lizards_ p. 95


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## Sock Puppet (Jul 28, 2010)

bensen said:


> Some captive pairs exhibit low fecundity.


Hi bensen,
In what context are you referring to low fecundity? As in only one clutch/season, more often one egg than two, not breeding every season, some/all of the above?
Cheers

Interesting thread


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## Laghairt (Jul 29, 2010)

Ok thanks Waterrat, they are some fantastic photos.


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## bensen (Jul 29, 2010)

Sock Puppet said:


> Hi bensen,
> In what context are you referring to low fecundity? As in only one clutch/season, more often one egg than two, not breeding every season, some/all of the above?
> Cheers
> 
> Interesting thread


 


none of the above! the scenarios you present would soon see the extinction of a species. poor fertility and hatch rates. i suspect that it is a combination of environmental factors, because some animals are reliably productive with 100% (or close to it) hatch rate, whereas most eggs in others' collections fail to hatch. i reiterate, they are to be kept differently to any other aussie gecko species.
the eggs need to be kept very humid in order for the shell to be able to tear at hatching.prior to hatching the baby becomes very energetic and the egg can be seen moving uo to three days before release and in some circumstances can even flip the egg around in the medium.


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## Waterrat (Jul 29, 2010)

bensen, would you compare the incubation requirements as similar to those of Leaf-tailed Geckos?


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## Sock Puppet (Jul 29, 2010)

bensen said:


> none of the above! the scenarios you present would soon see the extinction of a species. poor fertility and hatch rates. i suspect that it is a combination of environmental factors, because some animals are reliably productive with 100% (or close to it) hatch rate, whereas most eggs in others' collections fail to hatch. i reiterate, they are to be kept differently to any other aussie gecko species.
> the eggs need to be kept very humid in order for the shell to be able to tear at hatching.prior to hatching the baby becomes very energetic and the egg can be seen moving uo to three days before release and in some circumstances can even flip the egg around in the medium.


 
Thanks bensen.
Sorry, I should have been a bit clearer, I was referring more to your other post when you mentioned "some pairs in captivity", I didn't mean for the question to encompass the species as a whole, captive & wild populations. 
Cheers, you have answered my question anyway


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## bensen (Jul 29, 2010)

Waterrat said:


> bensen, would you compare the incubation requirements as similar to those of Leaf-tailed Geckos?


 
they would probably hatch as we have with cornutus, but swaini and wyberba require less humidity. cornutus can hatch with a lower humidity, but for carph's it is essential. we use sphagnum for carph's and cornutus and repashey's for every thing else (occasionally vermiculite and perlite for some easy to hatch eggs)


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## Waterrat (Jul 29, 2010)

The reason I asked is because cornutus and carphos have very similar ecology and are often find co-inhabiting the same habitats although in many areas cornutus extend into the ecotone (wet sclerophyll). It's another species often claimed to lay eggs in epiphytes.


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## wizz (Jul 29, 2010)

All great info!!... i have never seen a wild one befor so do not no how they behave. i have bin spending a lot of time watching mine there is lots to learn like if i have no heat on them they are very active temp of 19 deg and if i heat them up to 27-29 i do not see them out and about dont no if its just a captive thing im shore they are out in summer in FNQ.....???


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## Magpie (Jul 29, 2010)

wizz, they're mostly found in the cooler areas and are often active on the cooler, wet nights.


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## wizz (Jul 29, 2010)

i have not spent alot of time up there but when i was there i wish i could find the cool spots lol i lived in the pool at the Sheraton in port Douglas for a week...


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