Underwoodisaurus milii (Thick-Tailed Gecko)

[Jessica]

Hi,
My name is Jess and i was wondering about Underwoodisaurus milii or thick-tailed Gecko for a easier name... I can get one on my next licence which i can get this year and i was wondering about care for them.... I am not too sure on what kind of tank i would need or how to feed them and things like that... i am just doing a little bit of research before i decide...
There are a few species of Gecko i am allowed on my next licence, whilst i was browsing through the choices i decided this was the nicest looking, but i could not find like anything about their personalities and care... so i would like to know which would have the nicest personality (if they have strong temperments) and what kinds of care, temperatures and extra things they would need appart from other types of lizards like blue tongues (which i once had). I am aware that these would be harder to keep then some other kinds of lizards, but they will probably be worth the extra peice of effort... :]
Thankyou and please reply!! :]

 

[Jen]

Milii are basic. Mine are on playsand with terracotta hides spaced around the temp gradient. Hot end is at 32, cool end ranges 26-28. Mist the cool end every 2-3 days letting droplets condense on the wall, and if the gex are up that end, give them a mist too. Food - I feed mine white mealworms, woodies, crickets and wax worms. Dust with calcium/vitamins every 2nd/3rd feed. Avoid handling as it stresses them. Mine come out and watch me when I am in the room.

 

[Jessica]

Wow that helps alot!! thankyou :]
I have two more questions to add onto what you have said, how big would the tank approximatly need to be????
And could they escape out of sliding doors and therefore need a tank with a latch and lid???

Thankyou so much :] ... anything else i may need to know???

 

[Gibblore]

This may be of some help?

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/groups/geckos-anonimos-169/thick-tailed-geckos-need-397/

 

[Jessica]

Thankyou, that really helps :]

 

[gemrock2hot]

hey they are awesome lil reptiles and easy as to care for..... as u'll probably read in the link gibblore posted..... i handle my girl all the time she loves coming out of her cage and having a look to see wats going on...my male isnt quite as tame but is slowly gettin better. in my set up i only have a heat rock which seems to do them just fine i also find i dont need to mist my cage as they like drinking out of their water container and every now and then take a dip

 

[Jessica]

Wow that is interesting that they would take a dip... so roughly how big would the water bowl be? cause i have a snake and he only needs the tiniest water bowl

 

[gemrock2hot]

Not that big just one u buy from a reptile shop. Mine is just long enuff so they just fit their body in n not very deep

 

[Jessica]

oh kay :] thankyou

 

[Chicken]

Underwoodisaurus Milii Care Sheet

 

[Snowman]

Wow that is interesting that they would take a dip... so roughly how big would the water bowl be? cause i have a snake and he only needs the tiniest water bowl

Why doesn't your snake have a bowl big enough to soak in?

 

[Jessica]

Because Diamond pythons are not meant to swim, they are not even meant to drink regularly because they get alot of their protein and they get their water from their food (mice)

 

[W.T.BUY]

I could be wrong on this but I believe diamonds bath quite often in the wild?

 

[Snowman]

Because Diamond pythons are not meant to swim, they are not even meant to drink regularly because they get alot of their protein and they get their water from their food (mice)

This is incorrect. I haven't got time to find a proper link because I'm at work, but this blokes care sheet is correct. Do some research or google it SG96
Snakes drink. And though they may not soak often they should have the option to at least.

A large bowl of water should be placed at the end of the cage opposite to that which the heating lamp is placed and embedded into the soil. Because of their physical size they are quite capable of moving lightweight water containers so they should be made of waterproof cement or some other heavy material. Pythons will spend quite some time soaking in water, especially when they are getting ready to shed their skins. Alternatively, a smaller bowl of water can be used and the pythons sprayed with water when they exhibit signs that they are getting ready to shed their skins.

Mark - Diamond Pythons

 

[Jessica]

Yeah, i know they CAN swim, i have let him swim before, but it is not a must. The water bowl is big enough that he can get in it if he wishes... but he has never really actuallly done it. Plus they do not drink that often, it is not something that they do regularly because they do get alot of what they need out of their food, as long as the mice are the right size and it is being fed regularly, he should be fine... But you do still need to leave water just on the off chance that they do.

Thankyou for your concern anyway :]

 

[Snowman]

it's got nothing to do with swimming... http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-discussion-42/snakes-drinking-patterns-149547/

anyways best of luck to you and I hope you enjoy your new milii. They are great lil gecko's. I have some pictures of mine on my profile.

 

[Jessica]

Oh, ok i thought u were saying that they do like to swim. Thankyou for that link, it is very interesting, because the person i got my diamond off when he was still a small hatchie said that he hardly ever saw his drink and therefore did not leave a large drinking bowl, but however u still need to leave one... i didnt know that some actually drink at night and things like that. But on another note, he still does have a drinking bowl that always has water so he is fine :]

Once again thankyou for your concern and your help,
Thanks from Jess :]

And your Gecko is awesome by the way :]

 

[Jen]

My gex get misted, but i have a small bowl for them - don't get one from a reptile shop, they are a massive rip off, just get a small ceramic one from a homewares shop - they cost about a dollar. Never seen them drink, but then, I don't watch them 24/7, so not seeing them drink IMO is a copout. I have my two pairs - 1 milii, 1 levis pair - in a single enclosure with sliding front doors, the enclosure is divided down the middle with perspex. if you are worried about them escaping through the gap use a strip of carpet or weatherproofing to seal the gap.

 

[Jessica]

Oh ok, i did think that the water bowls were a little much money, but how are you sure that the ones from the homewares shop are safe for it? Like that they do not have chemicals??

Thankyou for the help, i would have never thought of carpet to fill the gap!

Thanks from Jess :]

 

[Jen]

They are made for food for people. I would rather my animals ate from food grade dishes made from ceramic, than from plastic.