This article will deal with the topic and provide some relevant scientific and genetic facts which will hopefully be helpful to newcomers, and also assist advanced keepers to find out the facts behind the myths.

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions:

Are morphs generally sicker or “weaker” than wild-type leopard geckos?

General weakness and declining fertility in some breeding groups are genetic traits which are not bound to a specific phenotype, but are a result of a loss in the gene mass caused by improper selective breeding, often seen in conjunction with strong inbreeding.

To put it simply: If you have a very small breeding group of geckos, only breed them and their offspring to each other for many generations, never add “new blood” resulting in continual inbreeding, use the weakest, smallest, thinnest and least fertile animals for breeding – you will almost certainly create a colony of “sick and weak” offspring. It doesn’t matter whether these animals are specific colour-morphs or wild-type leopard geckos.

However, if a breeder manages his or her colony carefully, is willing to learn about genetics, gene loss in a colony etc.  and only uses the strongest, most fertile animals for reproduction – the gecko colony will bloom and be able to create healthy offspring.

The question of whether a gecko is “strong” therefore is not simply based on “wild type” vs. “morph”, but is related only to its genetic background and how inbred the particular animal is.

I  bred wild-type leopard geckos exclusively  from 2000- 2005, after which I switched over to breeding colour-morphs and continue to do so.  Due to my study of veterinary medicine as well as my own personal experience as a breeder of both wild-types and morphs, I can say the following:
In my years as a breeder I have seen fantastic wild-type colonies as well as questionable breeders producing “weak” colour-morph babies. On the other hand, I have also acquired  a lot of excellent and robust colour-morph geckos, as well as inbred wild-type babies (namely  a certain line of macularius and one bloodline of afghanicus)  that, due to their inbreeding level and general weakness, never reached maturity despite excellent veterinary care. .

But why? Well, both “populations” (wild-types and colour-morphs) of leopard geckos have limited genetic diversity in captivity — their gene pool will never compare with those geckos living wild and free  in nature. In addition, our husbandry methods allow weaker geckos to survive and reproduce, while nature always and only selects the most healthy ones.

As a result,  geckos’ health, endurance, fertility and strength depend entirely on how the breeder selects and manages the colony.
Face it: There is no “better” or “worse”genetically when comparing wild-types and colour-morphs. Period .

 Colour-morphs emerged through inbreeding. Is inbreeding bad?

The term “inbreeding” (meaning the pairing of closely related individuals) is often used in a negative way, and confuses many people in the community.

The experience over the last 20 years of leopard gecko breeding has shown us that leopard geckos, unlike some other species, seem to tolerate more inbreeding without showing any negative signs. Therefore, breeding siblings or parents back to their offspring are methods often used by breeders. If carried out from time to time, this method can be useful to fix certain genetic traits. However, too much or the wrong selection can cause genetical damage. Typical signs often reported for excessive inbreeding in a colony include:

• a significant number of small sized hatchlings & adults
• low body weight & the impossibility of creating proper fat reserves on a normal diet
• lower ovulation-rate
• lower egg production rate
• higher risk of egg binding in females
• slow growth

In general, I think it is fair to think of inbreeding as a double edged sword:
For colour-morphs, inbreeding is like spice or salt in a soup: A little bit is the basis for all colour-morph mutations or lines to appear (without inbreeding there wouldn’t be leopard gecko colour-morphs, different cat and dog breeds, etc.).
It can also help an advanced breeder to detect genetically undesirable traits in the colony, fix specific traits like a specific pattern (for example any pattern like red stripe, etc.), as well as character or fertility in a colony (fertility is said to be genetically inherited in dogs by something above 20% – cf. “Genetik des Hundes” by Inge Hansen).

So naturally it could be a useful thing to improve the fertility of a line by fixing this feature via line breeding (which is a milder form of inbreeding that mostly uses breeding partners that are not too closely related). Line breeding for fertility can theoretically improve the fertility of a breeding group in only a few generations  IF  the breeder has advanced knowledge and therefore knows what he or she is doing.
On the other hand, improper line breeding  and especially strong inbreeding (mother-son, father-daughter, siblings), as well as any kind of inbreeding without care can have fatal consequences if you haven’t done your job properly, and therefore is a high risk especially for new breeders. Consequently,  I do not recommend these techniques for a beginner or any genetically inexperienced breeder at all. In my opinion, doing your homework and keeping proper overview over the gene pool of a colony are necessary tools for safe inbreeding or line-breeding.

Even in our own stock, Dragoon Gecko focuses on doing outcrossings and adding new blood on a regular basis with great results regarding fertility, general strength and health.

Doing your homework very carefully is essential for an optimal and desired result. This can only be achieved by studying about the theory of genetics,  and/or seriously considering a consultation with an expert in genetic management (e.g. Dragoon Gecko offers such services for individual genetic coaching, and has already helped many colleagues to reach their goals).

In contrast, I personally see no sense in doing inbreeding at all in a wild-type project , as the main focus here should be to try to preserve and maintain as much genetic diversity as possible in the colony, with inbreeding naturally only causing unnecessary gene losses in the process.

For an inexperienced breeder being confronted with inbreeding difficulties or unidentified problems, the best solution usually should be to consult some experts to find an answer to the problem, and evaluate whether the animal(s) in question are ethically acceptable to be used for further breeding. The next step would be carrying out an immense outcrossing program in order to get more unrelated genes into the colony which is for sure a much safer way than continued inbreeding. It will also be important to make sure the offspring from such a “problem” project will be kept as pets only and not find their way in the market to “taint” other precious bloodlines before the problem is solved – it will help you to keep your customers happy, and your reputation intact.

As a consequence, I can highly recommend that every breeder, wild-type and colour-morph alike, should do their homework and have  strict quality management as described in my article (Selection of Breeders and Quality Management in Leopard Geckos) in order to prevent such problems right from the start, and to build the best foundation possible for vital and strong offspring that will satisfy not only you, but also your customers.

What most people don’t realize: Inbreeding can NEVER “improve” your trait or line. It only is able to increase the visibility of the genotype (i.e. the summary of genes present) that you already have! Keeping this simple truth in mind helps the advanced breeder to decide when inbreeding is necessary, and when outcrossing is the better way.

Whenever you decide to inbreed, naturally only the strongest, healthiest and most fertile animals should be used, as anything else raises the risk of causing a disaster.

In order for the beginner to create a strong and colourful line, 90%  of the time the best and most successful way is to buy an excellent gecko and use it to bring its fantastic genes into your breeding colony rather than focusing on inbreeding!!

But has all of this talk about inbreeding anything to do with the hot topic “wild vs. colour-morph”? Indeed, it does: While maintaining that all colour-morphs emerged from inbreeding (and therefore should be “weaker” than wild types), many people fail to realize that, as discussed above, wild-type breeding colonies can also be strongly inbred, and therefore suffer the very same symptoms as “bad colour lines”.

In the end, it is again the breeders and their selection of breeding stock that counts and makes a difference! Trust in a breeder and their program is therefore essential for making the right choice of where to buy your geckos from.

Are colour-morphs generally more inbred than wild-type leopard geckos?

This depends:  Inbreeding differs in every line and with every breeding stock.  A breeder that outcrosses regularly and has a huge breeding population may provide a larger gene pool for the animals than others that do not outcross or have a very small colony.

If you compare our colour-morph population in general with the significantly fewer pure wild-type leopard geckos in captivity (since importing new blood from the wild is difficult), it surely is a given fact that those “wild”  lines are inbred to at least some degree. Leopard geckos living wild in their home countries such as Pakistan, India and Afghanistan will surely be less inbred and therefore provide a larger pool of genes than any wildtype or colour-morph leopard gecko bred in captivity! But this is a natural effect which happens with any species bred in captivity, and does not automatically mean the animals are weaker or sicker if they lose a part of their genetic background mass. The important point is not to let this gene loss happen to a critical degree. We will never be able to prevent a gene loss in a population 100%. But we can do our best to save as much as we can by using the techniques described above.

What is the sense in crossing wild-type and colour-moprhs?

In some forums, the idea of “mixing” wild caught animals into colour-morph lines seems to upset people — they claim that it “may be better keep the lines pure”.  As all leopard gecko colour-morph lines have originally emerged from wild caught animals however, this thought doesn’t make much sense.
In the early years of breeding, wild caught geckos from different habitats and countries were collected, mixed together to be housed in big groups by the importer, and finally sold to the pet shops. We can say with almost 100% certainty that the story of our “modern” designer geckos has its origin in more or less accidentally crossing different local wild-type forms of the leopard gecko.

The main goal of a wild caught x colour-morph cross is to enlarge the gene pool and to add precious genes into the colour-morph lines. As a result, such babies will naturally possess a larger gene pool than either of the parents (wild type or colour-morph) and therefore make very valuable breeders. Dragoon Gecko for example has successfully crossed Montanus  wild caught animals into one of our Raptor lines- resulting in Raptor babies that are significantly bigger at birth, and have a better growth rate than “pure” raptors. In our eyes, making sure our babies hatch out as strong and healthy as possible should always be a top priority, especially if we consider animal welfare. Producing offspring with less than our desired outcome in general health just because of  personal beliefs (no scientific paper exists to date that claims wild-blood crosses to be “wrong”, and probably never will be ) is not the way we choose to go.

As all colour-morphs originally emerged from wild-type leopard geckos, I personally see no reason at all not to cross them. People who wish to breed only wild-type geckos can certainly do so, as such animals may be used one day for an introduction program back into the wild.
As responsible breeders, they should also allow colour-morph breeders to acquire some of their offspring in order to outcross them into their lines and keep them healthy.

It cannot be stressed enough that responsible wild-type breeders should always be aware of the fact that the general population of wild-type geckos in captivity is limited, and therefore they also have to deal with inbreeding effects and gene loss. The wild-type breeder community should therefore prevent gene losses as best as possible by exchanging their wild-type animals as much as possible, and keeping track of each animal’s genetic origin. However, they probably will still depend on at least small amount of wild caught animals in the long term (we’re talking in decades here) in order to keep their lines “pure”.

As a consequence , both sides should respect and tolerate each other, as we are all sitting in the same boat:  If imports from the original habitats would be 100% prohibited, and if the wild-type breeder population would not be big enough worldwide in captivity to prevent a massive gene loss across generations, the wild-type population could one day collapse in comparison to the colour-morph population which is so immense worldwide already that it does provide sufficient genetic diversity to prevent such a breakdown – if the breeder community selects carefully and does not mismanage the genetic diversity that it has.

As we  can see, every breeder (no matter whether of wild-type or colour-morph) is playing his or her own important role in this gigantic puzzle, and  together as a respectful and supportive community we’re having great chances keeping both forms alive and healthy for our children and grandchildren to see and enjoy!

In Conclusion

Science and breeding results for recent decades throughout the world have clearly shown that no one can claim either the wild-type or colour-morph to be superior. In both types of colonies, we will find each end of the spectrum. It is and always will be every single breeder’s choice where on the spectrum (low quality vs. strong and healthy animals) they will end up.

I deeply hope that more and more people will be able to see this topic from a more scientific point of view, and are willing to focus on what is best for our beloved leopard geckos as opposed to their own personal opinion about the topic.

Lead Photo Credit: Catherin Arsenault photos ]]> http://www.geckotime.com/leopard-gecko-morph-myths/feed/ 0 http://www.geckotime.com/culling-comments/ http://www.geckotime.com/culling-comments/#comments Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:08:03 +0000 Aliza http://www.geckotime.com/?p=5242 We did not get many responses to the “Pros and Controversies” article about culling.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to hear from those who favor culling for genetic reasons.  Readers are welcome to continue the discussion by using the comment section at the end of the article.

 Anonymous:  I feel that when caring for an animal, especially as a breeder, you are responsible for making the animal’s health and well-being your top priority.  Culling animals born with severe life-limiting abnormalities is understandable if it is done to alleviate a life of suffering which cannot be medically helped. I think CO2 chambers are as quick and painless as it gets when ending a life. As a breeder you accept this responsibility, as well as the responsibility of caring for animals you produce that are relativly healthy, if simply just “sub-par.” You can absolutely guarantee they don’t breed and contribute poor genes to the community, just don’t breed them. Keep them as a pet quality animal and make any accommodations you can if they have a physicaly limiting defect. Culling animals for kinked tails or missing toes isn’t at all like abortion in people, it’s more like killing an orphan with some abmormality (since most geckos do not care for their young once hatched I can’t say they have an opinion, unlike a human mother who certainly would). If the animal can live a happy life it should be given every oppertunity to. We are not simply creating pretty colors when breeding geckos, we are caring for life.

Valery, country – Russia, pet – leopard gecko
I think the culling should be done only in that case if the animal suffers from some mutilation caused by the breeding process and there is no way to help it or even to alleviate its suffering.
Genetic make-up alone is not a reason to cull animals. But if we are talking about culling, the most humane method for me personally is euthanasia as there were many researches in this area. As it is very widespread among other animals, I suppose this method is much more suitable if the pet has no chances for living.
There is no differences between ending a gecko’s and human’s life. And in both cases there must be strong reasons for making it. In spite of it, this question is really controversial and it will be not right to have only one point of view as we all know that there are a lot of exceptions which need to be considered separately.

Brian
Under what circumstances should culling be done?
I think culling should only be done if the animal is going to live a painful life and could not otherwise thrive even with extremely special care

Should geckos be culled because of their genetic make-up alone?
Never. If genetics are the problem then the solution should be very obvious, don’t breed them.

What is the most humane method for “putting down” a gecko?
CO2, it knocks them out instantly and then they die peacefully within a minute

What are the ethical considerations with culling?
All life has the right to live.  But if you are saving the animal from a short life with great pain then I don’t consider that much of a life.

Is there any difference between considerations about ending a gecko’s life and ending a human’s life?
Yes, of course! We know much more about and can do more in reguards to the human body than that of your beloved geckos. 

Anonymous

Well, if you’re a responsible and knowledgeable breeder, you realize that these will happen on occasion. Just like making sure you have homes for geckos you can’t sell, you should have homes/space for geckos that don’t have serious health complications.

A kinked tail or slightly deformed eyelids or shortened legs is not a reason to put the animal down. I DO agree that it should never be allowed to breed, but the responsibility of keeping that gecko goes onto the breeder him/herself.

If the medical conditions are severe then a CO2 chamber is probably the most humane option. If you feel its life won’t have meaning, after you put it to sleep with 10000ppm of CO2, feed the dead gecko to whatever you like or compost it and plant flowers in the compost.

A Leaf-tailed Gecko from the rainforest of Australia’s East Coast.

As a resident of Australia keenly interested in both geckos and photography, I have been lucky to spend a great deal of time over the past 5 years travelling throughout Australia and photographing different species of gecko and other reptiles. Field herping in Australia is a truly great experience with many national parks preserving not just good habitat but often some breathtaking scenery. My fascination with geckos has led me into the arid zone of Australia, for which I have developed great affection, many times. There are few things I enjoy more than walking along desert sand dunes late at night seeking geckos in the warm night air.

Pernatty Lagoon Knob-tailed Gecko’s are found only in an isolated pocket of South Australian sand dunes.

Preparing for the field

Getting ready to go into the field is one of the most important parts of field herpetology. Many factors influence preparation for a trip: where and when is it best to go, what can you find there, knowing exactly where you will look for them and getting local information. Deciding where and when to go can be a tricky decision. Often I want to find a particular desirable species and discover that it’s impossible to go during its peak activity period, lowering the chance of finding the species I am after. A general rule with geckos in Australia can be: hot is good, cold bad. Geckos, being nocturnal, need warm nights and the best times to search for them are warm mid-summer nights when some sand dunes are literally swarming with geckos. So what do we do during winter? Head North and South of course! North may seem self-explanatory, higher temperatures year-round lead to gecko activity even through winter. South on the other hand is not so logical. In fact many of Australia’s geckos are legless, belonging to the Pygopodidae. Many of the southern species of this group spend the hot summer hiding deep in cracks and only during the wetter winter do they shelter in in the upper leaf-litter.

A Lined Worm Lizard found sheltering in shallow sandy soil.

What you’re looking for and where to find it are also important considerations. More often than not I’m looking for specific target species. Finding out the distribution of this species is usually not good enough; we need to know the exact habitat requirements and then locate (in advance) a place where these requirements are met. Most of my time before field trips is spent researching exactly what habitat is needed to find the 20-30 species I might target, and looking through as many photographs as I can possibly find to get an idea of sites before using satellite mapping to find an exact place I will target. Of course getting advice from people that have visited this area before is always preferable.

Finding the geckos

Ok so you’ve prepared for the field and now you’re actually out there, ready for the most fun part of the whole experience, finding the geckos. Of course this often turns into the most infuriating part for novice field herpers because the most important bit is missing…. finding the geckos!

A few simple tips can make a big difference between success and failure here.

Learning how to use eye-shine. Eye shine is the reflection from an animal’s retina when their face is illuminated by a flashlight. To detect eye shine using a flashlight the surrounding environment can be scanned, the eyes of geckos reflecting back a dull orange-red colour.

This is by far the quickest and most effective method, but it is hard to master. If you can, practice this at home with pet geckos in their cages. Mastering this can quickly turn a barren plain into a twinkling gecko minefield.
Don’t look away from your target. Once you finally manage to spot a gecko using eye-shine you can approach it.  Unfortunately between spotting it and approaching it the eye-shine often vanishes, the person loses where the gecko was and no geckos are found. As soon as you see eye-shine you must look directly toward the spot where it was seen, walk exactly to it and don’t look away.  Many times the gecko will have only the tip of its nose hanging out of a burrow. 

A Beaked Gecko peers cautiously from its burrow, ready to retreat at a moment’s notice.

Listening for geckos

While eye-shine is a great technique, it is hard to master, and it is sometimes just as useful to use your ears to find geckos. While geckos don’t vocalise, walking along a clear path and listening for rustling in leaves to the side and carefully looking for things you hear can turn many up. Better yet you will likely find other great reptiles too!

Look directly on dark. This is a rule that applies especially in the arid zone. Start looking even before it’s fully dark. In some areas of the arid zone, especially at certain times of the year, geckos will only be active in the first 20-40 minutes after dark, after which they retreat to their burrows. Miss this time period and you might end up seeing only 2-3 species when you could have found as many as 10.
Look everywhere. It may seem obvious, but geckos occur in a great variety of places: some are under bark, some on rocky outcrops, in the middle of dense foliage or peering out of old spider burrows. Don’t get stuck looking only down at the ground, or just into the branches of trees. Shift your focus around and you will find a much greater variety than in just one habitat.

A Soft Spiny-tailed Gecko found amongst the foliage of a coastal shrub is typical of this group which like to seek shelter in dense foliage, even during the day.

Gecko-find highlights

Having spent so much time searching for geckos and seeing so many species, I have many fond memories of those I’ve found. Some particular highlights that spring to mind include finding a wild, patternless mutation of the Thick-tailed Gecko species, and finding my favourite species for the first time, the Midline Knob-tailed Gecko.

An extremely unusual wild Thick-tailed Gecko showing a patternless mutation. 

A Western Stone Gecko perches atop a stick within the West Australian arid zone.

Some photography tips

Giving tips about photography is something I am often asked for but find it hard to give a good answer. Much of photography comes down to individual style, and composition, which is too subjective to really define. There are a few things that stand out for me:  good lighting and natural posture.

Good lighting is perhaps the second most important feature of a photo, directly after it being in focus. People use a range of lighting setups but one that appears to give particularly good results, seems to be two flashes on either side of the lens controlled by the built in flash. This is the general setup I use, and it works well for me.

This Burton’s Legless Lizard is actually part of the gecko family Pygopodidae, though it is known to eat many other geckos with its specially hinged jaw.

Natural posture is something that nature photographers could probably argue about for the rest of eternity. Some may say this means exactly how the animal is when found. I, on the other hand, use it to describe the situation where the animal is sitting up comfortably, appears active and does not look overly handled. A gecko is a great animal for achieving this on warm nights, with many allowing the photographer to pick them up,  put them down, allow them to walk a few steps and then use a twig to curl its tail into the frame. Alternatively, arboreal species placed on a dead branch will often simply walk to its end before stopping. It should be mentioned that touching geckos without the appropriate license is illegal in Australia, so all possible measures should be taken to achieve results like this without contact.

My favourite species, the Midline Knob-tailed Gecko which is found only within a small area of arid zone in Western Australia.

1. Which morphs are you keeping?
2. What got you interested in this species and where did you get your first one(s)?
3. How are they set up?  Describe your enclosure
4. What do you find most interesting about them?
5. What do you find to be the biggest challenge?

Michael Billewicz

The morph issue is a sticky question for me.  The reptile industry has a propensity to name every reptile that is slightly different from the normal visual coloration.  The issue I have is that so little has been proven out in Tokay genetics, that many of these different names might really be for exactly the same animal.

My favorite example is the ‘Calico/Leucistic’ group.  And to this I’ll add pied and Granite/Melanistic.  So far, in the last five years of breeding similar white Tokays together, (12 pairs) we’ve produced only normal looking progeny.  This has been true for Granite to Granite, (4 pairs) as well.

I’m to understand that a German breeder was able to produce visual Granite offspring, but that is second hand information.  I believe Kevin or his partner was able to produce a couple of what looks to be black eyed Leucistic, but I understand they died shortly after hatching.  Again, second hand information, but I note these to illustrate that we are nowhere near proving any of these out.

I’ll take this one step further.  From a pair of what I call pied, I produced several offspring where one started turning white after about 8 months.  The Tokay were sold to me as Calico.  One is high white with yellow patches and the other is yellow gold/moss green/dark green/white.  I know that Morgan Weiss has had one of her hatchlings start to turn later as well.  Her patternless line has the ‘Calico/Leucistic’ genetics mixed in.

These two follow in line with a “Progressive Pied” genetic trait where the hatchling is normal looking and changes over time.  OK, now we’ve seen these white Tokay with black spots come in as imports that keep getting darker over time.  They start to look like the ‘Granite/Melanistic’ imports that I’ve gotten in.  The only hint on these Granite/Melanistic is the white ring around the eyes seems to be the last thing to turn.

So here’s the long way back to the beginning.  My hypotheses is that maybe many of these ‘Calico/Leucistic/Pied and maybe some of these Granite/Melanistic morphs are really all the same genetics at different ages.   Maybe they are Progressive Pied. 

As to the original question, “What morphs do I keep, (proven or unproven)?” 

Indonesian Type Normal, gray with orange spots and light blue dots.
Indonesian Type Normal, dark gray with orange or yellow spots, no light blue dots.
Malaysian Type Normal, blue with red/orange spots and little or no light blue dots.
Patternless Green, Olive.
Patternless Green, Emerald.
Patternless Green, with yellow feet and knees.
Patternless Powder Blue.
Patternless Powder Green, may have yellow feet and knees.
Aberrant Green, green with dark green spots and light blue dots but little or no orange spots.
Calico/Leucistic, white with black eyes and little or no solid black spots, purple feet.
Calico/Pied, white with hazel eyes and patterned spots, purple feet.
Pied, white with traditional normal, or Granite patches.
Pied/Multi gene, white with different patches of patterned or patternless color.
Leucistic, white with yellow patches and black eyes.
Albino, T-
Albino/Caramel, T+
Granite, gray with black spots
Granite, gray with black spots and yellow knees, feet and or heavy sections of yellow spots.
Blue Granite, gray to blue with black spots.
Blue Granite, gray to blue with black spots and yellow knees, feet.
High Red, cream with very large red spots.
Super Red, brick red with red spots and turquoise dots.
Candy Dot, ‘scaleless’ gray or light blue with a grid pattern of orange spots.
Stripe, usually a light stripe down the center of the back on some patternless and Granite.

The funny thing about naming Tokay morphs based on their appearance, is that they change all the time with mood, season, temperature, day/night cycle and breeding.  Patternless Olive and some Granite look completely black at times.  But are they a true black Tokay?

 Several years ago I saw Tokay being offered at a pet show that were gray and skinny and not very pleasing.  That spawned an old desire to acquire one of those beautiful blue and red Tokay that I’d seen for many years at the National Zoo.  They use them as clean-up in the small mammal  enclosures.

My internet search eventually brought me to N.E.R.D.’s Tokay morph page.  I’d never seen Tokay in so many different colorful forms and tried to purchase some from them.  I was not able to secure a purchase and was left to understand that Kevin had sold most of the collection to another buyer.

What I did find was that other reptile importers had also followed his lead in collecting Tokay morphs.  I ended up buying several of these collections within a month of each other totaling about 34 animals.  Most of these were Granite, Calico, Patternless and a few ‘Fancy’s’.

 The majority of my enclosures are custom glass with a screen top for good ventilation and UV exposure.  Typically they are either 48″, 36″ or 24″ tall, by 24″ deep, by 15″ wide.

I also use various Exo-Terra and ZooMed enclosures for hatchling and juvenile Tokay.  I’m not a fan of most plastics especially for large collections.  Most plastics will harbor mold and bacteria much more easily in the high temperature, high humidity Tokay enclosure.  Tokay have a difficult time sticking to some plastics and just slide down the sides.  This is most stressful for Tokay and if the keeper is not able to keep the plastic enclosure free from bacteria, then they can lose their Tokay.

When Tokay are breeding, laying eggs and brooding their young, they really do not like having their nesting site and other ‘furniture’ moved around.  They will stop laying if one needs to move these items all the time for cleaning.  I don’t touch their nesting area from January through about June.  This means I’m not cleaning parts of the sides and back panel for 5 months.  There is no worry with bacterial buildup on open glass.

Each enclosure has an inch of expanded clay ‘Hydro’ balls covered with mesh and 3″ of cypress mulch on top.  I lean roofing slate up against the sides of the enclosure and then lean a slab of cork bark about one to two inches off of the slate to create a vertical hide and nesting area.  Magnetic water bowls are located on the lower third of any side and artificial plants are used to provide cover, hold moisture and water droplets.

These enclosures are on rolling metal kitchen (Metro) racks with fluorescent UV 2.0 lighting and an automated filtered water misting system.  Lighting is on a 12/12 hour timer and the rooms have thermostatic controlled heating and exhaust.  Extra heating is provided with heat tape, heat rope or heat pads placed under the enclosures.  No heat lamps are used to create basking spots.  Tokay live in a jungle.  There are no hot spots.  The temps very only a few degrees in a tropical rain forest.  Tokay do not bask like desert reptiles.

I follow the typical rainfall and temps for Indonesia.  You can use the weather channel to see what I mean.  January through June is roughly the rainy season with a misting schedule of 3 to 4 times a day.  As we get into the dry season, I mist twice a day.  If we have rain locally I’ll mist more to match the barometer drop which will stimulate breeding.

As for the temps, again I use Indonesia as my guide.  It is cooler during our winter, so 68 to 70 degrees for a low in the evening and up to 85 degrees during the day and then we move up to 78 to 82 degrees at night and 95 to 98 degrees during the day for the summer months.  The rooms can get up to 104% when the local temps are in the hight 90′s or above.

 I love the Tokay call, there size and colors and the fact they will not eat their own young.

 One thing that’s challenging to me is that the genetics are still a very big mystery.  If we could prove out more than just a couple of these color mutations then we would not have to contend with importing Tokay from the wild. 

The idiosyncrasies of importing, competing with the insatiable demand in China for Tokay morphs and the relatively high expense for their enclosures versus their relatively low perceived value in the US market make it challenging to pursue this endeavor.

Tokay’s love fingers

Tom Makinson

 I am currently keeping 25 different morphs of Tokay.  These include patternless morphs such as Blue Headed Greens, Powder Blues, Leucistics and also Calico’s, Granites, Melanistic, Pied and many other unusually coloured Tokays.  Tokays appear to have a very wide spectrum of naturally occuring morphs and all of mine have their own unique traits that seperate them from each other.  Because of this natural diversity, most Tokay breeders are focused on proving out the genetics behind them as opposed to doubling/tripling up genes through long term inbreeding. 

It is worth mentioning that the names given by breeders to their morphs are very much open to interpretation and everyone has differing opinions
on what name particular morphs should go by.  The morph I find most interesting (and infuriating!) is known widely as “Calico”.  These animals are said to start out their lives with a “normal” phenotype and up to a year later go through a progressive change, losing their pigment altogether in certain areas and often displaying darkened pigment instead of the usual Blue/Orange.  Eye colour also usually changes during this period.  The thing that makes them so infuriating is that the genetics behind them are ambiguous and are proving to be a very complex puzzle.  Couple this with having to wait up to a year for any change in the offspring and you have yourself a very long and probably disappointing waiting game!

I had just come back to reptile keeping after a long break.  It had become apparent that a lot had changed since the 90′s when I was a lot younger, and husbandry had progressed massively.  I was in my local reptile shop having a browse when I came across a pair of Geckos that looked incredible.  One was a Calico male and the other a Blue & Yellow Granite.  After talking to the shop owner about them he explained that he had started his own Tokay morph project back in 2007 (I think) and had since sold most of his collection.  I later went on to purchase both of these Tokays and later a third (a Blue Granite male).  Unlike many people.  I didn’t own a “normal” Tokay until I had several morphs in my collection.  My normals were purchased as a long term captive pair from another local reptile shop.  I loved their ballsy attitude and bright colours.  Almost as if they gave evolution the middle finger and said “screw you!  I’m the toughest gecko in the world, make me…BLUE….WITH ORANGE SPOTS!  I’ll take on any predator that sees me!”

I never intended on collecting Tokay morphs.  It just sort of happened. Before I knew it I was finding morphs popping up from various people’s projects around the world and because of the unique traits most of these have, it is very difficult to say no!

Tokays needs are very easy to meet.  Many people consider them a gecko for the more advanced keeper whereas I disagree.  They are very hardy and very forgiving of husbandry errors which makes them great for beginners.  This isn’t to say we shouldn’t provide them with a suitable set up though.

My Tokay set up’s are fairly basic due to the amount I keep.  This makes maintenance much easier while still providing a suitable environment for the Tokay to thrive in.  The enclosure size I typically use is 45cm wide x 60cm deep x 60cm tall .  I use a 40w R63 spot bulb in the back left corner which is connected to a dimming thermostat on a 12 hour light cycle.  I aim for a hot spot in the back corner of 95*F and the ambient temperatures in my reptile room range from 75*F- 80*F. Heat can be turned off at night providing your home doesn’t get too cold.

Humidity (and drinking water) is provided by a Mist King misting system.  One nozzle per enclosure is sufficient and I generally place it in the front left corner and aim it at the back right corner (away from any electronic heat source!).  This creates a humid environment (I aim for about 70% – 90%) and also allows water to collect on the back wall where the Tokay will be comfortable drinking from it.  Most Tokays will excrete at the front of the enclosure when they feel safe at night so this helps keep their drinking water away from any fecal matter that may be on the front of the enclosure.

I keep decoration basic with a focus on vertical hides using mostly fake (for easy cleaning) hanging plants on the walls and cork bark/slate leant up towards the back wall.  The hanging plants provide some cover towards the front whereas the cork bark/slate provides some cover at the back.  It is very important that the Tokay feel safe and have comfortable access to the temperatures it needs so a nice large cork bark flat under the heat source is a must.  I have a slightly different set-up for breeding pairs,  one which was suggested to me by Michael Billewicz.  A piece of slate is placed almost vertically on the side wall directly under the heat source.  An arched cork bark flat is then placed over the top of it with a gap big enough for the Tokays to rest in between the two.  There’s a 90% chance  the female will lay in this gap which not only allows her to feel safe, but gives me a direct line of sight to keep an eye on them and the eggs.

Finally for substrate I use a simple 50/50 (ish) mix of cypress mulch and eco earth and have it about 1 1/2″ deep.  I sometimes use orchid bark and eco earth but find the cypress mulch more attractive.  I also introduce tropical spring tails and tropical woodlice to the substrate which keep it nice and clean.  The bio active substrate must be kept damp (but not waterlogged) to keep these little critters alive and doing their job.

The thing I find most interesting about Tokays is that even though they are a typically defensive gecko,  they are very paternal.  Tokays are “egg gluers” and after laying their eggs they will continue to protect them while they incubate.  Males will also protect their females and can often be seen standing guard near the laying site.  When the eggs hatch,  the parents can continue to live with the offspring.  To this day I have never had a hatchling eaten.  It is worth mentioning however that I do pull offspring and sex them at about 3 months of age.  The males are separated to avoid any internal disputes.

The genetics behind Tokays are also of great interest and also huge frustration!  Most of the genetics are not proving out as easily as we would all like but this just makes it a reward worth working for.  Many of us are getting to a point now where we should be seeing results so watch this space!

I don’t find Tokays have been a challenge at all.  They are an absolute joy to work with!  They have given me stress and heartache however that comes with any breeding project regardless of species.  It can be disappointing however when a gene doesn’t prove out the way you want but as we all know, persistence is key!  In the mean time I will continue to breed them and try to replace a few of the wild caught ones being purchased, with healthier captive bred ones.

 Aimee Kenoyer

I have never kept multiple Tokay geckos, and in fact have only ever had 3: the first, a rescue in between, and the current one. At the moment I have one female who is about a year old. She was born to a pair of free-range Tokays living in the turtle room of a friend’s home. Erzebet is very much a normal in coloration, a lovely bluish-green offset with bright orange dots, and striping on her tail that is a lovely minty green. I do like a few of the granite morphs, but my personal favorite is really just a nice wild-type healthy Tokay.

I first became interested in Tokays many years ago when I was at a pet store picking up feeders. The store had a Tokay that had escaped and was roaming the store. The owner told me stories about this gecko’s intelligence, and showed his daytime “hide” behind a small fridge. I was enchanted with this gecko and began reading up and learning about the species and its care; I was intending to hit up a few local breeders at the next reptile show. Soon after this, a friend of mine picked up a pair on Craigslist. He only wanted the female, and gave me the male. I set him up in a planted 40T tank and he was happy as a clam. At that time, my intention was to “test-drive” the species and see if I wanted one long-term. I was very nervous about having feeder insects in my house. I enjoyed Mike for about 6 months, and then gave him to a friend who really wanted to get into Tokays. At that time, I didn’t want to deal with the bugs and was focused mainly on my small collection of pythons.

Erzebet, my current Tokay, is living in a planted 18”x18”x24” ExoTerra style cage. Against the back wall is a piece of cork tile. In front of it is planted some Sansevieria (snake plant) and a half-round of bark which she often hides in during the day. The substrate is a thin layer of hydroton covered by a mix of organic potting soil and peat moss. This is planted thickly with Pothos. High up on one side is a small Magnaturals ledge, where I put her feeder insects an hour or so after the lights go off in the evening. She eats primarily gut-loaded Dubia roaches, but occasionally gets wax worms and very occasionally gets a treat such as butter worms, silk worms, or horn worms. As she is just at full adult size and filling out, I am working on decorating a larger cage and will move her into it in the near future once the plants are better established. She has a 30W CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) on her cage top, augmented by a white light to give her a daytime cycle and encourage plant growth. Both bulbs are turned off at night. She is misted heavily at night right after the lights go off. Temps are checked regularly with an infrared temp gun.

I am most interested in Tokays because of their obvious intelligence. Having once had to catch one in the herp room, it is readily apparent that they are smarter than most herps I have experienced as pets. They are beautiful and robust, and observable at night in the herp room. They are fierce hunters and it is a joy to watch Erzebet chase her feeders. I also love that they bond so strongly as pairs. I don’t have immediate plans to get a mate for Erzebet, but will eventually do so. I also am fascinated by their defensive posturing and behavior. While many keepers might consider their somewhat aggressive tendencies when threatened, I find this to be appealing and interesting behavorially. Other gecko species I’ve kept include C. ciliatus, R. leachianus, L. williamsi, and P. m. madagascariensis; they are all lovely, but not as interesting to me in terms of behavior. The Leachie is really the only other gecko I own that seems comparatively intelligent, but she’s not as active.

For me, the biggest challenge is growing the roaches in my home. I know this seems silly to many people, but for me it was by far the biggest hurdle to jump before I was able to commit full-time to keeping a Tokay. I am so glad I was able to overcome my aversion; I first got Erzebet as a tiny baby about a year ago and she is a very enjoyable gecko to keep.

 
Michael Billewicz resides with his wife, Andrea, and two Dobermans in Northern VA, outside of Washington, DC.  In the early 90′s he built a collection of over 50 snakes and lizards all before the internet.  At that time housing 15′ to 18′ Retics and Burms was considered uncommon.  His largest lizard was a 7′ male Burundi Nile Monitor.  By 2003 all of the big snakes had been sold off for breeders and the last red Tegu passed away.

In 2008 he rescued a pair of Leopard Geckos and that started the collection again.  Of course the internet has made collecting much broader and easier.  Michael now keeps an average of 300 Tokay, in addition to another 200 other reptiles.  Michael’s Tokay Hoard, (www.billewicz.com) is a long term breeding project built to see how many Tokay color morphs can be proved out for domestic captive breeding and to help others to further that endeavor. 

His ‘day’ job is providing credit card processing services for business owners with Avant-Garde Marketing Solutions, Inc.  “Something has to pay for the 20,000 crickets that come in every week, HA!”

Aimee Kenoyer is a research scientist in Seattle, WA, USA. She has been keeping reptiles over 7 years. Aimee was very active in the local herpetological society for several years as well, and has fostered many different species of reptile through their rescue program and penned many articles for their monthly newsletter. Her primary interests are in smaller python species and in “sticky-toed” geckos, and she has limited experience with breeding pythons and geckos. To the horror of her mother, Aimee was one of those children who spent her summers catching Garter Snakes, Painted Turtles, Bull Snakes, and various toads in Eastern WA; it was a foregone conclusion that once she discovered other reptile people she would soon be a keeper as well.

 Tom Makinson at Tokay Gecko UK has been working with Tokay morphs for 3 years.  He currently has almost 100 Tokays in his care and hopes that by
dispelling the myths and through the desirability of morphs there will
be a bright future for healthy captive bred Tokay Geckos within the hobby.

Photos from Tokay Gecko UK.

These tubs come with a built-in clear, front opening door making them near perfect for an easy conversion to use as herp housing. Inexpensive pricing ($12.99-$16.99 depending on size) and availability in 3 different sizes makes them even better! They are light weight and easy to clean as well as stackable; there’s a million reasons to like these things.

That’s not to say that these don’t have some issues that will need to be addressed for them to be suitable, but the potential is there for these to make great enclosures for a variety of species. Some of the issues that I can see right off the bat include upgrading the latching system to insure there are no escapees and dealing with a somewhat flexible “gap” just below the door. I’ve found quick, easy solutions to both of these issues myself, but since the point of this article is to get others’ ideas and input, I’ll refrain from spoiling it with the modifications that I’ve already made.

I can see some serious potential for both arboreal and terrestrial animals of many sizes. There’s already been some successful attempts at putting two of them together to make a double tall arboreal enclosure out of them!

Modifications like using “great stuff” foam to make various backgrounds and whatnot are certain to show up on the scene quickly. Drilling holes for ventilation, addition of screened openings for lights, etc. are all things that people can address for their specific need. So I guess that the purpose of this article is simply to try to bring some attention to this new product and see what ideas the readers can bring to the table. I encourage everyone to go to Walmart, Target, Home Depot, etc and buy a couple of these to play with. Whether you work with leopard geckos or Uroplatus, corn snakes or tree boas, skinks, frogs, or toads, I bet you can find a use for them if you get creative. So show us what you can come up with. 

Use the submission box below to send us information about what you’ve come up with.  Step by step instructions and pictures are encouraged.  Take some time to play around with this – we’ll remind you in a month or so to submit something.  We hope to publish all the results in July or August.

Who to Cull

There is little debate about putting down hatchlings that have severe deformities which will lead to a shortened, painful life.  These deformities include lack of eyelids in eublepharid geckos and abdominal hernias where the abdominal wall has not closed and cannot be repaired.  The real question comes when considering what to do about hatchlings that may have a reduced, but reasonable quality of  life or those whose genetic makeup could potentially weaken the gene pool of the species.

For example:

• geckos with minor abnormalities that may require some special care such as notched eyelids (in eublepharid species) or foreshortened legs
• geckos with cosmetic abnormalities that don’t require special care such as tail kinks, (congenitally) missing toes, bulgy eyes
• geckos that appear not to gain weight or thrive compared to others of their age and species
• geckos that have “muddied” genetics, such as leopard geckos that are het for more than one strain of albino
• siblings of geckos that have “muddied” genetics or deformities

Those who favor culling some or all of the geckos that could have a reasonable quality of life as described above feel that the minor abnormalities observed may in fact be signs of more serious internal abnormalities that we can’t see.  These geckos, if bred, could significantly weaken the gene pool, especially for species where the captive population already has limited genetic diversity. Since there’s no way to guarantee that these geckos won’t be bred, it’s better for the gene pool if they are eliminated.  By the same token, some breeders would prefer to cull any gecko with “questionable” genetics and, by extension, all siblings as well, for the sake of the gene pool.  The feel that as long as they are selectively breeding, they have the responsibility to make appropriate selections to insure the strength and quality of the gene pool.

Gecko keepers who are opposed to culling point out that any animal that can have a decent quality of life deserves the chance to live.  They feel that most, if not all, species of geckos in captivity continue to be resilient and viable and that weak specimens will likely not breed well and will ultimately be eliminated from the gene pool through natural selection.

Obviously the culling issue mirrors the controversy of when human life begins as relates to the deliberate termination of pregnancy with all the accompanying political, religious and personal aspects!

How to Cull

There are a number of methods keepers use to cull hatchlings.  Some feed the hatchlings to other reptiles, feeling that death will be quick and the hatchling is providing some nutrition to another creature.  Other culling methods that have been recommended include use of a CO2 chamber, cooling and freezing, or bringing the animal to the vet for euthanization.  There has been much debate about which methods are humane and non-painful.

The Questions

Please let us know your thoughts and opinions by filling out the Response Box below.  Feel free to address the following questions or to bring up other issues not yet raised:

Under what circumstances should culling be done?

Should geckos be culled because of their genetic make-up alone?

What is the most humane method for “putting down” a gecko?

What are the ethical considerations with culling?

Is there any difference between considerations about ending a gecko’s life and ending a human’s life?

Gecko Time will publish the responses on June 11.

This book is the tenth in an “Animal Answer Guide” series published by Johns Hopkins Press (some other volumes are about parrots, turtles, squirrels and, surprisingly, porcupines).  All books in the series are formatted as a collection of questions and answers grouped into thematically related chapters.  The answers are short, usually only a page or two in length.  The Gecko book includes the following chapters:

• Introducing Geckos

• Form and Function

• Gecko Colors

• Gecko Behavior

• Gecko Ecology

• Reproduction and Development

• Foods and Feeding

• Geckos and Humans

• Gecko Problems (from a human viewpoint)

• Human Problems (from a gecko’s viewpoint)

• Geckos in Stories and Literature

• “Geckology”

The book also includes two appendices (“Geckos of the World”, “Organizations and Publications Devoted (in Part) to the Study of Geckos), an extensive bibliography and an index.

The author, Aaron M. Bauer, has been studying geckos in the wild for more than 30 years.  He is currently a Professor of Integrative Biology at Villanova University, chairman of the Herpetological Association of Africa and past president of the Herpetologists’ League.  In this book, he has taken on the daunting task of providing a tremendous amount of information about geckos in the wild in a way that is useful both to experienced gecko keepers and the general public.  The answers to each question are, as mentioned above, fairly brief, and written in easy to understand language that manages not to insult the readers’ intelligence.  The extensive bibliography provides an opportunity for further study about topics that pique the readers’ interest.

The material in the book is refreshingly up to date.  The author, for example, uses the new species designation for crested geckos (Correlophus ciliatus) and discusses the relatively recently publicized severely endangered status of L. williamsi. 

As the author of both the questions and the answers, Dr. Bauer comes up with questions that never would have occurred to me to ask:

“Why should people care about geckos?”

“What did extinct geckos look like?”

“Can geckos hang on [to smooth surfaces] when they’re dead?”

“How many teeth do geckos have?”

“What roles do geckos play in religion and mythology?”

In addition to appreciating the accuracy of the information about geckos that I already knew and getting “food for thought” from the unusual questions, I also learned many things I didn’t know about geckos:

• One source of prehistoric gecko study is a 54 million year old gecko specimen preserved in amber (p. 16)

• Geckos have cones in their eyes that have developed to enable them to see in color at night (p. 24)

• The physics of a gecko’s grip on smooth surfaces enables them to continue to hang on to these surfaces even if they are unconscious or dead (p. 33-34)

• Gargoyle geckos may have the most varied diet of any gecko (p. 89)

Dr. Bauer displays some of the dubious consequences of his extensive field work in his response to the question “Do geckos bite?”.  In his answer, he provides details, based on personal experience, comparing and contrasting the biting styles of C. turneri, R. Auriculatus, R. leachianus and G. gecko.

In general, the book, which I received in its paperback edition, is well organized and easy to use.  It can be read cover to cover or used as a resource for specific areas of interest.  My one quibble is the predominance of  black and white photos in most of the book.  Although there are two multi-page sections with high quality color photos, the black and white photos in the rest of the book, especially in the section about gecko colors, did not appear to be of particularly high quality and detracted from the book’s appearance.

Dr. Bauer states in his introduction that he himself is not a keeper of geckos:

In the interest of full disclosure, I am not now and have never been a big fan of keeping reptiles as pets; I have a “black thumb” when it comes to keeping animals alive in captivity.  However, I do not begrudge this pleasure to those who find it rewarding, especially as many such people develop a greater appreciation for biodiversity and the natural world through their exposure to these lizards.

His last sentence is, I feel, the key to the importance of this book for gecko keepers.  The information in this book enables us to shift our focus from the details of successfully keeping geckos to the range of habits, features and characteristics that the Gecko family as a whole displays.  It gives us a window into the lives of our geckos in the wild, which enables us to keep them even more successfully in captivity.  It successfully broadens our outlook and appreciation of these fascinating creatures that mean so much to us.

Geckos: The Animal Answer Guide (The Animal Answer Guides: Q&A for the Curious Naturalist)

by Aaron M. Bauer

Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013

As always, the contributors have responded to these questions:

1. What species are you keeping?
2. What got you interested in this species and where did you get your first one(s)?
3. How are they set up?  Describe your enclosure
4. What do you find most interesting about them?
5. What do you find to be the biggest challenge?

Maureen Winter

I work with Lygodactylus grotei, L. williamsi, L. picturatus and L. kimhowelli.
 
As  with Sphaerodactylus, my interest was gained while reading a book about Phelsuma, Lygodactylus, Sphaerodactylus and Gonatodes. Their small size drew me to them instantly! My first Lygodactylus, a kimhowelli, came from a now friend in Hagen, Germany. Was a rather funny moment, as we found out just how small the world could be. Turns out we are upstairs neighbors with a good friend of his and that his wife is formerly from Münster, Germany, where my husband and I reside. My next species was williamsi, which at first, oddly I never liked; from there it was picturatus followed by grotei.

All of the Lagodactylus enclosures have cork bark on the side and back walls. Cork is really a favorite decoration of mine, and pretty much every tank in this house has cork in some form. I also have various tubes of cork, bamboo and Japanese knotweed in each enclosure. Plants from the genus Peperomia, Dischidia and Hoya can also be found in almost every terrarium as well. Additionally I like to add in some bromeliads, as sometimes the females like to use them for egg laying spots and in my opinion no terrarium of mine is complete without a bromeliad or two! The substrate is a mixture of sphagnum peat moss, planting soil (fertilizer free), finely ground cocoa husk and sand. Each enclosure is lighted by a UVB bulb and secondary 4,000K T5 lamp. The final decor is a bowl of crushed up cuttlefish bone and a small water dish.      
 
I find most interesting, their small size and unique personalities in each species. Some find williamsi to be the most friendly for example, while I feel grotei are the most friendly followed by kimhowelli, williamsi and lastly picturatus.  
 
A big challenge is where to keep all of the babies. Lygodactylus can be rather prolific. I have a small army!   

Mikko Llosalo

I currently work with one pair of Lygodactylus picturatus, a group of four williamsi and a trio of kimhowelli. My first Lygodactylus were the williamsi. I got them from a Finnish reptile keeper named Juha Parkkinen, who helped me a lot on getting started with the more exotic species of reptiles. The first group arrived to me in 2010. Shortly after getting the group, I started researching other species belonging to the genus and I came across Maureen Winter. She had a lot of information to offer and increased my interest in the genus even further.
 
All three species are pretty much in similar setups, however the picturatus have a more powerful bulb and basking spot with slightly higher temperatures. As for lighting I mainly use Solar raptor 35w HID bulbs, while the picturatus have a 50w bulb from the same company. The substrate is a mixture of peat panels, coco husk and sand. All enclosures have a piece of wood offering vertical and horizontal climbing space under the bulbs. One or two large pieces of cork are placed in to each enclosure, to offer shade for cooling and hiding spots. Pieces of bamboo offer additional spots for climbing and egg laying. As for vegetation I use Soleirolia soleirolii (Baby’s Tears) only. I plan to add, at a later date some Tillandsia.
 
When I started working with Lygodactylus williamsi, I was fond of their blue color. Later on, I found that I truly enjoyed their behavior. They have a very unique way of socializing. They are also far from shy once they get to know you.
 
With regard to challenges, I think every animal is easy to take care of once you have the correct setup for them. I’m currently just beginning to breed picturatus and williamsi, along with preparing to care for the offspring. I’m fairly certain the offspring will be the biggest challenge for me, but I am well prepared and have high hopes.

[ed. note: Mikka is starting a facebook group about Lygodactylus: http://www.facebook.com/groups/503812666351140/]

Leann Christenson

In the past, my husband Greg and I kept Lygodactylus capensis, L. picturatus, and L. pictus.  After a few years the Lygodactylus species were put aside as we became more involved with the Phelsuma species.  Three years ago I was drawn back into Lygodactylus and specifically with Lygodactylus williamsi.

Since the start of commercial collection of L. williamsi in 2004 (all
illegally) for the pet trade this species  has been pushed to the brink of extinction.  Conservation groups have little time to put this threatened species under international protection like the CITES.  The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists L. williamsi as Critically Endangered.  Due to its extremely small area of origin that faces severe habitat destruction and continued illegal poaching, they face extinction in the wild in my lifetime.

 In 2011, the plight of Lygodactylus williamsi came to my attention and I began to investigate its husbandry challenges.

In the spring of 2011 I bought three wild caught L. williamsi on line and picked up four more from two vendors at a reptile show. 

Finding a safe enclosure on the reptile market for adult L williamsi was difficult.  The most popular terrariums from ExoTerra and Zoo Med turned out to have too many problems for very small geckos.  These reptile enclosures had numerous hidden spots, pinch risks and areas hatchlings could be forever lost. 

I ended putting all my L. williamsi in the custom enclosures we’ve used for nearly 15 years.  The acrylic enclosures have a front opening and screen top.  The custom enclosure dimensions are 9 wide x 11 deep x 11 tall. 

For lighting I use a high quality linear fluorescent (non-uv) bulb and a halogen puck for basking.  None of the L. williamsi raised here are exposed to UV bulbs.  Instead they are fed additional amounts of vitamin D3 and calcium at each meal.

The interior has about an inch of organic soil, a few thin clean tree branches that run from top to bottom, and a potted bird’s nest sansaveria.  I like to keep the interior simple so to better observe and monitor gecko health.

  L. williamsi are absolutely beautiful but I found them to be intriguing critters to watch.  They are inquisitive and jovial, and property housed, take full advantage of their given space.  I love to watch hatchlings dart around a terrarium chasing fruit flies or licking fruit baby food from a spoon. These are just delightful little geckos to watch.

L. williamsi require more attention than most other species of geckos I’ve taken care of.  The small size of the adults is such that dehydration is a real problem and ongoing issue.  Depending on the time of year and ambient humidity levels, I  often mist them three or four times daily.  The hatchlings pose a even greater hydration challenge.  I schedule four mistings daily as a minimum without fail. 

A small body has sustenance challenges.  Adults need to be fed daily, gravid females even more and juveniles benefit from a couple of meals a day.  Their food needs to be tiny so having pinheads that are one to seven days old  and/or supply of small fruit flies is necessary.  Thank goodness they love fruit baby food!

Problems I have not had is controlling incubation, accurately sexing, keeping hatchlings alive, and producing 50% male and female offspring.

I think that a keeper who is patient, focuses on husbandry, is less interested in the money/sales and more interested in the hobby can have the success I’ve enjoyed with these wonderful little geckos.

Leann Christenson is a Gecko and Phelsuma curator at Leaping Lizard Day Geckos.  She shares her unique and successful husbandry techniques in the book, Day Geckos In Captivity, articles in the nationally syndicated magazines Reptiles Magazine and Reptile Care, and contributed to Global Gecko Association’s specialized publications, Chit Chat.   Changing her direction from the business end of the reptile hobby and industry, she now devotes her time to solving husbandry problems of rare and endangered day geckos.  She maintains a popular blog, Frankie Tortoise Tails at www.frankietortoisetails.com

Mikko Llosalo: I’ve lived my entire life in Finland, in a town called Rauma. Ever since I was a child I have been fascinated with nature, from birds to fish and eventually reptiles. I work at a paper factory in town and much of my spare time is dedicated to reptiles, be it researching or just generally taking care of my own. At the very early stages of my entrance in to the hobby, I learned that Finland is massively behind in terms of understanding reptiles. This forced me to reach outside of the country for information and this also made things move more slowly than I would have hoped. In the future I am hoping to get properly into breeding Lygodactylus and improving myself in terms of understanding reptiles constantly and trying to network more in my home country.

Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Maureen Winter has been keeping reptiles and amphibians on and off since the age of 7. Her first reptile was a Red Eared Slider. Later on she kept various amphibians ranging from Hyla cinerea to Litoria caerulea and was quickly hooked. Eventually Maureen moved to Münster, Germany and longed to have her beloved amphibians once again. She began with Litoria caerulea and her hobby grew to keeping various species of dart frogs. After a year of owning dart frogs Maureen desired to have some geckos and soon her first geckos, Phelsuma klemmeri, were purchased. Shortly after, she began keeping many different geckos. She currently works with various Phelsuma, Lygodactylus, Sphaerodactylus, and Lepidodactylus lugubris, alongside her many frogs.

Lead photo by JM Osuna.

 Tell us a little about yourself and your interest in geckos. 

I started keeping herps in the early 1990s and nothing has ever been able to stop me from doing so. My fascination with reptiles led me to study biology, where I received my M.Sc.. My main focus is on lizards and I have  bred about 50 species in the past. I did some projects in the world of herpetology and was (co-)author of articles and books. After breeding leopard geckos on a larger scale for several years, I have reduced the amount of animals and diversified my breeding stock. Today I work as a medical and regulatory affairs manager and spend most of my free time with my geckos and – whenever possible – in the field to see them in the wild.

How were your able to arrange this trip to Iran? 

It was during the Christmas holidays in 2011, when herpetologist Dr. Gunther Köhler called me and asked if I would like to arrange a little expedition to Iran with him. Dr. Köhler and I wrote a book on leopard geckos and we were both very curious to get some firsthand experience of their habitat. Since Dr. Köhler had primary scientific contacts in Iran, and the country has a diversified herpetofauna, we  chose this country for our journey. Iranian herpetologists helped us a lot with organizing the trip while we applied for our visas and booked our flights.

Where did you travel in Iran, and with whom? 

Gunther and I landed in Shiraz, the capital city of Fars Province in the Zagros Mountains. Massoud, a very talented Iranian biology student, and a driver picked us up. From there we  four drove 5,000km by car through the Fars Province and the Khuzestan Province that shares a border with Iraq. Both provinces are geographically dominated by mountains and  have access to the Persian Gulf. The altitude difference between the mountains and the sea creates very different habitats that are ideal for many reptile and amphibian species. The hospitality and friendliness off the Iranians was second to none and we enjoyed some very warm interactions during our journey. The character of a country is always determined by the people, not what the politicians say about it.  I personally think that this is something that should never be forgotten.

  What herps did you see?

We found more than twenty reptile and amphibian species including seven gecko species like Tropiocolotes helenae, Bunopus tuberculatus and Asaccus griseonotus. I will probably never forget finding Uromastyx loricata in its natural habitat. It was a steppe-like environment, adjacent to agricultural areas. Finding half a dozen of these impressive Uromastyx sitting in front of their self buried caves was quite an experience. They really are an awesome agamid species! Spotting foraging poisonous snakes is also always amazing.

In the wild, you get a very good feeling for the adaption of the species to their natural habitat:

The Asaccus we have found lived on rocks and hid in gaps. Their long legs with the funny shaped feet help them climb on the surface of the rocks and their dorsal-ventral flatness helps them to escape to very narrow hiding places, where other animals can’t reach them. A leopard gecko is ground dwelling and uses various other survival strategies – therefore their body shape is quite different.

 Tell us about your experiences in Iran with leopard geckos and the related species, Eublepharis angramainyu.

A herping journey is packed with amazing experiences and it is very difficult to pick only a few of them! One of the most thrilling experiences was the leopard gecko hunt itself. We travelled to Iran to see them in the wild- but we failed to find them! We used a lot of original literature with GPS data but even we three experienced biologists were unable to spot one, no matter how closely we were looking and how many rocks we flipped — nada. A guy working on the street asked us if he could help us with … whatever we were doing there. We showed him a picture of a leopard gecko and we were more than happy to hear that he not only knew this gecko but even knew a locality not far away, near a small village. This sounded fantastic and we drove there. It was a lesson to learn, that “not far away” can mean 4-5 driving hours away. We travelled dirt roads that our car was not made for, but our driver did an amazing job and drove us safely to the village. It consisted of two small houses and a much bigger goat pen. We were warmly greeted by the family that lived there and showed the father a picture of a leopard gecko. He was well aware of them, warned us that they are poisonous- and told us that we were one month too early. He normally does not see them before May. We were very disappointed, but – as the night was approaching quickly – had no other option than staying the night in our tents. When it got dark, Massoud and I were searching half the night and found lots of reptiles- but no leopard gecko. It was just shortly before returning to our tents, when I suddenly spotted movement behind a rock. I focused- expecting another Tropicolotes – but saw a young leopard gecko instead! I managed to catch him before he was able to escape under one of the very heavy rocks. And there I held it in my hands: the purpose of our journey. I was overwhelmed and called loudly for Massoud. But he did not show up—as we were quite far away from each other. So I called him as loud as I could- but instead of Massoud, the father of the shepherd-family showed up, holding a rifle firmly in his hands.

I was very happy when Massoud arrived and translated — the shepherd had heard my screams and thought a bear was attacking me so he wanted to save me. After this adventurous night, it was great when the shepherd woke us up with freshly baked bread and cheese from his goats that we ate together outside while the sun was rising.

We found Eublepharis angramainyu in the mountains at 850 meters and the habitat is not like most hobbyists expect it to be. It is not “sandy” at all.  The soil is hard-packed clay, rocky and there are also quite a few dry adapted plants. In small caves we found some zagros-newts/ Neurergs kaiseri, telling us that the region will not regularly dry out completely.

Is there any advice you can provide about field herping in a locale far from home? 

It`s fairly simple: Prepare. Prepare. Prepare.

Finding some of your most favorite reptiles in their natural habitat is an awesome experience that is hard to describe. And if you ever have the honor to enjoy the hospitality of locals, you will experience moments you’ll never forget.

But it is not necessarily as easy as it sounds: If you don’t do your homework, chances are that you will not find any reptile, but lots of trouble instead.

Accidents, unwanted contacts with authorities (among other inconveniences) can and will happen at some times. You really have to be prepared for as many unpleasant surprises as possible. Read as much as you can about the country you are going to and learn at least some important sentences in the local language. Even survival and first aid courses can be handy. The best advice I can give is to start the journey with experienced field herpers and whenever possible with a local guide.

I don’t want to be overcautious and adventure is also a part field herping- but never forget to use common sense, use the right equipment and never start without the help of an experienced person. If you want to start on your own: there are great “beginner`s countries” where you can get first experiences along the regular tourist destinations.

For more photos check out Karsten’s Facebook group: Leopard Gecko Wild Types.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you got interested in geckos.

  I am 26 years old and come from Germany. I have been interested in unusual animals as long as I can remember. As a young boy I had all kinds of pets. I think I got my  first real exotic animal at age 9. That was a turtle. Unfortunately I had to get rid of him, because it became too big and I had no space for a large aquarium. At the age of 12 years (1998)  a friend of my mother  told her about her leopard geckos. Two days later I went on a school trip and when I came back, I had my first leopard gecko. Meanwhile, I have also kept ball pythons, tarantulas and scorpions. The leopard geckos are the
ones I never lost interest in.

How many leopard geckos do you have and how many do you produce each year?

My motto is: quality, not quantity!

I have only a very very small collection, when I compare myself with other breeders. My breeding stock is limited to about 20 animals, some fraction of which I breed each year.  That way I can have my full-time job and the family and there is still enough time to care for each animal in particular as well as the other important things involved with this hobby such as contacting other breeders and training in genetics too. We have only a very small number of offspring per year. I can’t give specific numbers because it varies from year to year.

The number depends on the projects but there are never more than 30. The reason for this low number is, as mentioned above, that I want to take care of every single gecko especially. Another reason for the low number is that I don’t have to earn money breeding geckos. For me it is a hobby. I am paying for it gladly!

How do you keep your geckos –what kind of cages and set-up?

I keep my leopard geckos mainly in racks.  I keep our breeders individually in 45 litre tubs. The offspring will accordingly be housed in smaller tubs, until they reach a certain size. Then they are transferred to a bigger tub . Most breeders in Germany keep their animals in cages. I opted for racks for hygiene reasons and because of the better control I have with racks. By keeping the geckos  individually I have better control and can determine which eggs go with which females 100%.  But the basic hygiene may not be ignored. I do not have much stuff in the tubs besides the basics: a humid hide  filled with coco fiber on the warm side, another regular cave on the cold side, a calcium dish and a water bowl.

What morphs do you work with?

I work with morphs like Eclipse, Tangerine and Rainwater Albino. But the Rainwater’s have stolen my heart. I was lucky enough to get from a friend a couple of Raining Red Stripes from the Hotgeckos line. With these Raining Red Stripes I continue to do selective line breeding. This year I bred my Raining Red Stripe male to a beautiful Electric Tangerine female. I hope this will improve the color of our Rainwater’s again in the next generation. But these are not the only Las Vegas Albinos in my stock. The Mack Snow and the Patternless gene play a role as well. I expect some great offspring this year, including: Mack Snow Rainwater, Mack Snow Rainwater Patternless, Mack Super Snow Rainwater and Mack Super Snow Rainwater Patternless.

Tell us about the breeding project that has interested you the most.

Also here again clearly the Rainwater Albinos call. Why?  Tremper Albinos and Bell Albinos are a dime a dozen. But there are not so many Rainwater Albinos. This focus on the “unknown”,  is what makes me so interested in that. The Rainwater Albinos there have been in existence for 15 years, but they have never had anyone really interested. Since last year, I can see a growing interest in the Las Vegas strain and the Typhoons, which makes me very happy. I hope this still be able to inspire more good breeders for these wonderful animals. Here are a lot of unopened doors.

What is the leopard gecko breeder community like in Germany?

Here in Germany we have a large gecko community, with many hobby breeders. Most communication takes place  in our discussion forums. Photos will be posted here, projects presented and information exchanged. Once a year,  a lot of us more or less agree to meet for a coffee in Hamm at the reptile show. Not only in the U.S. are there beautiful geckos.
In Germany there are some great breeders with interesting breeding projects.

Some of our well established and experienced breeders I know include Karsten Griesshammer with his W&Y, Rebecca Hassler of Dragoongecko with her Ghost and Electric line breeding, Dennis Leder with his Snow Diorite-stuff from Japan and Christoph Mainka of Geckosphere.  Christoph has hatched, to my knowledge, the first Super Snow Patternless Bell which is still alive in the world.  Of course there are other promising and talented people around, and new breeders coming into the hobby every year.

What would be your advice to someone who would like to begin breeding leopard geckos?

I would recommend to start very, very small, and possibly not breeding at all in the early years.  First you have to do your homework. Learn, learn and learn as much as you can. If you then have enough experience, you can think about whether you might breed 1-2 females. If all goes well, you can gradually increase. Patience in this hobby is a very important virtue.