Yuri... First, let me say I treat all my smaller Phelsuma hatchlings exactly the same. P. standingi need larger housing of course, but even they are treated the same on a larger scale. I keep and breed P. lauticauda, quadriocellata, klemmeri, guimbeaui, cepediana, standingi and v.nigra nigra. I have bred most to at least 2nd generation. I have only lost two or three hatchlings in several years of breeding, one of which was deformed and had no chance. The others were because of errors on my part. Basically, I treat hatchlings exactly the same as adults, but in smaller enclosures and with smaller food items. I know many experienced breeders who treat them differently, but I've never had to. I've included another picture of the tanks I use. These are commercial tanks that are a little larger than a 10 gallon tank, but partitioned into 4 separate enclosures (each with their own top opening door). I use potting soil substrate and plant several small plants in it (pothos, corn plant, small schefflera, etc.). Each enclosure has a hollow bamboo leaned up into a corner for hiding and another horizontal bamboo that runs the length of the tank about 1.5" below the screen top for basking. I mist twice daily, fairly heavily. The tanks are on a rack under a Reptisun 5.0 fluorescent (changed out at least every 6 months). Each enclosure has a 10W 12vac under cabinet halogen for basking, setting directly on the screen top. I feed them fruit flies initially, then 1 week crickets. They move up in cricket size as they grow. I supply a dish of fruit babyfood mixture once each week (sometimes twice for just hatched babies). I've posted my recipe fairly often to this list, but will send it to anyone who doesn't have it. I usually keep clutchmates together in an enclosure, but have on occasion had two clutches (4 geckos) in the same enclosure if I was short on tanks. I never mix bloodlines, though. This past year I had more hatchlings than I had tanks set up, so I went to "Plan B". I take those screw top plastic containers Costco sells nuts and stuff in and drill a 2.5" hole out of the top, and then 3 more around the body (towards the top). I then "weld" aluminum window screen over the holes using a soldering iron. You just push the iron tip through the screen into the plastic, then hold in place as it cools. It is then permanently "welded". I then add some potting soil (never with perlite or other stuff in it) and plant a small plant, add bamboo and you are ready to introduce the gex. I just had them on a rack in front of other tanks without lights or heat of their own because they were supposed to be temporary. Of course, days turned into weeks, then months. I'm embarrassed to admit it. However, most of them did OK. They were not growing, though. When I did move them into the standard setup from above it's amazing how they've responded. In a little over two weeks they almost doubled in size!!! I'm assuming if I had set the plastic containers up with suspended fluorescents and some heat, they would have thrived as per normal. Yuri Huta wrote: > > Doug, > > Thanks for the pictures and explanations. I didn't realize that klemmeri > hatchlings are so tiny - the film canister lids really give meaningful > perspective! > > How do you manage the hatchlings? Being so small I would be worried > about very quick dehydration. Could you explain your hatchling setup > (size, # of hatchlings per enclosure, well vented or tightly sealed, > food). Any tips specific to this species? > > Also, how would you rate these on the Phelsuma scale in terms of ease to > keep (P. mad. kochi being easy and P. cepediana or P. guentheri being > most difficult). > > Thanks, > > Yuri Huta > > Doug Johnston wrote: > > > > David... > > > > I've included a picture of my incubator setup. I don't bother putting > > water in the chambers in the bottom because my eggs are in deli cups > > which maintain a mini environment of their own. Remember... these > > incubators were designed for use with chicken eggs. Chicken eggs are > > kept open in the incubator so adding water to the bottom helps them. > > Also, the mesh keeps chicks from falling into the water, but it would > > not stop a hatchling P. klemmeri!!! I also keep a digital temp/humidity > > meter in the incubator. Once you've seen a few eggs, you will start > > being able to tell from the look. However, regardless of look I still > > put them in the incubator. I don't throw any egg out until it is fully > > bad and collapsed. If they are bad, they will deteriorate within a > > couple weeks. If good, they will start taking on a pinkish color a > > couple weeks after being laid as the embryo starts developing. At this > > stage, you should be able to see some vascularization if you candle them > > properly. At the later stages, the eggs become darker in coloration as > > the embryo fills the egg to capacity. You will be amazed at the size of > > hatchling that actually comes out of that egg! Now, just for fun, I've > > also included a picture of a P. klemmeri just emerging from the egg. > > BTW... P. klemmeri will hatch within 40 - 65 days. Good luck! > > > > ########################################################################### > THE GLOBAL GECKO ASSOCIATION LISTSERV > WebSite: www.gekkota.com Archive: [EMAIL PROTECTED]/ > The GGA takes no responsibility for the contents of these postings. > ########################################################################### -- Doug Johnston www.ncal.verio.com/~scubadug
