A couple of comments more... I agree with Greg and Leann on everything, however, regarding photoperiod- I have bred lots of Phelsuma using the photosensor/Helix method. They seem to cycle just fine with local-environmental input. I feel they should be adapted to the local enviroment and kept on that cycle. Too many breeders, mostly of leopard geckos, artificially induce their breeders to cycle way too early and long. I don't see any way this can benefit the geckos. In the short term it benefits the breeder's pocketbook, generating offspring before most folks offer them - the real long term consequence is worn out geckos with shortened lifespans. The only possible advantage of changing the cycle (for the geckos) I see would be to shut down breeding early or start it late, effectively shortening their season, giving the geckos a chance to beef up their size in the off-season.
I cannot stress the importance of getting the dominated gecko out of the situation where they are being picked on. If you see skin patches missing you have waited too long. Sean McKeown advised me to use lots of small diameter bamboo, more female sized than male, so females have a chance to escape from the unwanted attention of males. This seems to work well. Escape routes are important. So is stratification (creating different levels in the terrarium) so dominant geckos have their place, etc. Sometimes, you have a real rascal male and in that case, try setting up the terrarium differently, rearranging things, then letting the female(s) establish themselves. After they have been in there a couple weeks, introduce the male. Another thing to consider is that many times small - medium Phelsuma will harem better than pair. This way the females "share" in getting harassed by the male. We have discussed this several times here and there should be a good amount of posting on this subject in the archives. Perhaps someone would be energetic enough to make us a little chart "Harem, Y or N?" Julie Bergman http://www.geckoranch.com GGA lifetime member ########################################################################### THE GLOBAL GECKO ASSOCIATION LISTSERV WebSite: www.gekkota.com Archive: [EMAIL PROTECTED]/ The GGA takes no responsibility for the contents of these postings. ###########################################################################
