(Uroplatus species)
General:
The Leaf Tail gecko originates from the cool mountain forests of Madagascar. In the wild, their average life span is 3-5 years. If well taken care of in captivity they can live up to 10-15 years. The Cryptic appearance of these animals has earned them the reputation of evil spirits in their native Madagascar. They have the reputation of being evil spirits in their native Madagascar because of their obscure appearance.
The Uroplatus geckos are one of the best camouflaged geckos in existence. They all have certain colorations, textures, and patterns to imitate their natural surroundings. Their colors can range from browns and tans to green, burgundy, red, and even orange depending on the species. Every species has mottled colors, frills, niches, or flaps to break up their colors for a more camouflaged effect. Their eyes are large and suited for this gecko’s nocturnal nature. The scales on their feet are designed so they can climb easily on smooth surfaces.
In all species, male geckos can easily be distinguished from females by the presence of hemipenal bulges.
Because of their unique appearance and general ease of care, the leaf-tailed gecko is getting more well known in the reptile industry. These geckos are still being imported in high numbers to attempt to satisfy the high demand. If a fresh import is obtained, they are generally difficult to care for and acclimate to captivity. Death is very common with imported specimens. With more hobbyists keeping and breeding the species, captive bred specimens should be more readily available in the next few years.
Species:
Spearpoint Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus ebenaui): They are the smallest species of gecko in the genus Uroplatus and adults generally mature to just under 4 inches. They closely resemble the more well known satanic leaf tail gecko with the exception of their more narrow spear-shaped tail. When threatened, some spearpoint leaf-tailed geckos will hang from their back legs to very accurately mimic a dried leaf.
Satanic Leaf-tailed Gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus): They reach about a maximum from 5-6 inches in total length at adulthood with an “eyelash” over each eye. Their tails are very advanced in camouflage at resembling dead leaves. Some of them even have notches taken out so it looks as though a bug has taken a bite out of a leaf.
Giant Leaf Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus): One of the largest geckos in the world reaching lengths of 12 inches (30 cm). When they are startled or being defensive they stand up, open their mouth, and let out a large hiss. Imagine walking by a branch that comes to life and hisses at you.
Fringed or Henkel's Leaf Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus henkeli): This is one of the most variable colored species. They usually have pink eyes with little or no markings. They can reach up to 10 inches (25 cm) in length.
Mossy Leaf Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus sikorae): You have to look very closely to see these guys. Once you find them you will notice that they seem to actually be growing moss on their back. They have flaps around their body that let them blend in with their surroundings. They look like a chunk of moss on a log. This species can reach a total length of 3-4 inches (8.5 cm).
Lined or Lineated Leaf Tailed Gecko (Uroplatus lineatus): Found in bamboo forests, this gecko has several longitudinal brown lines on the body and head, on a yellow background. Their inner mouth is black in color .Its tail is slim and is used in displays, waving it slowly. They reach a length of 10 inches (25 cm).
Housing:
The size of the enclosure should reflect on the gecko’s size. Smaller species of leaf tails such as U. phantasticus or U. ebenaui can be housed comfortably in pairs in 20-30 gallon enclosures. For larger species such as U. fimbriatus, U. lineatus, and U. henkeli do well in 40-100 gallon enclosures.
Since U. phantasticus and U. ebenaui live in low bushes in the wild, lower enclosures work well for them. Other larger species prefer taller enclosures.
Glass aquariums hold in humidity well. Screen tops for the enclosures will suffice but you may have to cover part of the screen if you are unable to maintain the humidity.
Enclosures with a lot of foliage are ideal. Many keepers use live plants such as pothos. Live plants help keep the humidity up in the enclosure. Substrate should be of a forest type such as bed-a-beast (co-co fiber), peat moss, organic potting soil without perlite, or soil/sand mixtures. All of these substrates hold humidity well. Since you will be doing a lot of misting, you may want to place one-two inches of large grain aquarium gravel under the main substrate for drainage. Place some fine mesh in between these two layers to prevent the soil from seeping into the gravel.
Examine their enclosure and spot clean it daily for optimum health of the geckos.
Heating/Lighting:
Since these are cool climate geckos, they need to be kept cool. Temperatures over 80 degrees Fahrenheit have been known to stress, and even kill Uroplatus geckos. Temperatures from 68F to 75F (20C to 24C) during the day with a drop to 60F to 70F (16C and 21C) at night will suffice. If you live in a warm climate, the best way to keep them this cool is to keep them in an air conditioned room or a cool basement.
The heat/light for these geckos should be provided by nocturnal lights or ceramic heat emitters. These are very shy geckos and high output basking lights may stress them. UVB lighting is also beneficial to these geckos and is said to stimulate breeding. A florescent UVB light such as repti-sun left on for 8-12 hours (depending on the season) a day will suffice.
Feeding:
Adult geckos feed off of appropriately sized crickets, mealworms, and wax worms every other day. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed every day. Adults of the larger species may also eat pinky mice. The food items should be coated with a high quality calcium supplement such as rep-cal or sticky tongue brands. Make sure that stray crickets aren’t left to wander around the cage for too long as this can stress the geckos. Food items shouldn’t be bigger than the space between the gecko’s eyes.
Water/Humidity:
Humidity is very important for these geckos. They require a high humidity of 75-100%. Overall, the high humidity and low temperatures is what makes keeping these geckos difficult. To obtain the optimum conditions, daily misting and watering of live plants is required. It might be worth it to you to pick up an automatic misting system. They are well worth the cost! There are also less expensive misters that you can purchase from hardware stores. You pump these misters by hand and they give off a fine gentle spray. It will save your hands form cramping from the traditional misting bottles. If humidity is truly a problem, a cool air humidifier will help a tremendous amount.
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