Keeping and breeding of common leaf-tail gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus (Schneider, 1797)) at BION Terrarium Center
Common leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus fimbriatus (Schneider, 1797)) is a member of a so-called “U. fimbriatus group” of leaf-tailed geckos, that includes also Uroplatus giganteus Glaw, Kosuch, Henkel, Sound & Böhme, 2006, Uroplatus henkeli Böhme & Ibish, 1990, Uroplatus sameiti Bohme & Ibish, 1990 and Uroplatus sikorae Boettger, 1913 (http://uroplatus.info/uroplatus-fimbriatus).
Terrarium. We keep these big lizards separately or in pairs (1.1) in 60*60*90 cm (23.62*23.62*35.43 in) vertical terrariums of a “breeze” type. During the first 1.5–2 months of life we keep babies in 30*30*30 сm (11.81*11.81*11.81 in) terrariums or plastic containers, that have good ventilation, with further moving to bigger boxes. The decoration of the terrarium consists of large vertical and horizontal branches for adult individuals and medium vertical and horizontal branches for juveniles, as well as lianas, living or artificial plants. We use paper towel instead of substrate and a box (10 cm (3.93 in) deep) filled with coconut substrate, covered with a layer of oak leaves. This box serves as a moisture chamber and as an egg-laying place. We keep juveniles for the first 6 months with a paper towel instead of bark substrate. Decoration includes thinner branches and smaller pieces of bark (Fig. 5). Water dish is obligatory.
