Welcome to our guide on Uroplatus garamaso, a newly described leaf-tailed gecko species that is quickly capturing the attention of Uroplatus enthusiasts worldwide. This incredible gecko, native to the unique ecosystems of Madagascar, boasts the same mesmerizing camouflage and nocturnal habits that the Uroplatus genus is known for. We are proud to have a thriving group of Uroplatus garamaso with three generations of healthy, captive-bred individuals at Nealon Reptiles. We’re excited to introduce you to this remarkable species and share everything we’ve learned about their care and breeding.
This comprehensive guide will provide detailed insights into the proper husbandry, care, and breeding practices necessary to keep Uroplatus garamaso healthy in captivity. From creating the perfect enclosure to maintaining the right temperature and humidity, we’ll guide you every step of the way. Whether you’re new to keeping geckos or looking to expand your collection, Uroplatus garamaso is an exciting and rare addition that we’re eager to help you learn more about.
Like all Uroplatus Leaf-Tailed Geckos, Uroplatus garamaso is found on the island of Madagascar. Specifically, it seems that most of the individuals found in the wild have been found in the area of Montagne d’Ambre. While it is possible, and even likely, that this species has a more widespread range, we are unaware of any census of the species that shows it living elsewhere in Madagascar.
Montagne d’Ambre is in northern Madagascar and consists mostly of montane rainforest habitat. It receives a substantial amount of rain every year, often reaching more than 140 inches of rain per year.
Within Montagne d’Ambre, Uroplatus garamaso is found in the lower levels of the forest, but it is not really found high up in the trees. While we can’t find any specific strata layer of the forest mentioned, it is likely that they inhabit the same zones as similar species, like Uroplatus henkeli.
A female Uroplatus garamaso here at our breeding facility
Uroplatus garamaso was known in the captive population for many years but was called other names. If you’ve been involved in the Uroplatus community for a while, you’ve almost certainly heard of the ‘Diego’ Leaf-Tailed Gecko. Here in the United States, we often hear them called Uroplatus henkeli aff. These geckos are now known by their given scientific name, Uroplatus garamaso.
While these geckos look similar to Uroplatus henkeli, there are differences between the two species that make them distinguishable from each other. While not apparent until they reach adulthood, Uroplatus garamaso is smaller than Uroplatus henkeli. In our collection, Uroplatus garamaso is noticeably smaller when compared side by side. If you peek inside their mouth, you will notice that Uroplatus garamaso lacks the black tongue tip found in Uroplatus henkeli.
Another more subtle difference is the coloration of their eyes. It is hard to describe, but you will notice a slight difference in the appearance of their eyes, which is a common method of helping to determine species of Uroplatus.
If you can keep any other species of Uroplatus healthy and thriving, you shouldn’t have many issues keeping Uroplatus garamaso in captivity. As long as you can give them what they need, they’ll do a great job of keeping themselves healthy, making them amazing additions to your Uroplatus collection.
Here at Nealon Reptiles, we keep many breeding pairs of Uroplatus garamaso and numerous babies and juveniles. Below, you’ll find out how we keep Uroplatus garamaso, which has resulted in a successful breeding program for these amazing Leaf-Tailed Geckos.
Enclosures
We keep our Uroplatus garamaso in enclosures no smaller than 36 inches high, 24 inches wide, and 24 inches deep. This should be considered a minimum size for this species. If you will keep them in pairs, we recommend an enclosure of 48 inches high and 24 x 24 in width and depth. In either case, ensure that their enclosure has great ventilation for proper airflow.
This species prefers large vertical branches, mimicking small tree trunks in its enclosure. We put 4-5 ‘tree trunks’ in each enclosure. For plants, we’ll use different Schefflera or Ficus benjamina.
We’re big fans of using 2-inch thick Aquarium filter foam as the substrate base. This material provides excellent drainage and is easy to keep clean. Remove it from the enclosure twice a month and clean it with an animal-safe disinfectant.
Temperatures and Humidity
As with all of the Leaf-Tailed Geckos, you should aim to recreate their natural habitat in captivity. Not only is this very important for their overall health, but it is also essential for breeding Uroplatus garamaso.
Daytime temperatures in Montagne d’Ambre National Park vary depending on the time of year. The warm, wet season starts in November and runs through April. While it isn’t uncommon for temperatures in this area to reach the low to mid-80s during this time of year, it is certainly not that warm deep in the forest where Uroplatus garamaso is found. We aim to keep our breeding colony between 76-80 during our mimicked summer season during the day and 65-67 at night. Humidity during this time is high – often reaching 90%+ at night. During the daytime, humidity levels will drop down into the 60% range. We mimic this in captivity from April through October.
During the colder dry season, temperatures drop slightly, but not too much. We mimic this season in captivity by dropping our daytime temperatures to no more than 75. Typically, our room with the garamaso will stay at 73-74 degrees during this time of year. We also drop humidity during the day by misting less at night. We’ll still aim for humidity levels of 80%+ at night, but with fewer misting sessions, the humidity will drop into the 50% range during the day. We mimic the dry, cool season from November through April in our collection of Uroplatus.
Remember that seasons are reversed in Madagascar from what they are in the northern hemisphere. While this isn’t much of an issue with Uroplatus garamaso (as all we are aware of are captive-bred), if you do happen to get a wild-caught individual, you’ll probably want to try and maintain your gecko in sync with Madagascar’s seasons.
Lighting and Heat
We use UVB light for all of our Uroplatus, including Uroplatus garamaso. Specifically, we use Arcadia 6% T5 HO Bulbs with Arcadia fixtures. Depending on the season we’re trying to mimic, the lights will be on for 10-14 hours daily. In the dry, cool season, we keep the lights on for 10 hours per day, working towards 14 hours per day at the height of the warmer wet season.
We will also place a small wattage heating bulb on top of the cage during the warmer seasons. We don’t want the enclosure heating up overall, but we want to provide a weak basking spot. Your females, especially ones that are developing eggs, will use this basking spot from time to time. We aim for a basking spot temperature of 86 degrees. Because of our fixtures and bulbs, this basking spot is pretty isolated and allows the rest of the enclosure to maintain proper ambient temperatures, not overheating the gecko – which can quickly be deadly.
Feeding Uroplatus garamaso is pretty straightforward. Like all Uroplatus geckos, Uroplatus garamaso is a strict insectivore. This means you’ll want to feed your Uroplatus Garamaso a variety of healthy and properly gut-loaded insects.
As with our other Uroplatus, we feed hatchlings and baby garamaso five times weekly. We reduce their feeding frequency to three to four times weekly as they reach adulthood. We put enough insects in their enclosure to ensure they can catch four to five insects per feeding session.
Crickets and Dubia Roaches make up the bulk of what our Uroplatus garamaso eat. However, we will sometimes throw in some Red Runner Roaches to give them more variety. Like other Uroplatus, Uroplatus garamaso will ignore any worms or grubs that you try to feed them. This includes superworms, mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, and hornworms, which have all been offered and consistently ignored by all of our Uroplatus.
Ensure that you’re supplementing the feeder insects by dusting them with a good calcium and vitamin/mineral supplement. We use Arcadia EarthPro-A for most feedings. Twice per month, we’ll use the Arcadia Calcium formula that also contains magnesium.
Breeding Uroplatus garamaso isn’t too difficult if you can give them the seasonal fluctuations you should be giving them anyway.
Our breeding pairs of garamaso produce 3-5 clutches of 2 eggs per season. A female will occasionally lay only one egg, but it is almost always two. Incubation of their eggs is done in line with how we incubate our other Uroplatus species. We place the eggs in a 16-ounce deli cup half-filled with properly moistened perlite. We then place the egg in a one-ounce gecko food cup half filled with dry perlite. After placing the egg in the cup, add enough dry perlite around the egg to prevent it from rolling around.
We find that Uroplatus garamaso eggs typically hatch out around 130-140 after being laid. The hatchlings shed not long after hatching and can be cared for like any other Uroplatus species.
