Welcome to the Outer Fringes! This series takes advantage of the husbandry skills that chameleon keepers develop and shows what other reptiles and amphibians can live with the same type of husbandry. Today, on the Outer Fringes, Luis Wiedemann joins us as we dive into Uroplatus Leaf-tailed Geckos of Madagascar!
Introduction to the new Outer Fringes feature!
Chameleons are highly specialized arboreal reptiles. By learning about them we end up with a host of specialized skills in reptile husbandry. Consider the fact that The Chameleon Breeder Podcast is up to episode 35 and I still have so much I want to cover. Chameleon husbandry is a huge topic!
One thing you may not realize is that becoming proficient in chameleon husbandry makes you a prime candidate to be successful with some other incredible reptiles and amphibians. So I would like to recognize that and welcome you to a new feature on the Chameleon Breeder Podcast called the Outer Fringes! There is so much to talk about with just chameleons that I almost hate to use up a show slot for something else. But branching out is good and when I consider what we chameleon people can easily branch out to it is a fun break! So I might do this new feature once every month or two. I will interview a chameleon person who also keeps another reptile or amphibian whose care is similar. And we will get a chameleon person’s perspective on how we can tweak our chameleon husbandry just a bit and expand the awesomeness of our reptile room!
With chameleons we are already in what to most people, even reptile people, is an undiscovered country. But, even for us there are hidden corners to explore. So, every now and then, let’s take a step off our main path. So, come with me just that one step further and together we’ll explore what lies on our Outer Fringes!
To start with we are going to make a stop at Madagascar. We are well acquainted with panther chameleons, carpet chameleons, and the giant parson’s chameleon. But when night falls and our chameleons drift to sleep we learn that chameleons aren’t the only dragons that prowl this land. Bark, lichen, moss, and even dead leaves open their chilling eyes and come to life. When the sun goes down, the Uroplatus leaf-tailed geckos of Madagascar take the place of the day time chameleons to stalk the branches and underbrush. The Uroplatus genus contains some of the most cryptic animals on earth. Their camouflage is so complete that each individual is colored differently. Their patterns and shapes make them seem a part of the moss covered tree trunks or just another dead leaf.
If you have been part of the chameleon world for any length of time you will have run across the name Luis Wiedemann as our foremost breeder of Trioceros deremensis. But he is also one of the top names in Uroplatus. So let’s welcome back Luis as he introduces us to the bizarre world of the Uroplatus leaf-tailed geckos of Madagascar.
Uroplatus Cage Tutorial
Here is a Tutorial on how to put together a Uroplatus cage for the mid-size species such as sikorae or samietii species.
About Luis Wiedemann
Luis runs T.R.Herp and can be reached there.
