Description:
Scientific name: Uroplatus phantasticus
Life span: Longer than 10 years
A species of gecko native to the island of Madagascar is called Uroplatus phantasticus, also known as the satanic leaf-tailed gecko, eyelash leaf-tailed gecko, or the phantastic leaf-tailed gecko. One of the tiniest leaf-tailed gecko species is the satanic leaf-tailed gecko. It can imitate the appearance of wilting leaves thanks to its horned head, red eyes, and tail with notches. The color of this gecko ranges from red to brown to tan to purple. Nonetheless, they are typically brown with tan flecks.
Native Region/Habitat
The species is unique to Madagascar and cannot be found elsewhere. It is an arboreal species that lives in Madagascar’s northern and central tropical woods and relies on its built-in camouflage.
Behavior:
The leaf-tailed gecko is a nocturnal lizard with appropriately large eyes that forages for insects at night while moving about its jungle home. They can glide through the woods with ease thanks to the sticky scales under their fingers and toes and their powerful, curled claws. The amazing mimicry of the leaf-tailed gecko, along with a variety of other behaviors, makes it somewhat of an expert at evading predators. They have the ability to shed their tail voluntarily in order to deceive a predator, open their jaws widely to reveal a fearsome, brilliant red mouth, and flatten their body against the substrate to lessen the body’s shadow.
The leaf-tailed gecko is oviparous, or egg-laying, like many other reptiles. When the rainy season first begins, it lays clutches of two spherical eggs on the ground beneath leaf litter or inside of dead plant leaves.
Care As a pet/In captivity:
Enclosure Size: A 10 inch by 10 inch by 20 inch enclosure is large enough to comfortably contain one satanic leaf-tailed gecko. We advise expanding the habitat to 12 inches x 16 inches x 20 inches if you intend to house a breeding pair or three geckos together.
While using a larger enclosure is generally acceptable, you should make sure that it has more vertical than horizontal space.
Temperature & Lighting: The satanic leaf-tailed gecko prefers lower temperatures than several other types of pet reptiles. The tank’s internal temperature must be maintained between 72 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and at night, it might drop as low as 60 to 65 degrees.
You won’t need to install a basking light because this gecko doesn’t actually require a place to sun itself in the enclosure. But, you should be using a 12 hour on, 12 hour off cycle for your lighting.
Although some claim that adding additional UVB lighting is important, this is basically a question of preference. It won’t hurt to add a UVB bulb to the enclosure, and your evil leaf-tailed gecko will benefit from an extra burst of UVB light.
Humidity: Your satanic leaf-tailed gecko needs a lot of dampness in its habitat. In actuality, the humidity level should be steady between 70% and 85%.
Water: The droplets that emerge after misting will provide all the water your satanic leaf-tailed gecko needs. They will ingest water droplets from the substrate, the plants, or the tank’s side.
Food: Food is a vital component of caring for satanic leaf-tailed geckos and will have a significant impact on their health and lifespan.
Your gecko needs to eat insects like crickets, spiders, flies, cockroaches, and snails because it is an insectivore. Be sure that no combination you choose has a width greater than the gecko’s neck.
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