Caging

Uroplatus phantasticus is a surprisingly hardy gecko. But, of course, the closer we get the caging environment to their liking the stronger they are! In describing caging and other husbandry I will share what I do. I make no claim that this is the only way to be successful and can point to numerous others who do things differently and raise up healthy geckos. All I will do here is share what has worked for me.

How Big Does The Cage Need To Be?

The size of the cage necessary to keep phants is definitely dependent on how many you are keeping in the same cage. Phants are able to be kept in a cage in pairs or trios and many breeders have done this for many years successfully. At Misty Mountain Phants, though, we keep each of ours in their own cage. There are conjugal visits on a regular basis, but each gecko has their own space. We keep our phants individually in vivariums that measure 12″ x 12″ x 18″ high. We make extensive use of the Exo-Terra Mini/Tall Terrariums.

We have had great success with one adult per 12″x12″x18″ terrarium. We do raise babies in this size cage, but also will start them off in the Exo-Terra Nano/Tall terrarium which is 8″x8″x12″ or else Dragon Strand Nursery Cages

Although we will be showing a set-up in a 12″ x 12″ x 18″ cage, consider that your phant is a very active lizard. The larger the cage you provide for your phant the more activity you will see. They may not seem like they do much when you observe them during the day draped across a branch, but when the lights go out it is amazing how much they jump around. Even a cage up to 24″ x 24″ x 48″ would make a great environment for a phant – even a single phant! The bigger the properly set-up cage the better!

How Do I Set Up A Cage?

I set up all my cages to have a soil floor and live plants growing. Although I use fake vines for cover on a regular basis, I strive for a living environment. I dabble in bio-active, but this is not a focus of mine.

The first step is to create the soil layer. For this I use the standard soil and drainage strategy used by dart frog hobbyists. At the bottom layer I place about 1″ of clay balls that will form my drainage layer. On top of that I place a layer of shade cloth as a barrier to the couple of inches of soil I place on top. Plants are planted in the soil and I often put a leaf litter on top – especially in my female cages.

Clay Ball Drainage Layer

This is where all the water will be stored. I use clay balls as they will not degrade by being wet. This layer is put in to give the water in the system a place to gather and sit without soaking the soil and turning it into mud. The purpose of our next item, the fabric barrier, is to ensure that the soil and the clay ball layer do not intermingle in a muddy mess.

I get my clayballs from Amazon in a large bag. They are called “Hydroton”,”Leca”, or Hydroballs. If you have only one cage then a single smaller bag will do. Obviously, the size of the cage floor print will determine how much you need. If you are using the 12″ x 12″ x 18″ terrarium then one 2.5 lb bag should do fine.

Lay down about one inch of clay balls. This is enough water storage for me. Since the terrariums are enclosed and watertight the only loss of water is through evaporation. Thus we will have to be mindful how much water we put into the system. We desire the water level to be, at maximum, just touching the bottom of the soil layer. It may take some refining to strike a balance.

This bag of clay balls will carry you through setting up one 12″ x 12″ footprint cage.

When you have a whole row of cages to fix up!

Fabric Barrier

The fabric barrier’s purpose is to keep the soil separate from the drainage layer. If there is a breach in the barrier the soil will leech into the drainage layer and there will be a muddy mess. The idea is that the water drains through the soil so it does not saturate that soil layer. The healthy system has water moving through, not sticking around in large amounts.

At Misty Mountain Phants we use 90% shade cloth, but any water permeable barrier will work.

Soil Layer

Anything you put in the soil will be staying in your vivarium because there is no way out. Thus we use organic soil. ABG mix or any other soil intended to be used in a vivarium is acceptable. We have been using Reptisoil

This bag of clay balls will carry you through setting up one 12″ x 12″ footprint cage.

When you have a whole row of cages to fix up!

Leaf Litter

Leaf litter is an important ingredient for a woodland floor. Those of us breeding phants recognize leaf litter as a prime location for the laying of eggs so we especially make sure the cages with females have a layer of leaves. We use leaves that we gather ourselves.

The leaf litter at the bottom of the cage is part of the over-all environment. The leaves insulate the soil from desiccation and create a micro-climate within and underneath.

Leaf litter is important for breeders of phantasticus as it is here that the females will look to lay their eggs. At Mist Mountain Phants we like to do partial leaf litter where we will cover half the soil floor with leaves. This allows different humidities at ground level. The female is then able to choose what level of cover she desires for the laying of her eggs.

And, with the conditions acceptable to the lady phants, you will be privileged to have the chance to hatch out one of these tiny dragons. The white shape under these leaves is an egg. Be very careful when disturbing the leaf litter in a cage with a female that has had contact with a male!

Phant Plants

Uroplatus phantasticus literally hang around. You will find them sprawled out, hanging, and in the most unnatural positions. This, of course, is their defense. By looking like dead leaves hanging off of branches they can avoid looking like something good to eat. We make sure there is a substantial branch selection that they can do just that. Although they will hang off of plants just as much, we can fill their cage with beautiful plants and rely on the branches to provide the solid perching that plants, especially the smaller varieties available at retail, sometimes fail to provide. Between both the plants and branches, the phant should be able to find a good hanging spot.

Plant selection is pretty simple. For the cage we are using, the 12″x 12″ x 18″ Terrarium, we shop the 3″ pot section of our home improvement store nursery section. Of course, any appropriately sized plant can be used. Phants are not known to nibble on plant leaves so the toxicity is not a direct concern. We do not know if there are any plants that escaped crickets would eat, be not toxic to the cricket, but then toxic to the phant who eats the cricket. (that was a mouthful). I say this not to create concern, but to acknowledge that things are never clearcut. Suffice to say that I have used a wide selection of indoor plants and have had no issue with plant toxicity.

I gently rinse the leaves before using the plant in the terrarium. I then remove the plant from the pot and inspect the root ball. I am looking for any insects or spiders that are tagging along. A spider in a cage where a baby phant hatches is a heartbreaking combination that can lead to disaster. So I am obsessive about ensuring that spiders are nowhere near my cages.

Pesticides are a concern, but most plants I have access to are from nurseries that use systemic pesticides and so they are internal to the plant. Those I cannot wash off and it just has to dissipate over time. But this process does not affect the geckos.

It is very important for me to have sufficient leaf cover in my cages as I use UVB to provide for vitamin D3. Even though I use the low UV Index of 1 in my cages I want to give my phants the ability to choose how much they expose and how much they hide. The more choices they have the better they can take care of themselves.

Below is an example of some plants that I have used in my cages.

Branching the Abode de Phant

I make sure each cage is filled with both a variety of plants and branches to offer a wide variety of perching, hanging, and highway areas. I make sure the branch structure gives my phants access to every area in the cage. The plants then fill in the cage space with hiding places.

I use a variety of diameters in my cages. While many of the Uroplatus species enjoy thick, vertical branches, phants make use of horizontal branches and thin, fanning out sticks from which to hang like dead leaves.

I use  glass cages extensively. For these, I use pieces of velcro stuck to the sides to provide grip and I use friction to hold the branches in place.

A good phant cage will combine a network of branches and a dense leaf cover that allows travel to any part to the cage and sleeping with any level of exposure to UVB.

Simple stick-on piece of velcro can provide the grip necessary to friction-hold branches in place. Phants are not known to be trouble-making cage inhabitants and are unlikely to hold parties rowdy enough to knock them loose. That said, they are quite active jumping around at night so make sure the branches are firmly installed.

Conclusion

We Keepers of the Phant are lucky in that our subjects lend themselves so nicely to us creating a gorgeous, lush environment for them. We can enjoy the beautiful environments even without pointing out to our guests that there is actually a mythical beast incarnate hanging right in front of their eyes! Usually, we see pictures of cages of breeders. These are generally around the minimum size necessary. If you are keeping a phant for pleasure then consider going larger. Create an incredible environment! Sure, that makes it more difficult to see your gecko, but that just makes it all the more special when you do see your miniature gargoyle slinking through the branches. Come spy on your gecko at night and you may be surprised how active and easily seen they actually are!

Allow getting your phantasticus to be your first step into an enormously incredible world of lush vivarium environments!