WEEK 52!! Wrapping it up FINALLY after a long break, this week is the Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus!!!!!

Well, thanks to everybody that came over here to look at some of my personal favorite species of reptile and amphibian to make it into captivity :) Of course this list is finite, and the species of incredible cold blooded creatures is nearly endless, I will continue to update this blog with new and exciting species! This week is the Sphaerodactylus nigropunctatus! A relatively small gecko, occasionally referred to as 'microgecko' is found in tropical islands such as the Bahamas, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and some other very small remote islands in the Caribbean sea. I really enjoy this gecko for obvious reasons. Straight up, their patterns are just ridiculous, and the sexual dimorphism exhibited truly ads to their appeal. These geckos are known to be mainly terrestrial residing in the leaf litter on the tropical forest floor. Being crepuscular, they are most active during dusk and at dawn. They feed on very small insects and in captivity will do fine on pinhead crickets and fruit fly's. Without further ad`oue~ I present to you.......The Black Spotted Least Gecko :D Special thanks to Jason Pierce for taking and letting me use this photo for the blog!

WEEK 51! One more left after this one. This week is the elusive Afroedura hawequensis!!!! wtf?!?!

Indeed, you may be asking yourself, WHAT THE FAQ is an Afroedura hawequensis?! I really don't know either, but these beauties were brought to my attention after pleas to geckoholics worldwide in an attempt to wrap up this series with a final BANG! Residing in South Africa and commonly referred to as the Hawequa Flat gecko or Cape rock gecko, I really could not find more than one crummy picture or any information on these extremely rare geckos online. These pictures and all the information that I know about these geckos came from Jon Boone (www.jonboone.com) and therefore cannot take credit for that! Pictured are two forms, a Southern form which is the majority of the pictures, and the Northern form. Enjoy!

WEEK 50!!!! 2 more to go! This week: Woodworthia brunneus!!!

Another live bearing reptile on the database of awesomeness, this gecko, like animals in the Naultinus genus are endemic to New Zealand. Commonly known as the Canterbury gecko, these amazing creatures were once categorized as a Hopolodactylus and subsequently re-classified into the Woodworthia genus. These animals pictured were photographed by Jon Boone (http://www.jonboone.com/), and hopefully in the preferrably not so distant future will have some in my care =) It would appear that the females pictured are quite gravid (or just extremely obese), and it would be nice to see some offspring from these devilish beauties in due time! Well, stay tuned for two more hard hitting herps in the weeks to come!!! Enjoy.....

WEEK 49, Three more left after this one! This week is the Eublepharis hardwickii aka The East Indian Leopard Gecko!!!

This large Eublepharidae is native to Eastern India, ie. Bangladesh, Chittagong, Russelconda, and even Anamallai, wherever that is?! lol just kidding. There's not too much written on these geckos, even in the eyelash gecko book that was published. These pictures were taken by Jon Boone (www.jonboone.com) of animals produced at his facility and from their looks they are not only very big, but the black and yellow's are really impressive. From what I have been told, these geckos prefer a moist environment unlike the typical 'leopard gecko' where that term seems to encompass a broad array of species. If you'd like to read a little bit more information and 'like' them on facebook you can click here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eublepharis-hardwickii/102592406462377?sk=info Here are some pics of an animal that just emerged from the egg and others that are younger juveniles. Enjoy!

WEEK 48, 4 more to go.....This week: Phelsuma guimbeaui!

Ok, so I've decided to add another Phelsuma gecko to the countdown just because I really like the looks of these guys right here. They are simply amazing in coloration, pattern, and they get quite large which I like. They are very fast geckos that were introduced on several Hawaiian island and now a days people are catching the wild populations over there to help increase genetic diversity in local collections.  As all Phelsuma are CITES listed species and I do not believe that they are being exported from Madagascar any more. But please correct me if I am wrong, it wouldn't be the first time. Here are some pictures of my captives, enjoy! :D

WEEK 46!!!! Breaking 4K on page views, this week brings in a whole new genus and gecko: Rhoptropus boultoni!!!!

Endemic to the Southern parts of Africa including Namibia, and Angola Boulton's namib day gecko is not your 'ordinary' malagasy day gecko. These animals are commonly found absorbing heat on rock outcrops, and I have noticed that they really like the hot temperatures as they like to congregate under my spotlight which can easily get to 100F. They are arboreal in nature, and are not commonly seen in the hobby, but I could see that changing as they are an interesting captive. Here are a few pics. I apologize for taking longer than usual to update the species on this page, and therefore will have a few species in rapid succession to catch myself up :D Oli

WEEK 45, lemme pull out this .45 ACP and blast at will! This week we got the hot Paroedura androyensis!

Another beauty from Madagascar and the 2nd Paroedura on the countdown, these animals just have some awesome character. Preferring the environment on the warmer and dryer side these animals simply are beautiful and eat wonderfully! No force feedings needed here folks, these are not picky eaters Accompanied by beautiful patterns that vary significantly from animal to animal, they have some really cool tail action, especially when they have been fed. They wave their tails around real slowly which I believe is to distract the prey so that they can lunge and dis-orient the insects. Here are a few pics:

WEEK 44!!!! Got my .44 mag out!!! 8 more, let's go! This week=Chondrodactylus angulifer!

This gecko is another gecko from the Western Africa and it overlaps it's territory with previous countdown species such as the Ptenopus, Colopus, and the Pachydactylus rugosus. This beautiful gecko pictures can vary considerably in color and shading depending on locality, and there is known to be a larger subspecies (Chondrodactylus angulifer namibiensis). The pictured animals are from the locale of Little Karoo, and tend to have darker coloring/blotching than the more typical reddish varieties. They are all very very cool. They are a very bulky framed gecko that can definitely hold it's own and doesn't seem to have any problem beasting crickets or other small invertebrates shamelessly. This gluttonous savage is not shy when it comes to eating which is a characteristic I relish in an animal. Enjoy!

WEEK 43!!! Only 9 weeks more to go, damn....Time is flying by!!! This week I'm repping the Asaccus genus including the gallagheri.....

There's just no common name for these geckos right here, but seriously they are just crazy looking! Somewhat like a C. elok, but more colorful, and these geckos are from Morocco. I really don't know all that much about these geckos nor do I personally keep any, these pictures were taken and their use has been authorized by Jon Boone (www.jonboone.com <----excellent reference page for an immense number of gecko species!) Perhaps one day these animals will be in my care mmmuuhhaaahaahahaha. lol Here are some pics of an extraordinary genus including the gallagheri, caudivoluvus, and platyrhynchus.

WEEK 42, ONLY ten more after this one!!! This week is the vibrant and stunning Panther Chameleon aka Furcifer Paradalis

Ok, so here's another fine example of a malagasy lizard that's characteristics are very peculiar to a traditional gecko keeper such as myself. This specie comes from the Northern tropical forests of Madagascar, and their individual color schemes and patterns or lack there of is dependent on the locale that the animal comes from. Locales such as Ambilobe, Sambava, Tamatave, Nosy Be, and Ankify to name a few have their own populations of Panther Chameleons and the colors vary greatly from each of these areas. Females are more plain in color, going from browns to greys and bearing pinks and oranges as well, while the males are the colorful animals. These animals really catch one's eye regardless of what you are or are not into, even if you are a dog person ;) lol Here are some pics.........

WEEK 41, only a few months left of this...This week is the helmeted gecko aka Geckonia chazaliae!!!

So these beauties are really cool little geckos coming from the coastal areas of Morocco and parts of Senegal. The helmeted geckos as they are commonly referred to are very interesting and curious looking animals that have a ridge which almost resembles a triceratops somewhat in my eyes. These guys grow to be about 3.5-4 inches, and that is from the tip of their nose to the tip of the tail, not SVL. They are easily cared for with a sand substrate and a few hides with hot spot temps around 90. Their native coastal environment is known to be quite humid, even though Morocco is typically a dry desert environment. These geckos eagerly devour small insects of many varieties, and they are completely terrestrial in nature and have no toe pads for climbing vertical surfaces. A new addition to Raw doggie family, I find that these geckos have a special appeal to me for some reason? Perhaps it is that they are such good eaters and they are very bulky which is attractive, but they emit a good hora, and their vibes are truly positive and uplifting. lol Here are some pics......

WEEK 40, only 12 more left after this one! This week is the Rhacodactylus chahoua!

Another New Caledonian gecko that has become very popular as of the last several year, this gecko in captivity either reigns from the Mainland or from the Pine Island. Pictured are animals from the Pine Island since they are in my opinion more impressive color and pattern wise. Their mossy and lichen pattern effectively disguises them in their native forests. These arboreal predators also consume fruit and nectars and grow to be relatively large and as the genus states are closely related to some of the other popular New Caledonian geckos such as the leachianus, crested gecko, sarasinorum, trachy's, and auriculatus. Here are a few pics of some choice animals from the Leapin' Leachies lineages.....