African Fat Tail Geckos - by Chris Newsom - White Sands Reptiles

The African Fat-tail Gecko is a Eublepharine gecko also. They are CB (Captive Bred) like leopard geckos, but each year more animals are imported from West Africa. They are native to West Africa, from Nigeria west to Senegal.
The scientific name of the African Fat-tail Gecko is Hemitheconyx caudicinctus. The name means: Hemi = half or divided/ theconyx = box claw or nail/ caudicinctus = ring-tailed. This gecko is another gecko that possesses eyelids and lacks sticky toe pads.
Fat-tail geckos are larger than leopard geckos. They can reach up to 12 inches in male geckos, but are normally about 10-11 inches. Females rarely reach 9 inches. They are shorter limbed and more robust (heavier bodied) in body size than leopard geckos. Hatchling fat-tails are about the same size as a leopard gecko hatchling, 3 1/2 inches.
There are now color/pattern phases in African Fat-tail geckos. There is the normal, striped, peach banded, and the leucistic. The fat-tail's coloration is dark brown and tan banding that extends all the way to the middle of the tail and then the banding is dark brown and white.
In striped individuals, there is a white stripe that begins between the eyes and stops at the base of the tail. This pattern is a recessive trait meaning that in order to express the trait, you have to breed either 2 heterozygous animals (referred to as het. which means they carry the trait, but it is not expressed), 2 homozygous (meaning that the striped trait is expressed) , or breed a Het. animal to a Homozygous animal.
In peach phase animals, the tan bands are a peach coloration. And in leucistic animals, the dark bands are white and the tan bands are very light tan. There has yet to be an albino fat-tail produced as of this writing, but when it is produced, it will be VERY expensive because leucistic fat-tails are $3,000!!
Fat-tails are inhabitants of the dry, rocky woodlands, and savannahs. They are terrestrial geckos like all other eublapharines (except for Aeluroscalabotes), secluding themselves beneath natural and man made shelters. They will also seek for abandoned small desert dwelling mammal burrows to hide in.
When you select an African fat-tail gecko, be sure that the animal is active, bright eyed, and has a good amount of fat reserves in their tail. Avoid imported animals with thin or broken tails. Experienced herpetoculturists are most likely to be able to successfully acclimate these animals.
Many of the imported fat-tails are dehydrated, stressed, and diseased. A commonly noticed pattern in newly imported fat-tails is to start out looking healthy, but then to start declining in the first weeks after the purchase.

The following steps (according to Philippe de Vosjoli) will be required for acclimation:
1. House animals individually in set-ups as described below.
2. Keep at 82-85 degrees F.
3. Offer water (at all times) and food.
4. If the animal(s) you have selected are losing weight and becoming weakened, have stools checked by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Imported fat-tailed geckos can harbor flagellate protozoans and other causes of gastroenteritis (diarrhea) which must be treated if the animal(s) are to be established. Metronidazole at a dosage of 100-150 mg/kg orally can be used successfully in the treatment of flagellate protozoans. Repeat in 2 weeks.
5. If animals are not readily feeding on their own, one should consider the 2 following procedures. Initially, a highly recommended procedure is to assist feed with an eye-dropper a mixture of banana baby food, Nekton-Tonic® (obtainable through specialized reptile stores) and water mixed to a smooth liquid consistency. This mix is usually readily taken by newly imported animals. It will provide calories, water, and vitamins without the stress of force-feeding.

Another alternative which is best used with animals that are relatively vigorous and with some body weight is to hand feed them 1 or 2 crickets every 1-2 days. This is an easy process. Prekill a cricket by crushing its head with forceps (tweezers). Dip it in a vitamin/mineral mix. Grab the fat-tailed gecko behind the head with one hand. With the other hand, hold the cricket, poke at the side of the mouth. When one does this, fat-tailed geckos will usually open their mouths and try to bite sideways. During that process, insert the cricket in the mouth and immediately place the gecko back in its cage. Fat-tails will usually eat crickets hand fed in this manner. With thin animals, water must be available at all times. Rehydrating by offering an electrolyte solution with a soft disposable eyedropper (available through medical supply stores) can be beneficial.

It is important to stay on top of it during the acclimation period which can last 1 to 2 months.
African fat-tails can be kept like leopard geckos. The cage should be a couple of more degrees warmer than a leopard gecko setup, around 86-90 at the warmest part of the cage and 82-84 in the coolest. The animals should be kept at cooler temps. for pre-breeding conditioning (see breeding section).
African fat tails can be kept and cared for just the same as a leopard gecko. Females can be kept together just like female leopard geckos can, but males once again SHOULD NEVER BE HOUSED TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY'LL FIGHT WITH EACHOTHER POSSILBLY TO THE DEATH!!
Substrate for fat tails can be fine grade orchid bark. Fat tails require higher relative air humidity than leopard geckos and the bark plus misting the cage 2-3 times a week will help. A plastic shoe box with peat moss in it can also help the gecko get its required higher relative air humidity. Just cut a hole in the lid of the shoe box that is 1 1/2- 1 3/4 inches in diameter so the gecko can egt in and out. The box will more than likely be used as an egg-laying site for females.
African fat-tailed geckos are basically bred the same way leopard geckos are. Instead of keeping them in a group setup, try keeping them separate from each other except when you bring them together to mate. Many a hobbyist gets a little flustered after breeding leopard geckos with ease and then not having the same success with fat tails. Infertility is the main problem and keeping the animals separate except for breeding helps this problem.
Fat-tailed geckos need a winter cool down in order to breed successfully. Start cooling them in october or November for 2 months or longer. The temperature will the geckos are hibernating should drop to 68-72 F. No food should be offered. Water should be in the cage at all times, but don't spray the cage.
After the 2 or more month cooling period, put the geckos back onto a normal schedule. Food should be offered every other day (with my female leopard geckos I feed them crickets every day except for one day a week, only in the breeding season, when I feed them pinkie mice. By doing this, I have plump females that will be able to lay good eggs as long as they keep producing eggs.). Same with fat-tails, offer pinkies (newborn mice)with their rumps dipped in calcium once a week. This will help in the female producing eggs with good shells + the nutrients that the mouse itself has.
A few weeks after the geckos are established back onto their normal schedule, start to introduce a single female into a single male's cage. Once copulation has be observed, remove the female. If the geckos don't breed at first (more than likely it will be the female that doesn't want to breed), try introducing her again in 2-3 days. If she's still not ready, just keep trying to introduce her every 2-3 days. Eventually they will breed.
To insure fertile eggs after the female has laid her first clutch, introduce the geckos again 1-2 days after she has laid. Monitor female closely during breeding. Gravid females must be cared for extremely well so that they have not problems later (i. e. being skinny, egg binding, etc.).
Eggs laying itself takes about 2-3 weeks. As egg laying nears, check the cage at least 2-3 times a day. Fat-tail eggs dry out faster than leopard gecko eggs and this is the one of the main problems about getting good eggs. I've noticed in my leopard geckos that when it's time for females to lay eggs soon, that they get ready to shed just like a pre-egg laying shed in snakes. About 1-2 days after the gecko sheds, the eggs are laid. It's this time that I constantly check the egg-laying box for eggs or signs of eggs being laid. One of the most obvious signs that eggs have been laid is that a female will look skinny (not skinny like she hasn't eaten) or there's a small mound in the eggs box where the female has piled dirt over the egg laying site.
Fat-tail eggs are incubated in the same way as leopard gecko eggs. If you want female geckos, incubate at 80-82 F. If you want males, incubate at 88-90 F. And if you want a mixture of male to females, incubate at 84-86 F. The recommended incubation temperature is 85 F.
Hatchling fat-tails are smaller and more delicate than leopard gecko hatchlings. Hatchlings should be housed individually in shoe boxes. Use paper towels or fine grade orchid bark. I use this stuff called Bed-A-Beast. It's ground up coconut shells. I keep it warm and moist so that the geckos will have no problems shedding. The hatchling(s) will not feed until 3-4 days later when they shed their first time. Until they shed, the geckos should be kept warm, have water at all times, and spray the cage once a day to keep the adequate relative air humidity. There should also be a small shelter so the gecko will feel secure. After the gecko has shed, it will need to be fed 3 week old crickets coated with a mineral & vitamin/calcium supplement. Feed the gecko every day, but feed it only small amounts ( like 3-4 or the hatchling may regurgitate them). Make sure not to give the gecko too many or too large of crickets because this may traumatize the small gecko.