African Fat-Tailed Geckos and Care

African Fat-Tailed Geckos (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus) commonly called AFT's or 'fatties' are another gecko gaining popularity over the past year or so ~ AFT's inhabit a wide range of habitats ranging from dry savannahs and open woodlands through to rocky foothills and river-sides stretching across West Africa from Senegal across Ghana, Nigeria and into Northern Cameroon.
Like the Leopard Gecko, AFT's have true eyelids and clawed toes as opposed to adhesive toe pads, are nocturnal insectivores and also share the same classification of Gekkonidae ~ subfamily Eublepharinae.
The most common varieties or types of AFT seen are the Striped morph and the Banded type both of which are naturally found in the wild, another morph becoming more readily available is the Amel or Tangerine Albino ~ there are examples of all three to be found on the My Gecko page. Other morphs are slowly making their appearance slowly include the Whiteout, Bluetail, Ghost, Caramel to name a few.
AFTs are slightly smaller then leos, measuring on average between seven and eight inches and having stockier bodies and head with smaller feet, like leos though they can drop their tails in a process called caudal autotomy and although they will eventually grow a new one, the regenerated tail will be different to the original, appearing more rounded, smooth and stumpy. Although AFTs are somewhat more delicate then leos they can, with care and patience, become ideal geckos as pets.

Although much of the basic care for AFTs is similar to Leopard geckos there are a number of differences, notably the humidity, which will be covered in the sections below, another point worth bearing in mind is the fact that despite growing in popularity and growing numbers being bred by hobbyists and breeders wild caught AFT's are still being imported into this country and sold either in shops or by importers. Many of these AFTs are usually heavily burdened with parasites, worms and are extremely stressed ~ sadly many do not make it ~ so I would urge people to buy from either reputable shops or breeders where the AFTs are Captive Bred and not Wild Caught.

First step is is pretty much the same as a Leopard Gecko set-up with buying the equipement and housing for your expected new arrivals ~ I recommend getting this set-up at least a week or two beforehand to ensure everything is working ~ here's a basic guide list suitable for a single adult AFT

1 x vivarium or tank ~ 24L x 12w x 12h
1 x heatmat and thermostat
1x digital thermometer (preferably one with a probe)
1 x water bowl
1 x humid hide
2 x hide
1 x calci-dish
Substrate
Livefood
Supplements ~ Calcium powder (ie: Calypso or similar), vitamin supplement (ie: Nutrabol or similar)
Other decor as wanted.

Heating ~ The heatmat should be placed on the floor at one end of the viv/tank so that it covers approximately one third to one half of the floor with the connected thermostat set at 88*F-92*F/ 31*C-33*C so that a gradient is provided from warm to cool so that the AFT can thermoregulate.

Lighting ~ AFTs are nocturnal so no lighting is necessary if the viv is in a normal well-lit room to provide a day/night cycle ... if natural daylight via a window is not available then a lighting system kept on a timer with regular settings can achieve this. If wanted small, low wattage lighting in the blue and red spectrum can be used for night viewing. It is important that any lighting used does not overheat the viv or tank.

Substrate & Humidity ~ I've found that while AFTs need a damp area for shedding, laying and extra humidity etc, they seem to prefer and need a dry area for hunting and general usage so I use a mix of tiles, lino and slate etc for substrate and provide the extra humidity AFTs require by using larger, deeper moist hides part-filled with damp eco-earth which AFTs love to dig in. I also keep the humidity slightly higher by regular spraying of the moist-hide not the viv/tank itself as having the environment too humid can cause potential respiratory problems or fungal infections.

Cleaning ~ AFTs like leos are, on the whole, quite clean and will pick one area to defecate in; this allows for easier regular cleaning ~ I put small squares of kitchen-paper in the toilet area which I just remove and replace with clean daily along with removing any dead crickets, debris etc. Water dishes should be cleaned often and regularly; this prevents any build-up of algea and more importantly bacteria. I would recommend cleaning the entire viv or tank along with all decor at least every month.

Feeding, Livefood & Gutloading ~ As insectivores AFTs will eat a wide variety of livefood such as crickets, locusts, roaches and mealworms. All livefood should be well gutloaded and dusted with either calcium or vits/D3 ~ for more indepth notes on livefood, gutloading and supplementation please read the main care guides Here ~ sizewise the livefood fed to your AFT should be no bigger then the gap between it's eyes to prevent possible choking.

Buying your first AFT ~
As with leos there are two ways of buying an AFT, either through a shop or through a private breeder and there are things including, importantly, are the available AFTs captive-bred or wild-caught imports.
• Check to see if the AFTs are kept in crowded and/or dirty conditions?
• Do they look healthy and alert with fat tails, do any of them have discharges from the nose or wounds etc or any signs of fungal infections from too humid conditions?
• Are there signs of bad sheds with either accumilated dry skin on toes or toes missing plus is there dried or split skin on the underneath of their tails?
• Are young AFTs or those under 6 inches in length being kept on sand or a loose particle substrate?
Crowded conditions can lead to some being bullied by others and - especially if the conditions are unclean - AFTs like leos can be stressed with an increased risk of disease spreading and poor health. (more on this in the Health section)
• What sex are the AFTs and how old?
Smaller, younger AFTs have slightly different requirements and can require greater care then older AFTs/adults. Female AFTs can be kept together if the tank/viv is large enough and a watch is kept on them for any bullying or fighting as females do not always get on together ~ for this reason I always advise having a spare set-up incase you have to seperate them. Males cannot be kept together as they are territorial and will fight. Likewise I would not keep a male and female together unless breeding and then only for a short period ~ males can harass and stress a female with continuing attempts to mate.
• What are the AFTs being fed on?
Different shops/breeders all have their prefered diet for their geckos ~ some feed a combination of livefood while others may stick to just one or two types ~ some AFTs won't eat anything other then what they are used to so if change is required it's best done gradually.
• Finally; if you are buying a second AFT (or more) at a later stage I always recommend quarentining them for a minimum of 3 months to ensure they are healthy. Don't assume that all captive breed shop or breeder bought AFTs are parasite free.
I always recommend that AFTs especially should be checked for parasites and worms at least twice a year.

Sexing ~
AFTs can usually be reliably sexed by the time they are about 5-6 months old ~ although experianced keepers may be able to do so a lot earlier; males generally are bigger and heavier then females but this isn't always a reliable way of sexing them ~ this is best done when the males start to develope two distinct hemipenal bulges just below the vent area and a v-shaped row of deep pores infront of the vent, with older males these pores can exude a waxy liquid. It should be noted here that contrary to popular belief the males hemipenal bulges are not caused by testicular development ~ the testes are actually held internally. Females generally only have a faint v-shape pore outline with small or no bulges although some females can show enlarged bulges.


*Male AFT showing pronounced waxy pores and distinct hemipenal bulges*	Female AFT showing faint pore-line and a single bulge

Breeding ~ To come

Incubation ~ To come

Hatchlings ~ To come

Finally ~ Congrats you have your new African Fat-Tailed Gecko and he or she is currently checking out their new home ~ I'd advise that you leave them to do so quietly and with as little disturbance or handling as possible.. instead let them get used to you and your smell over a period of a few weeks by placing your hand flat on the viv/tank floor for a few minutes every day.

If you have any queries then please feel free to contact me.

*The information written on my website and in my various care sheets has been gathered
through my own personal experiance and research over the years ~
Please do not use or replicate any information or photographs without permission ~ thankyou *

SleepyDee Geckos