When I was 10 years old I was helping my neighbor move a stack of firewood. In the middle of the stack I found a clutch of five lined skink eggs. I packed them in rotting wood and placed them in my garage for incubation. A few months later I had baby skinks running all over and I strategically placed them around my house where I thought they’d grow best.

How It All Began

When I was only about 12 I started spending Saturday mornings reading care sheets instead of watching cartoons. How exciting, leopard geckos are temperature sexed? That’s how you make a super hypo? The weird part of all of that is that I never imagined actually owning a gecko, I mostly just enjoyed learning about them.

After a visit to a pet store one day I acquired a larval tiger salamander. Over the span of a year and a half my collection of amphibians grew as I read and learned more about herps in general. One day I found a pet store pretty close to my house where I eventually got a job. Here I spoke to the owner about leopard geckos and asked if he ever got any in. He had one in stock for me the next week.

After getting a job just past the ripe old age of 15 I became the resident gecko expert. I had the opportunity to work at a reptile show with the pet store in Florida one weekend. I took some money out of the bank and headed for the expo! My parents were surprised, to say the least, when I returned with 13 new geckos. My mom asked what I’d do and I promptly replied “breed them, of course”.

What I Learned

Of course everyone likes hearing about my life, right? Well, I wanted to take what I learned from this experience and hopefully help others who are considering owning geckos for more than just a hobby at a young age.

The Biggest Challenge

What do you think the biggest challenge would be for a teenage gecko breeder? Finances? Room for a gecko collection? Surely not free time. My biggest challenge was gaining a reputation in the field. The gecko breeders I knew and still know to this day (Golden Gate Geckos, Bright Albino, HISSS, and so on) took me in like one of their own, and treated me like their peer. However, attending reptile shows and on forums many people talked down to me. Of course, who would trust a teen? Even more important, who would let a teen correct them in a public place? Fighting my age was a great lesson for my future business ventures, however. I wouldn’t take that back for anything.

Greatest Lessons I Learned

Here are some lessons I learned and why I’d recommend to any teen to consider breeding geckos:

• Understanding of Finances: While keeping geckos I had to manage my money wisely. Not only did having the income from my gecko business help me become more financially independent at a young age, it also helped me learn when to spend money and when to hold on to savings.
• Dealing with People: In business you meet life long friends and quickly learn how to identify the difficult ones. This was a powerful lesson for me to learn at a young age and I still use those talents and will for the rest of my life.
• Managing my time: Being a teen is the perfect time to get involved in something. I think you have more free time at this stage in your life than any time until retirement. However, I had to make sure I carried through on responsibilities such as cleaning and feeding. This was one of my challenges and times got really tough during big breeding seasons when I was alone in all the work I had to do.
• How to Negotiate: The first couple of times I sold geckos or bought them at a reptile show I was intimidated about negotiating the price. However, it’s a fact of life that happens in all marketplaces. I think I’m still perfecting this skill but breeding and selling geckos helped for sure.

In Closing: Do It

Consider your circumstances before you jump head first into a gecko collection. It was difficult for me to sell my collection before I left for college and I wouldn’t recommend getting many geckos if you plan on going to school soon or moving a long distance. Understand that your parents aren’t going to care for these critters for you.

However, take time to research, ask questions, and take the initiative to start in the gecko business if you have a passion for it. As always, I’m here to answer any questions and help in any way I can.

General Housing Considerations

Orientation: The enclosure will require a vertical or horizontal orientation depending on whether your gecko is primarily terrestrial or arboreal.  Smaller arboreal geckos can sometimes be kept in an enclosure that is wider than it is tall as long as the height is appropriate for their climbing needs.  Similarly, terrestrial geckos can be kept in a vertically oriented space if necessary as long as the square footage of the “floor” is adequate for them.  The extra height, in this case, can sometimes be used to create multiple levels with ramps or other pathways to enable them to access these spaces

Ecosystem: Each species of  gecko has certain needs for humidity, moisture, heat, light and cage furniture.  The keeper must take these factors into account when choosing materials and location for the enclosure.  For example, untreated wood is a poor choice for an environment requiring frequent misting, and a tall enclosure may require a more powerful light than a shorter one to insure optimal plant growth.

Location: Gecko enclosures can be situated in a variety of places, some of which are customized for the reptiles and some primarily human living spaces.  There are gecko keepers who are fortunate in their home climate and property to be able to house their collections outdoors for all or part of the year.  Other lucky herpers have been able to build an entire “reptile room” dedicated solely to housing their pets.  Most of us, however, have to integrate our reptiles into their living rooms, family rooms or bedrooms, which brings me to . . .

Aesthetics: There is a continuum, when designing gecko housing.  At one end are the set-ups, usually rack systems, that focus on housing the greatest number of geckos in the most space-efficient manner.  At the other end are elaborate naturalistic vivariums which can be the centerpiece of a living room or office.  There are compelling husbandry reasons for either choice.  Proponents of racks point to their geckos’ thriving with the greater privacy that a closed-up system provides.  Those who prefer naturalistic set-ups remark on their geckos’ greater degree and variety of activity as they explore their environment.  What it all comes down to, however, is the keeper’s available space, size of collection, and personal aesthetic sense.  When gecko enclosures share human living space, especially when all members of the household aren’t avid reptile keepers, it’s especially important to design enclosures that visually fit into their designated space and that allow for daily human activities to proceed.

Popular Enclosure Choices

Racks: The most common housing choice for those who have a large number of geckos that they want to keep individually (though group rack enclosures are possible as well) in an organized, space efficient way, is a rack.  Most racks consist of a shelf unit, which may be made of wood, melamine or plastic, and a number of plastic tubs of different sizes which fit snugly on the shelves.  This means that covers aren’t needed for the tubs (the underside of the shelf above serves as the “cover”) as long as air holes are drilled into the tubs.  Tubs can be pulled out for feeding,cleaning or checking up on the geckos. Heating is provided by flexwatt or heat cable attached to the bottom of each shelf or to the back of the unit and is controlled with a thermostat. Rack tubs can be transparent, translucent or opaque.

Aquariums and Vivariums: Many people keep geckos in glass aquariums designed for fish or in front-opening glass reptile cages which are designed for plants and animals and may accommodate a shallow water feature at the bottom.  These glass enclosures usually, though not always, take up more space than a rack.  The animals are accessed by opening the front or the top, rather than sliding the unit out.  Aquariums or vivariums can range from  utilitarian –paper substrate, artificial hides and climbing structures minimal decor– to highly naturalistic with live plants, water features, and sculpted climbing and hiding places

Home-made: Handy people may choose to make their own housing.  Some build enclosures from the ground up along the lines of racks or traditional glass vivariums, choosing their own dimensions, shapes and materials.  Another route is to convert a piece of furniture such as a bureau, display case or TV cabinet into a customized gecko enclosure.  In any case, budget, space, building and design skill and collection size all need to be taken into account before starting off on a building project.

Housing Ideas and Resources

For most of us, skills and money are considerations that require us to be creative in how we house our geckos.  Below are some relatively inexpensive ideas for providing housing that is versatile and attractive:

Do it Yourself: Use the internet as a resource for images and descriptions of how to build racks and naturalistic enclosures.  Gecko Time has a number of DIY articles that provide clear instructions, price lists and accurate photos about how to proceed

Inexpensive Backgrounds: Use “google images” to find pictures of landscapes in the countries from which your geckos originate.  Print them, mount them on nice paper and laminate them.  Tape them behind your enclosure as a background.

The Non-Rack Rack: This can be put together with any multiple shelf unit.  Simply fill the shelves with front opening glass enclosures.  There are several companies that make front-opening enclosures.  For terrestrial geckos, there are enclosures that are half the height of regular aquariums (check out www.glasscages.com’s “stackable” units) which fit more easily on standard shelf units.  It is also possible to turn an aquarium so the open top faces outward and to add doors to the open space (the “Tiki terrarium conversion kit” accomplishes this and is described in this Gecko Time article: How to Build a Naturalistic Terrarium).

The All-in-one Rack:  Many home furnishing and home improvement stores sell plastic drawer sets that consist of 3-4 stacked drawers in a plastic frame.  These can be converted into racks as long as heating can be designed that won’t interfere with the opening and closing of the drawers and that the geckos can’t escape from the space at the top of the drawers.

Ebay and Craigslist: Take advantage of others’ skills and haunt these lists for people selling their creations.  With a little judicious hunting you can find all sorts of interesting constructions at very reasonable prices

Where have all the pictures gone?

Usually our articles are filled with pictures illustrating our text.  Where are they?  We’re waiting for you!  Please send in pictures of your reptile rooms, rack systems, naturalistic vivariums or other interesting housing systems and we’ll publish them next week.

Partial resource list for cages:

Zoo Med naturalistic terrariums: www.zoomed.com/www.exoterra.com

Exo-terra naturalistic terrariums: http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/glass_terrarium.php

Stackable, sliding front and half height glass enclosures: www.glasscages.com

Hand crafted wooden furniture cages: www.cagesbydesign.com

Cages and racks: http://animalplastics.com/

Handcrafted cage and rack systems: http://www.boaphileplastics.com/

Reptile Racks: http://www.freedombreeder.com/reptile-racks.html

Storage tubs and shelving: http://www.sterilite.com/home.html?section=1

Now more often than ever hobbyists are choosing to build planted vivariums over traditional enclosures.  The advantages of a vivarium are tremendous: there’s often much, much less upkeep, they look nicer, and generally herps prefer the extra hiding, climbing, and breeding spaces provided.  They have truly begun to take off in popularity on the reptile side of the hobby over the past couple of years as the advantages have become more apparent.  When set up properly, quick upkeep should be nothing more than cleaning the glass.  While many hobbyists have a firm grasp on the needs of the herps they keep, they might not be completely confident choosing flora (plants) for their vivarium.

Choosing the Flora

Choosing the right flora for a jungle or forest vivarium is absolutely key to the success of the contained ecosystem.  It depends very heavily on the type of animal you’ll be keeping.  Different gecko species call for different humidity levels, lighting, temperatures, and more.  Furthermore, each gecko species has different enclosure size requirements!  It’s very important to keep growth rate and size, conditions, and general “toughness” in mind while choosing flora.  Getting into details on every possible plant combination for each enclosure size would make for one massive article,  so here’s a quick and simple list of some commonly available gecko vivarium appropriate plants.

Safe to use plants in a Gecko Vivarium

Planting

Gargoyle Vivarium

Once you’ve figured out the appropriate plants for your gecko’s vivarium you’ll need to go about planting them.  Different plants require different substrates, so I’d suggest figuring out which plants you’ll be using before adding substrate.  An example of a proper vivarium substrate is a mix of coco, orchid bark, and sphagnum moss.  Straight coco often holds too much moisture allowing plants to rot.  Be sure to follow each plant’s requirements closely! 

To clarify: the substrate should be the last of three parts in building the bottom layers of a vivarium:  clay balls (ie hydroton, hydroballs, etc), a screen separator, and then whichever substrate you use on top.

Click to Enlarge

Mounting Plants

When mounting an epiphyte (air plant) or climber, there are a few different ways to go about it.  We usually use either hot glue or toothpicks depending on the type of plant.  Toothpicks can be pushed into cork or foam backgrounds easily, allowing a better mounting spot.  Tillandsias or Bromeliads with very short stems can be hot glued into place, and if done carefully the hot glue won’t be seen!  Some people use florist wire as well.  Just be careful about leaving sharp edges exposed!  Generally, once mounted, most climbers and bromeliads will throw gripping roots to better hold onto the mounting surface.  Many Neoregelias will simply need a small hole for the stem to be inserted for proper mounting.

[View with PicLens]

Choosing a Ground Cover

Everyone likes the look of a nice green carpet of moss, but it’s not always the best choice for a functional vivarium.  Leaf litter is usually the absolute best choice for maintaining micro fauna levels in a vivarium, and micro fauna is in my opinion one of the most important factors in building a proper vivarium.  (We’ll get into that in another article!)  Impaction is always a concern for any insectivorous gecko owner.  For this reason, use leaf litter that corresponds to the size of your gecko!  Geckos that eat MRP or prepared diets don’t need to worry as much about that since they will not be catching insects on the leaf litter and potentially getting a mouthful of it.  We usually mix a patch or two of moss with leaf litter for a mix of form and function.  Dried mosses are OK but live moss is best.  When acclimating moss it’s very important to keep it moist for the first few weeks.  If moss is allowed to dry it’s very difficult to get most types to reanimate.

Williamsi Vivarium Ground Level

New England Herpetoculture Moss

Processing Flora

This is an important step which is often overlooked when building a vivarium.  Processing a plant should especially be done when purchasing from a garden center or anywhere else where harsh pesticides and fertilizers are used.  Most online terrarium plant suppliers take steps to ensure there are no harmful chemicals introduced to the plants they sell, but processing is a good practice when buying from any source.  It only takes around 5 minutes to protect your vivarium!

Suggested processing solution for non-sensitive flora:

• 1-cup bleach per 1-gallon of water
• Soak for 3 minutes & rinse thoroughly afterward

Suggested processing solution for sensitive non-epiphytic flora:

• Rinse well under a faucet and inspect it closely
• Remove all dirt from roots and rinse very  well before adding it to the vivarium

Suggested processing solution for sensitive air plants:

• Submerge in water overnight
• Inspect closely before adding it to the viv

When treating some plants (namely moss) with bleach, a little touch of color may be lost but should return within a couple weeks.  Don’t let that discourage you!  Co2 treating also works and is generally the safest and gentlest way to process plants, but is usually price prohibitive unless you can find inexpensive dry ice in your area!

Maintenance

After all this, the most important part is maintaining the plants!  Be sure to keep everything properly watered under good lighting.  We suggest 6500K bulbs to keep plants looking bright and healthy, but 6500K and 4500K bulbs have been mixed simultaneously with good results also.  Again, light intensity depends completely on the type of plant you choose so follow each species’ care guide carefully.  UVB bulbs are not necessary for plants although your gecko may do better with one depending on the species you are working with.  As for fertilizing, the vivarium inhabitant’s waste usually does the trick!

Knowledge is Power

The most important tool of any reptile keeper’s trade is information –  information about an animal. Its natural habitat, feeding preferences, temperature and humidity requirements, and breeding behavior among others are the keys to keeping any species successfully. With the following species, information may be hard to gather.  The first thing to do is to try and find someone who already keeps them. Picking the brains of experienced keepers is an excellent way to gain knowledge of the care requirements of any species of animal.  Other good sources are care sheets and books specifically keyed towards the genus or species in question.  However, with the more unusual species, these can be either non-existent or hard to find. In the event that you cannot find a care sheet or book,  looking into the natural habitat of the animal is an excellent way to get a starting point for husbandry.  Does it come from a rainforest or desert? What kind of plant life is found there? What niche does it occupy? What are the average daily temperatures and humidity like?  These types of questions are key in providing the correct environment for your animal.

“Poor Man’s Leachie” (Gehyra marginata)

This species is probably the easiest of the four to maintain.  Gehyra marginata, or the Halmahera Giant Gecko, is often called the “poor man’s leachie” due to their similarities to Rhacodactylus leachianus and their much lower price tag.  Commonly mislabeled as “Vorax” geckos, these animals are in fact a different species than Gehyra vorax, which is extremely rare in US collections. The main difference between the two is eye color.  G. vorax has amber colored eyes, while the much more commonly seen G. marginata has green.  These large, arboreal geckos come from Indonesia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and several other islands in that  region. They can reach up to 13 inches in length, with the average adult being about 10 inches.  These geckos are normally a brown or tan coloration with some saddling, and can become lighter or darker according to the time of day, their mood, temperatures, and other factors..  These lizards are very hardy, and can be maintained similarly to Tokay Geckos.  I keep an adult pair in a Rubbermaid container the equivalent of a 30 gallon aquarium.  Height is important:  these geckos seldom come to the ground.  They are normally very shy, and they appreciate many places to hide and lots of things to climb on.  I provide large branches about the thickness of my wrist, plastic plants, egg crate, and  hollow cork bark tubing to hide in.  Substrate is coco fiber over a drainage layer of Hydroton, and is covered sporadically with sphagnum moss.  G. marginata are from lush, tropical forests and appreciate high humidity.  Heat is provided with a 60 watt nocturnal (red) bulb.  These geckos like temperatures in the mid 80′s (F), with a basking spot of 90 F.  A water dish is always provided, though they seldom use it.  I mist them once a day in the evening to provide an increase in humidity at night.

My Halmahera Giant Geckos are fed a diet consisting of roaches, super worms, and Crested Gecko Diet (CGD).  Believe it or not, they prefer the CGD over anything else. I also provide a dish of calcium powder in the cage and have observed the female eating it.

As far as handling goes, use caution when handling this species.  Some imported adults can be quite aggressive, and obtaining captive bred animals is always preferable.  They are very quick and have delicate skin.  It will tear easily so don’t grab them (grabbing is also a good way to elicit a bite).  Instead, put a bit of honey on your finger and wait patiently near the gecko. These animals have a real sweet tooth, and honey will go a long way towards earning their trust.

It should be noted that these geckos are highly territorial, and keeping multiple animals together should be done with caution.  When pairing animals, watch carefully for signs of incompatibility, and separate immediately if they are seen.  Not all pairs are compatible.  Once established, a pair will breed year round with some regularity.  The eggs are very large and can take up to 5 months to hatch. Hatchlings can be maintained like adults in miniaturized versions of the setup.

These geckos are underrated, in my opinion. They are very easily maintained, extremely hardy, impressive, and have a subtle beauty to them.  As with many species that are commonly sold as imports; more efforts need to be made to establish a captive bred population of these amazing geckos.

“Giant Bent Toed” (Cyrtodactylus irianjayaensis)

These are among my favorite geckos.  These large, semi-terrestrial geckos are often sold as Giant Bent Toed Geckos, Giant Bow Fingered Geckos, or Giant Ring Tailed Geckos.  This species is from Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea,  and is often confused with Cyrtodactylus lousiadensis, an Australian species.  The difference can be found in the stripes: irianjayaensis has a jagged edge to the striped markings while lousiadensis has smooth edges.  They are a large, robust gecko, with adults reaching over 12 inches.  Bent Toed Geckos are still rather rare in collections and more work needs to be done to establish these interesting animals. They come from cool, tropical areas and require high humidity (70-100%).  My pair lives in a 106 quart Sterilite container with a mix of peat moss and coco fiber as a substrate.  I provide sphagnum moss areas, good sized branches and cork bark along with lots of plants to provide the climbing and hiding options these geckos need.  Always provide a hide for these geckos; they require it to feel secure.  An interesting fact about this species is that it will soak on a fairly regular basis, so provide a water area large enough for the gecko to fit in it.  Misting should be done at least twice a day to maintain high humidity levels.

These geckos are voracious predators and will consume quite large prey items.  I offer my Giant Bent Toed Geckos roaches of two species, along with pinkie mice every so often and super worms.  Feeders should be dusted with a quality calcium powder at every other feeding, every feeding if the female is laying eggs.

Cyrtodactylus have a reputation for being delicate, but I’ve found these geckos to be hardy and easily kept if the requirements are met.  There are many species in this genus, and although not as brightly colored as some geckos, they are all active and inquisitive animals that are a joy to watch at night.  Handling is not generally a good idea as it can stress them easily, and all Bent Toed Geckos have large sharp nails and can give a decent bite. Move slowly when working in the cage and always stay within the animal’s comfort zone when handling.

“Grumpy Geckos” (Cyrtodactylus intermedius)

Along with C. irianjayaensis I also maintain Cyrtodactylus intermedius, the Malaysian “Night Stalker” Bent Toed Gecko.  These geckos are smaller, with an average size of 8-10 inches, and a much more slender build.  Found in Malaysia, these nocturnal lizards are more arboreal than Giant Bent Toed Geckos, and also have a tendency to be more apt to bite. My Night Stalkers will often be heard calling at night. It’s a short, musical chirping sound that is quite charming.  These geckos can be maintained nearly identically to C. irianjayaensis, with things scaled down for their smaller size and a bit more attention paid to their climbing preferences.  I provide a humid environment that is a tangle of vines and plants with many small branches.  Temperatures are kept in the low 70′s, and misting is done twice daily at least.

Night Stalker Bent Toed Geckos will feed on a variety of insect prey. I provide a diet based on roaches, but crickets are accepted just as readily.  Calcium supplementation should be provided at least every other feeding.  These geckos are active hunters, and it is very interesting to watch them chase down insects in the evening.  They spend a lot of time above the ground, and will only retreat to ground hides during the day to sleep.  Most animals are imported and come with heavy parasite loads and can be difficult to acclimate.  I always attempt to breed these more unusual species, as captive bred animals are superior as pets and it is important to take pressure off of wild populations.

“Living Tree Bark” (Uroplatus fimbriatus)

Leaf  Tailed Geckos of the genus Uroplatus are by far my favorite geckos.  These animals are camouflage personified: they are perfectly suited to staying hidden in plain sight.  Leaf  Tailed Geckos hale from the island of Madagascar, and come in a variety of forms. All species of Uroplatus are CITES I listed and are under threat from habitat destruction.  The Giant Leaf  Tailed Gecko, Uroplatus fimbriatus, is one of the most commonly imported, but is also sadly one of the species least frequently bred in captivity.  These large geckos are a wonder to keep, and are very entertaining.

Giant Leaf  Tailed Geckos are large geckos, reaching over 12 inches total length.  They have very large heads and wide mouths.  Uroplatus geckos are unique in that they have the most marginal teeth and the highest number among all living amniotes. They spend their days hanging motionlessly, usually in a head down position.  At night, these large geckos come alive, and are active lizards.

I maintain my pair of Uroplatus fimbriatus in a large, all screen, arboreal enclosure.  It is 24 inches wide, by 24 inches deep, by 36 inches high.  Three sides are covered with plastic to help maintain humidity.  Substrate is a bioactive mix of coco fiber, peat moss, and leaf litter covering a drainage layer of hydroton (expanded clay balls).  Thick branches provide resting places, although the geckos often prefer to spend their time on the screen sides of the enclosure.  Springtails and isopods populate the substrate, allowing for decomposition of wastes.  Live plants are provided, consisting of Snake Plants and Pothos, along with plastic plants for more cover.  Temperatures for Giant Leaf  Tailed Geckos can range from 68-79F, with the low to mid 70s being ideal.  I provide a large water dish with an air stone attached to an aquarium air pump to roil the surface and encourage drinking.  Hydration is very important with these geckos, as they have thin, delicate skin.  My Giant Leaf  Tails are misted twice a day; once lightly in the morning and again heavily for 5-10 minutes right after lights out.  The key is to provide a 90-100% humidity environment at night while allowing the cage to dry out during the day to prevent mold growth.  Screen caging can make it difficult to maintain this in some cases, but by of blocking some of the screen and careful misting the appropriate environment can be maintained. These large geckos do best when kept cool with high humidity and still preventing air from becoming stagnant.

Roaches are the Uroplatus keepers’ best friend.  These large geckos really are too big for crickets, and roaches elicit an excellent feeding response and are a great staple diet. Giant Leaf  Tailed Geckos will ignore prey that is too small and will rarely eat any sort of “worm” like superworms or mealworms.  Calcium levels are key in breeding females, and I supplement roaches every feeding.

Giant Leaf  Tailed Geckos are not a beginner species, but once you do your research, familiarize yourself with the genus, and have the correct requirements, healthy animals are fairly easy to maintain.  Breeding is somewhat of a challenge with this species. Some Uroplatus keepers adovocate Full Spectrum UVB lighting with Leaf  Tailed Geckos, and I agree. My adults are given 12 hour exposure daily to a 5.0 UVB bulb and thrive with it.  These geckos are rarely bred in captivity, and it is imperative that more captive bred animals be established.  Madagascar’s forests are in great peril, and the flow of imports will not be there forever.

So there you have it; four “oddball” gecko species.  These are all geckos that have their own individual aspects that make them a joy to keep.  Every day is a wonder for me as I enter my reptile room to see parts of the world from all over ensconced in one room.  Every second I spend with these animals I am learning more about them, and attempt to practice better husbandry and, with work, breed them so that I can do my part to lessen the pressure on wild populations.  So, the next time you are in the market for a gecko, consider something a bit different.  You might be surprised at just how incredible an oddball can be.

Question 1:

I know there are tons of different types of morphs and combos, but a basic guide line for pricing, or at least how the bigger companies/breeders do it. I’m just starting out with breeding but have some amazing animals, I want to sell but have no idea what to sell them for, and I know I’m not the only one who may be having that problem.

Kristi Housman responds: This is an excellent question and one I still struggle with at times.  The best thing you can do is research.  I look online at other breeder’s websites and also look at classified ads.  Then I average the price for a morph and price it at the lower end because I’m still a relatively new breeder.  Try to research often because the market is always changing. In the end, it’s up to you.  Price the animal at what you think it’s worth and what you’re willing to sell it for.  Good luck with your breeding projects!

Garrick DeMeyer responds: Figuring out pricing for the many leopard gecko morphs can be pretty difficult.  There is a pretty large price range for leopard geckos, ranging from about $20 to over $1000, sometimes much higher.  I look at several factors when I’m trying to figure out what a particular morph is worth.  The first thing I determine is how common the morph in question is.  If it is a common morph, such as a typical Tremper Albino, I will price it near the bottom of the price range.  A rare morph, such as a Super Snow Bell Albino Enigma, would be near the top of the price range, because there are relatively few out in the market.  If I were to produce a brand-new morph that nobody else has, it would probably be at the top of the price range.  As a new morph becomes more common, the price drops due to competition from other breeders producing the same gecko.  For example, when the Tremper Albinos first became available in 1999, they were roughly $3000 a pair.  By the following year, they were down to about $1000 a pair, and dropped in price every year after that until they became about the same price as a normal.  Most leopard gecko morphs tend to drop in price relatively quickly, because they are very easy to produce in large numbers.  I purchased a pair of Tremper Albinos and thirty-three 50% possible het albinos in 1999 and by the end of the 2000 season, I had produced about 77 albinos and at least a couple hundred 100% het albinos.  The following year, I bred a few of my holdback albino males to a large number of those het albinos and produce several hundred albinos.  The price did drop fast on them, but the demand was good and I did well on the project due to the overall numbers I produced.  I also crossed the albino gene into other morphs such as patternless and blizzard in order to create new morphs.  Another factor that I look at is how attractive a particular morph is.  Some leopard gecko morphs are just prettier than others.  Usually, the nicest geckos will command a higher price than a more average one, even within the same morph.  For example, a sunglow raptor with average color intensity, snake eyes, and a shorter carrottail is going to sell for a lot less than a brilliant yellow/orange one that has solid red eyes and a nearly solid orange tail.  Even within the same morph, there can be a huge difference in price.  The best individuals within a particular morph can be worth double or even triple the value of an average or below average example of the same morph.  The other factor I look at is the leopard gecko market in general.  It has its ups and downs just like any other market.  Sometimes there is a higher demand for the more valuable morphs, sometimes it is difficult to sell them.  The cheaper morphs seem to always sell no matter what, but the demand for the expensive geckos can vary a lot.  The best thing about leopard geckos is that they will always be in demand.  They make such excellent pets, especially for the beginning reptile owner, which is a large base of the people keeping reptiles as pets.  There will always be a large number of hobbyists who will want leopard geckos so they should always remain an important piece of the reptile market.
 

Question 2:

I have a small colony of proven leopard gecko breeders  and am going to venture into breeding myself for the first time. One of my blizzards (F) I got the same week she laid a clutch and dropped her tail. The previous owner says she’s always been thin but it’s gotten worse as of late. She is separated from the others and still manages to stay skinny and has even lost more weight. She’s full grown about 4 years old and is only 23 grams. I’ve tried feeding live/dead crickets, meal worms. I even fed her a pinky a few days and she ate it but managed to vomit it back up that night. I’ve tried heating up the tank from 80 to 90-ish and it doesn’t seem to help. I took her to a vet and basically he told me to force feed her and bring in a sample of droppings whenever she does but she hasn’t been – nor has she been eating.
– Is there a such thing as a skinny leopard gecko?

–How to know when a “skinny” leopard gecko is no longer “skinny” but sick.

–Am I doing something wrong or do these things happen?

Kristi Housman responds: The first thing I would do is bump up her hot spot temperature to around 93-94 degress.  She is definitely too small and shouldn’t have been bred by her previous owner.  Laying eggs takes a lot out of a gecko.  I would try a different vet, too.  She needs to get testing done to see if she has parasites.  You can try feeding her superworms or roaches and see if she’ll eat those.  Make sure she always has access to calcium and fresh water.
 
I don’t know if they’re a set rule to know when a gecko is no longer skinny, but sick.  A small tail will tell you a lot, but it’s also behavior.  Not eating and not moving around a lot would be examples.  When a gecko loses its tail, they also lose all their fat reserves.
 
It sounds like you’re trying your best and she was ill before you got her.  It could have been the stress from laying or she may have parasites.  Sometimes just bumping the temps up can help, but she may need medication, too.  Good luck with her.

Aliza Arzt responds: Most normal adult leos weigh at least 45 grams, so even without a tail, 23 grams is quite underweight.  Since reptiles tend to behave “normally” even when ill as a survival mechanism (to look ill is to invite predation) it is often difficult to tell that your gecko is ill until it’s really ill.  Usually, failure of  a gecko to eat (in the absence of a normal life-cycle event such as stress, shedding, brumation, ovulating, etc.) is a symptom of another problem and not the problem itself.  A gecko that is so significantly underweight may very well be ill or extremely stressed. 

Hopefully, you have separated this gecko from the others and are housing her by herself.  When you say you’ve increased the heat to “90-ish”, if you mean the floor temperature, I recommend increasing it to the mid 90′s.  In order to help the gecko ingest something so you can get droppings for a stool sample, there are several types of puree you can use: commercially available “Jumpstart”, warm chicken baby food, or a home-made “slurry” (http://www.reptileculture.com/forums/showthread.php?t=759) created by Marcia McGuiness of Golden Gate Geckos.  These purees are best fed by putting a drop on the gecko’s nose and encouraging it to lick it off.

As far as whether you’re doing something wrong, I can’t say since I don’t know all the details of your husbandry.  However, the fact that you got a gecko that has laid eggs, dropped her tail and lost quite a bit of weight soon after you got her I would assume that this gecko was having problems before she came under your care.

Authors

Aliza Arzt is one of Gecko Time’s editors.  In her other life she is a home care speech therapist living in the Boston area.  She has been breeding leopard geckos since 2005 and has recently been successful in breeding African Fat Tail and Coleonyx geckos as well.  Other interests which she pursues in her copious free time include work in ceramics, practicing aikido and surfing the internet.  Her live and ceramic geckos can be found at http://geckcessories.wordpress.com

Garrick DeMeyer owns and operates CrestedGecko.com and Royal Constrictor Designs.  He has a BS in Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  Over the past 20 years, Garrick has bred dozens of species of reptiles, including many gecko species, and has produced thousands of babies during that time

Kristi Housman owns Ghoulish Geckos. She has just started her third season of breeding leopard geckos. She keeps other species as well, but doesn’t breed them.

Thank you to all of our readers, photo submitters, and voters! Also, thank you to our photo contest sponsor at Pet-Tech. Chris will be receiving a $75 gift certificate to pet-tech.com.

Winner: Don't Worry, Be Happy

Naultinus geckos are a genus of gecko that I was always fascinated with but never thought that I would have the opportunity to work with.  What made these secretive geckos so interesting to me was their beautiful colors and appearance, their diurnal and arboreal nature, and that they are live-bearing geckos that come from a completely different environment than most other geckos out there.  I was always curious as to why these geckos could withstand prolonged periods of cold and thrive while most other gecko species needed a relatively warm climate.  How did evolution play a part in this genus and how could they have survived for this long by producing a maximum of two offspring per season?  Being that these geckos are such low producing animals, they will never be readily available to the consumer, and therefore they will also have a relatively high price tag.  These traits make Naultinus a gecko for gecko lovers, not for those looking for an “investment animal”. With this being said there will always be a demand and a lot of hype surrounding these mystical creatures.    

The Naultinus grayii comes from the Northern section of the North island of New Zealand where it is typically found in bushes of the tea tree plant.  This species lives the majority of its life off of the ground, and its green and white pattern provides it excellent camouflage.  At times an animal will be right in front of my eyes on a bush and it takes me a minute to see it, and then I almost feel dumb for not having seen it right away.  The grayii is a very patient predator. They do not stalk their prey like other geckos, instead they wait for an insect to come within striking distance and then they make their move on it.  This must help the gecko preserve its strength since in the cold climate they live in they can’t afford to waste any energy.

Housing Naultinus grayii

I keep a pair of adult naultinus grayii in an 18” x 18” x 36” zoo med screen cage.   I furnish the enclosure with dense hanging brush, cork flats, and as ground cover I use a cork tube as a hide.  I also offer them vines and other pieces of wood to climb on, and I observe them using these occasionally to relocate themselves to another part of the enclosure, or to bask on.  I have this pair setup in as naturalistic  a setup as possible attempting to replicate their indigenous natural climate and landscape as much as possible.  Although they are mostly in the hanging brush they will occasionally go into a moist hide on the ground of this enclosure to shed or to retreat.  I use a layered substrate of eucalyptus leaves, eucalyptus mulch, wood chips, and New Zealand sphagnum moss in this order from bottom to top layer.  I use this mixed ground cover because the eucalyptus has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties while the top layer of moss and wood chips holds water while helping to keep the ambient humidity up.  I spray the foliage and the inside of the moist hide every morning and never let the temperature in the screen cube rise above 80F in the summer. In the winter I cool these geckos to temperatures as cold as 40F.  In all seasons I provide these geckos with ample UV light.  I use three 18” 5.0 UVB fluorescent strip lights on top of the cage and one additional exo-terra fluorescent 5.0 bulb which sits directly above a bush where the geckos can bask.  I provide basking spots from as close as 1 inch from these lights to ensure proper UVB exposure which is essential to this geckos’ well-being. 

Care and Breeding

I feed my naultinus as much variety as I can.  Staple insects include but are not limited to roaches (dubia, banana, and Madagascar hissing), gut-loaded crickets, blue bottle flies, waxworms and waxmoths, silkworms, hornworms, and on occasion they will get a superworm or a mealworm.  I rotate the gutload of the feeders constantly and I cycle the brands of vitamins and minerals that I dust prey items with.  This extensive feeding regimen seems to contribute to the good overall health of this gecko, no question. 

Naultinus grayii require a lengthy brumation period of very low temperatures to successfully conceive and produce offspring.  These animals will breed in the early springtime and give birth anywhere from late summer to the end of fall having either one or two live born neonates per season.  Once the juveniles are birthed they can fend for themselves and can be housed either separately which is best or with their litter mate or another grayii of similar age. 

   

Difficulties in Obtaining Naultinus

Aside from the limited amount of offspring a single female can produce, these geckos are very difficult to obtain due to the laws surrounding them and their transport.  They are marked on Appendice III of CITES (the convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora), which makes their export or import tricky, as several requirements need to be met in order for permission to be granted by this organization.  Since New Zealand doesn’t allow any of their wildlife to be exported it is impossible to acquire wild caught animals, or even captive bred animals from within New Zealand.  Because of this, as well as the high dollar amount being paid for Naultinus, in recent times it has become quite common for individuals to attempt to smuggle these geckos;  this has put added pressure on natural animal populations.  To obtain legal documentation for export of  Naultinus from Europe to the U.S., for example, one must prove that the animal was not obtained illegally. This is done by showing that the animal has been produced in captivity from legally acquired parents which doesn’t sound too bad, but many of the animals out there are not documented with legal paperwork even though the animals themselves are captive bred animals.

I feel that these geckos are one of Earth’s precious jewels and I am grateful to have the opportunity to be working with them. They truly are a rewarding species to work with.  I have high hopes for my pair this season and time will tell whether they will produce young, but at this time in the summer all signs point to the female being gravid.  Good times…

Before You Vote

Please be aware that you’re only allowed to vote once. We watch closely, cheating will be disqualified. Gecko Time staff has the authority to remove someone from the contest if found to be cheating.

Vote

Check out these entries closely. They are listed in order of submission. Voting will take place at the end of this post.

#1: crestie hatching by anna gabler

#2: apollo’s eye by Ryan

#3: Blizzard on the Doorstep by Tess R.

#4: Female Crested Gecko Head Shot by Ted F Cook II

#5: Wiki by Hannah Rhoads

#6: slumber by Robin

#7: Spring Outing by Allee Toler

#8: male P.m. grandis High Red by Elad Smit

#9: ‘LOL Gecko’ by Brittney Gougeon

#10: N. wheeleri hatchling just hours old… by SFgeckos

#11: Cute Leo Hatchling by Austyn

#12: Perfect Pose by Kegyn

#13: Smile for the Camera by Holley Armbruster

#14: Camo Gecko by Kat Loveland

#15: Javan – Tiger Crested Gecko by Ryan Vaillancourt

#16: My Red Bicolor Crested Gecko Elmo by Simone Gingras

#17: Nephrurus amyae by Michael

#18: Salsa’s Spicey! by Stephanie Jordan

#19: Eye of the Gecko by Christopher

#20: Don’t Worry, Be Happy by Chris

#21: Admist a Purple Flower by Kodie

#22: R. Leachianus Henkeli on Mushroom ledge by Jason Cardinal

Place your vote

Voting will close on August 2nd at midnight eastern time.

Building a naturalistic terrarium can be almost as enjoyable as caring for the animal that is to be put inside of it. The construction of these can be as simple or as complex as you choose. However in this article I will give a basic account of how we build the terrariums that house our breeders, babies and also the tanks that we offer for sale here at Tiki Tiki Reptiles. View the full photo gallery for this project on Photo Bucket here.

What will live in the mini environment?

The first step in building a terrarium is to figure out what will be living inside. The environment needed to properly house a Leaf Tail Gecko (Uroplatus) is very different from what will be needed for a Knob Tail Gecko (Nephrurus); as a result it is imperative that you know what you will be housing.

What environment needs to be created?

After you have figured out what you are going to be caring for it is now time to do a little research as to where the animal comes from so you can build a suitable habitat for it. In this article I will be constructing a terrarium for a Mossy Leaf Tail Gecko (Uroplatus sikorae), so I will need an environment that is heavily planted with lots of woody sticks for the geckos to perch on during the day. If I were constructing a terrarium for a different species, say a Lined Leaf Tail, I would use fewer plants and bamboo as they are native to the bamboo forests of Madagascar. Once you do a little research you can begin to gather what you need.

Getting what you need

I will now go over the things that I use to make our terrariums. You can build terrariums several different ways and this is one of many options; I believe that this way is cost effective, quick and affordable. You must start with your tank. You can purchase “terrarium” tanks from many large manufactures at pet shops the world over now, however I do not like the high cost of them or the sizes that they come in. I make my own tanks from scratch or simply convert a fish aquarium. In this DIY I will be doing the latter as they are easy to find, come in a wide variety of sizes and are fairly inexpensive. You are often able to find tanks for $1 per gallon at many of the chain pet supply stores.

Here is a list of things that you will need along with the tank (this is also the break down for this tank):

• 30G deep aquarium $30.00
• Tiki Terrarium Conversion kit (see below for details) $25.00
• Disposable gloves $8.00
• 1 can of Normal Great Stuff expanding foam. No need to get the super expand type. $6.00
• 2 tubes of Colored silicone (I recommend brown) $5.00
• Branches of varying sizes and shapes (variable cost or free)
• Hyrdroton Pebbles (expanded clay balls) $10.00
• Sphagnum moss, I prefer the New Zealand cream colored type. $10.00
• Organic soil $6.00
• Charcoal $4.00
• Coco fiber / bark of varying consistency. $12.00
• Various plants or cuttings around $20.00
• Blue painters’ tape $3.00
• Black spray paint $5.00

Once you have all of your items assembled you can start the construction of the tank.

Starting the build: background

The first step is to give the aquarium a good cleaning to remove any nastiness that may have been picked up prior to its purchase. Once that is done place the tank upright. Begin to place the items that you want to include inside the tank where you want them to be. This can be cork flats, sticks, ghost wood, etc. This is your time to figure out what you want the finished terrarium to look like. Once you have settled on a pattern that you like, take the items and silicone them into place. Do not be afraid to use all dimensions when doing this: adding items to the sides, at angles, from the top etc. all add to the style. If sticks will not stay in place while the silicone is drying then use blue painters’ tape to secure them. Let the silicone dry for a few hours before you move to the next step so you do not dislodge anything.

When the silicone is able to support the items that you have placed through the tank it is time make the seams disappear. Sticks or cork backgrounds suspended in the air just don’t look natural, however sticks coming out of dirt do. To make this illusion we use the Great Stuff expanding foam to add area at the attachment points. When working with great stuff it is important that you wear gloves! It can be easily removed from glass if you mess up, however getting it off your hands and clothes is nearly impossible. Another tip is not to overdo the foam. If you have not worked with it before you will be surprised at the amount that it will grow in 24 hours time. You can always add more, but taking it away is more difficult. Do one side at a time and by this I mean lay one side down, foam it, allow it to harden and then do the same with the back and other side if necessary. If you add the foam to the walls when vertical the foam may slide down and out of place as it cures. Patience is important during this part of the build.   Something you can also do during this stage is add foam to random or empty areas giving your inhabitant more areas to perch itself on and more areas for you to plant vegetation on. Again, remember to wear gloves and don’t over-foam.

After allowing the foam to harden which should take a few hours (24 hours for a full harden) you can now cover the white foam with a blend of fine coco fiber and bark. Some people use only coco fiber and some people only use bark; I prefer to use both. The mixture of the fiber and larger chunks allows for all of the smaller cracks to get coverage and the bark bits give the background some texture. Prepared in a 5 gallon bucket, our mixture is somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 parts coco fiber to 1 part bark chunks. When you have your background media ready you can begin to apply it. This is done by taking GENEROUS amounts of brown silicone and applying them to the foamed areas, then dropping your background mixture onto the wet silicone one handful at a time and tapping it down a little. It is very difficult to go back after adding media onto the silicone so use more than you think you need, the more the better! Also, do one area at a time. If you silicone all of your foam at once you will be hard pressed to cover it all with media before it starts to dry. Another helpful tip for this stage is to wear a rubber glove and use your fingers to even out the silicone, getting it into all the nooks and crannies before you add in the media. Extra silicone will always mask the unnatural looking white foam.

Congratulations! You should have a complete terrarium background.

Covering the back

Since the terrariums are made of glass it is obvious that on the outside you can see the unsightly white foam and silicone that you tried so hard to cover on the inside. I always cover this as it adds greatly to the overall look of the terrarium. This is an easy step that if you wish can be omitted. You can do this two different ways: paint the entire back and sides or simply paint where you have foam and silicone. I prefer the latter as you can still see through the glass. If you want a totally covered background then use blue painters’ tape where you want the tank to be seen through and then spray the rest with black spray paint. Allow it to dry then apply a second and preferably a third coat of paint before removing the tape. The other method is just about the same however you will cover ALL the glass with tape and cut out the foam areas with a razor blade so the paint will only cover a small area.

Install the Conversion

We use Tiki Terrarium conversion kits to transform the aquarium into a terrarium. They feature swinging doors that can easily be removed if needed and upper corner air vents that minimize any visual obstructions. This is a new product that we are still developing, however you can purchase other similar kits from different vendors or simply make your own. If interested in a Tiki kit please feel free to contact us. Installation on these aquarium to terrarium kits is very simple: silicone the top and bottom pieces into place, silicone the door mount and then air vents — it’s as easy as that. Allow silicone to dry a few hours before moving on to the next step.

Adding in the Dirt!

At this point you should have a nearly complete naturalistic terrarium; all you need to do is add in your earth and plants. When you add your substrate it is important to use layers so that extra water will drain down not letting your terrarium to turn into a bog. Start by adding 2-3 inches of hydroton. These are small clay balls that allow water to collect in the bottom keeping it out of your soil. You can also use aquarium rocks for this however they are costly and heavy! Some people separate the different layers with window screen however I prefer to use sphagnum moss as it really adds to the layered look from the outside. Dampen the moss and put an even layer on top of the hydroton. Once complete add a thin layer of carbon to filter the draining water, add another layer of sphagnum moss and then your top layer of soil. Keep in mind that you need enough soil to plant your plants in so try to get at least 5 inches of any organic type dirt on top.

Plants and Decoration

The last stage to completing your terrarium is to add in some plants to make it look alive. This can be done many different ways from planting cuttings, to seeding, ordering plants from online vendors, purchasing terrarium plants from reptile shows, your local home depot store etc.  Try to use mini-plants that look as if they belong in your slice of jungle. Add some moss, dried leaves, vines, etc. This is another part where you can add as much as you want and let your own creativity be your guide!  

Our Final Product! Brand new Reptile Terrarium.

Now sit back and enjoy your complete naturalistic terrarium! Allow everything to dry for a few days before adding anything into the terrarium; this will also give you a chance to make sure you like how everything turned out. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at Chad@TikiTikiReptiles.com

View the full photo gallery for this project on Photo Bucket here.

Question 1:

I have just recently found mites in my gecko collection. They are small & dark grey/black in color and I am pretty sure they are the same as snake mites.  I have contacted several vets here and no one can help me with a treatment. Can anyone recommend any treatments? I want to get rid of them as soon as possible I am worried about them spreading.

Dan Martindale responds: Removing snake mites can be a long, drawn-out process.  They are very prolific and they can travel some incredible distances.  You can use vegetable oil and a Q-tip to remove mites on the geckos themselves.  Be careful not too get any oil in the geckos eyes or soak the gecko in oil, just use the Q-tip and oil to remove visible mites.  The cage and furnishings will need to be treated with Provent-a-mite; this stuff will kill mites and their eggs.  I do not recommend using it on any reptile directly as it can be toxic to some species.  Any substrate will need to be baked to death at 450 degrees (F) for 10-15 minutes to kill anything hiding in it before being disposed of.  You don’t want to just dump it in the trash (snake mites can roam far) or outdoors.  The mites could come back in on a cat, dog or even you.

If the gecko has a lot of mites you should give a it Betadine bath. This is simply water with Betadine mixed in.  The Betadine does not kill the mites – it is an antiseptic used in treating the wounds caused by the mites feeding on your reptile.

If you have a lovely natural vivarium setup that you don’t want to destroy Hypoaspis Miles can be a great thing for you.  These are predatory mites that will eat the snake mites, fly larva or any other tiny bugs in your substrate.  You should consider a new home for the gecko while the predatory mites hunt and eat the snake mites to prevent re-infestation.

Harold Chapman responds: The first thing you want to do is to quarantine the affected animals (move them and their cages) to a separate room. (If any mite-infested animals were previously living communally, assume all the others are also infested).  At this point, I would separate all of the affected animals into smaller, more basic cages (hides, water bowls, and feed bowls that can be sterilized and paper towel or butcher’s block paper for substrate). Take all the original cage decorations and tanks and clean them well using a 10% bleach solution. Rinse and let air dry if possible. Any cage decorations than can’t be disinfected should be discarded and replaced. The key to controlling and managing parasites in captive collections is to isolate the hosts, minimize contact between affected individuals and the rest of your collection, and initiate effective treatments to curb their presence if elimination is not possible. If you haven’t already, I’d take this opportunity to get fecal samples from infected individuals. The stress from mites and other external parasites can impact the level of parasites in the animal’s gut. As a result, the relative abundance of internal parasites can increase to levels that impact normal function (most parasitic organisms encountered in captive collections would rather live symbiotically with the host, rather than bring about its demise).
Assuming these are indeed snake mites and not one of the other mites we encounter in the hobby, there are a few choices we have for treatment. Personally what I’ve found to be most effective is a product called “Reptile Relief”. It is an organic spray that works apparently by softening the exoskeleton of mites, ticks and the like without negatively impacting the function of the affected reptile. Using an appropriately sized tub (a 6qt will do for most geckos), spray the product onto the gecko according to instructions, but be sure to avoid the eyes, nose, and mouth. I typically leave the product on the animal for 5-10 minutes to ensure it has had a chance to work. What I do next may be at odds with what the instructions say, but I “rinse” the excess off the gecko with mild water. Place the lizard back in its quarantine cage so it has an opportunity to dry. Repeat for all affected animals being careful to clean the “spray-tub” out between applications. Animals should remain in quarantine for at least 60 days (preferably 90 days) to allow any other health issues to be screened and treated. Following the first treatment, look for mites on the animals, in and around their cages during the quarantine period and treat accordingly. Provided the mites haven’t already migrated outside the cages of those animals now quarantined, there’s a good chance you won’t see an outbreak of mites. But remember, mites can hitch a ride on non-reptile hosts and find their way back into your collection. Simply handling animals at trade shows, herp meetings, etc. (especially wild-caught animals) raises the risk of having them re-introduced into your collection. Good husbandry and handling practices can curb the spread of most common parasites.

Question 2:

I need some help. I have two eggs that my golden gecko laid.  They are  in the plant by the side of the plant, I  need to known what i have to do and not do. Do I keep them together? Do I remove the male or the female?

Maurice Pudlo responds: Congratulations on finding the eggs. Successfully breeding golden geckos and raising the offspring can be a very rewarding experience.

Golden geckos are egg gluers; females attach their eggs in areas they believe will be safe and provide the proper environment to ensure their eggs will hatch.  Do not attempt to remove the eggs from the plant as this will almost always cause damage to the eggs and kill the developing embryo.

If the eggs are fertile and you have always maintained a proper environment for the adults, incubation in situ (Latin for “in the place”) is the best method to allow the pair of eggs to properly develop and hatch.  It is important that temperatures remain as close to the 78°F to 80°F range as possible.  Humidity should be held between 80 and 85% without directly wetting the eggs.  Expect the eggs to hatch between 2 and 2 ½ months (up to 15 weeks has been reported).

When they do hatch keep each of the hatchlings in its own enclosure; this prevents excessive stress which can make them unwilling to eat and less likely to thrive.  Attempting to raise the hatchlings in the same enclosure as the adults will result in the babies being chased down and injured or consumed.  I feel it is best to move the adult pair to another enclosure to prevent this as you may not be there to witness the eggs hatching and remove the babies in time.

Basic care for hatchlings is the same as for adults except the feeder size must be reduced and feeding should be more often.  Properly fed and cared for, the young can reach maturity in their first year.

If your female was freshly imported as most golden geckos are, it is possible that her eggs are not fertile.  The stress of shipping and lack of proper diet is very hard on gravid females and they often lay infertile eggs shortly after entering decent care.  Not to worry though, a good diet and a proper environment can correct the issue and her next clutch should be just fine.

Harold Chapman responds: Golden geckos or Gekko ulikovskii- are true geckos of the genus “Gekko” along with another widely kept reptile: the Tokay gecko (Gekko gecko). Like them (and every other member in the genus that I’m aware of), they are egg-gluers. For the most part, that means that wherever the female lays (or rather attaches) the eggs, that’s where they’ll stay until hatching. Most Gekko (at least the females) are protective of the eggs, so any advance towards them might provoke a bite. Even upon hatching the parents appear to tolerate their offspring quite well (at least for a while). So I’d recommend you leave them where they are, even though they are on a removable plant (as opposed to a cage wall). The old saying “If it was good enough for my parents, it’s good enough for me” comes to mind. If you’re keeping the parents appropriately (and your having eggs is a good sign), chances are hatchlings will emerge in the next 90+ days. (There aren’t many people reproducing golden geckos in captivity, so hatch time is an estimate based on that of other representatives of this genus.) If you want to keep your pair compatible and producing eggs, I’d leave them together as well.  After about 10 weeks, check on the eggs once a day until you’ve hatched your very own “goldens”. Good luck!

Authors

Harold Chapman is half of the duo that makes up Chapman & Chapman Herpetoculture (or CC Herps for short). He has always been interested in a variety of animals, but just became seriously interested in keeping reptiles back in 2004. Along with his wife, the two have grown their collection to include over 70 species from around the world. Aside from the reptiles, he also gets to work with an impressive breed of dog: Dogo Canario. These large molosser-type dogs are fun to have around and provide a break from all the other animals. More information can be found at their website.

Dan Martindale has been keeping herps since he was 8 and loved working with various lizards, geckos, skinks, frogs and toads and many others.  Currently he has a small business and hopes to offer a wide variety of captive bred reptiles.  He does not raise his animals on a simple diet of just 1 bug; his critters enjoy a varied diet of about 5 regular prey types and a few extras like Silkworms now and then.  He is currently working with Leopard geckos(Eublepharis macularius), crested geckos (Rhacodactylus ciliatus), flying geckos (Ptychozoon kuhli) and mourning geckos (Lepidodactylus lugubris).  He is  a co-owner of Chaotic Nights Reptiles.  One day he hopes to be able to do what he loves for a living and a hobby.

Maurice Pudlo has been maintaining reptiles since 1975 where he kept green anoles found around his Florida home.  After moving to California he was introduced to larger reptiles and found great interest in both Nile monitors and Green iguanas.  His current collection of reptiles includes Nile monitors, Golden geckos, Mourning geckos, Leopard geckos, 5 species of Hemidactylus geckos, and Common green anoles to which he remains forever attached as the spark that fired his interest in reptiles.  In 1990 he joined the army and remained there for 13 years leaving only after being injured while on duty.  Now residing in Louisville Kentucky he owns and operates Maurice’s Exotic Pets with his wife Sharon.