Scientific Name: Hemidactylus Frenatus
Size: 3-5 inches
Introduction
House geckos have scaly skin that can at times appear to be transparent. They are usually a yellowish brown to beige with darker patches, some have stripes running along their body. Originally from South East Asia they have been introduced to many other countries around the world. They are generally found living in houses. Since they are gentle calm inhabitants, house geckos are a very popular small geckos used in mixed exhibits. House Geckos are hardy, inexpensive small lizards which are a fairly easy to maintain in captivity.
Purchasing
House geckos can be found at almost any pet store. They are very popular because of their small size and they are relatively cheap, cost around 5 dollars each. When picking out a lizard, it should be very alert, when the cage is opened, it should run and hide or at the very least look up and see what's going on. You should look for a healthy looking lizard not skinny, it should not look dehydrated, or be missing any parts of its body. The cage should clean and not over crowded.
Housing
A rule that I generally use with smaller reptiles is 3-5 for every 10 gallons. A screen lid is essential for proper air exchange. You will often see Geckos housed in small plastic containers with colorful lids. These are not suitable for housing any type of lizard and should not be used under any circumstances. There should be a lot of hiding spots and basking places. Never house two males together in anything less than a 35 gallon tank, AND there should be three females for each male in the enclosure.
Setup
House geckos are arboreal (tree dwelling) reptiles. A tall enclosure, with several climbing braches would be the best setup. Provide some tall plants for it to climb on as well, this will also help with the humidity of the enclosure. For decor use branches, driftwood, plants, rocks, and cork bark.
Bedding
I use reptile bark for bedding, because they like to hide in it, I also like to use potting soil and grow some live plants in the tank to simulate the natural environment. Sand is not a good thing to use because it can get caught in their digestive tracks and could cause death. Calci-sand and walnut shavings are also a very bad idea, even though they claim to be digestible they are not and could cause impaction, leading to death. Reptile carpet is a very easy thing to use. It is cheap, easy to clean, and is not hazardous to reptiles. Babies should be housed on paper towels, and should also remain separate from the adults until they are similar in size to the adults.
Heating/Lighting
Day time Temperatures should be 75 - 88 F, Night time Temperature should be 65 - 70 F with a basking temperature of 90-95 F. Geckos are nocturnal which means they are the most active at night. Since they are mostly to active at night, they do not require UV lighting maintain proper health. You can use an incandescent light bulb to heat the enclosure during the day and an infrared heat light to maintain proper temperatures at night. To maintain a consistent night and day cycle I would recommend getting a timer for the lights.
Feeding
The most common, easiest and in- expensive type of food is gut loaded crickets. Some other treats that can be offered are Wax Worms and Small Mealworms. You should dust the food every other feeding with a good vitamin/calcium supplement, to make up for any nutritional deficiencies. Adult house geckos should be fed daily, juveniles can be fed twice daily during their growing period.
Watering
House geckos do best with a moderate to high humidity, around 75% this can be achieved by daily misting.. Always Provide fresh drinking water daily.
Handling
Due to their small, delicate frame, house geckos should not be handled. They are very fast moving which makes them difficult to catch. Handling may cause them to get stressed out and could cause health problems.
Breeding
If you provide the right conditions it should happen without even trying.
First off you need to simulate a winter you have to shorten the length of the day, and lower the temperature by a couple of degrees. The length of day in winter should be about 8-10 hours of sunlight a day, and the temperature should be 70-80F during the day and no less than 60 during the night. In the spring raise the temperature to 80-90F and lengthen the day to about 12 hours of sunlight a day.
They will bury them 1/2 inch eggs in the ground. After the eggs have been laid, you need to remove the eggs from the enclosure to prevent the adults from eating the small hatchlings when they emerge from their shells, and to prevent them from getting smashed or damaged. An easy and inexpensive way of incubating eggs is to shallowly bury them in damp but not soaked vermiculite (potting soil) in side a small deli cup. The eggs should be buried just beneath the surface. The container should be covered and a few holes punched in the lid for ventilation. Then the container can be placed back in the enclosure or in a place where the temperature will stay at a constant temperature of 84-86F. Under these conditions the eggs should hatch in 30-60 days.
Behavior
Males can be territorial. Give them lots of places to hide if you intend
to keep them in groups. They are normally a docile lizard, making them great to mix with other similar size lizards.
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