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House
Gecko
(Hemidactylus frenatus)
Habitat:
Tropical Forest
Diet: Insectivorous
Adult Size: 3-5 inches
Lifespan: 5-7 years or
longer
Native To: Southeast
Asia, but have spread to other
continents |
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Did
You Know:
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The House Gecko is
nocturnal.
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A truly "urban lizard," the
House Gecko lives almost
entirely in cities and
villages, making a home for
itself on buildings. This
hardy lizard has spread from
its native Southeast Asia to
other continents by stowing
away on cargo. This has
given them the widest range
of any lizard in the world.
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Like the Day Gecko, the
House Gecko is able to walk
on vertical surfaces and
ceilings. It also emits a
clucking sound, making it
one of the world's most
talkative lizards.
The material below is a general
guideline, and is not intended
to serve as your sole source of
pet care information. Visit a
veterinarian trained in caring
for reptiles and consult a broad
range of literature to ensure
that your pet receives adequate
care.
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What
You Should Know About The
House Gecko |
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The Basics: |
Although they are
relatively hardy, House
Geckos
can be nervous and
jumpy. A light brown
lizard with attractive
markings, the House
Gecko reaches an adult
length of 4-5 inches,
though some can be
slightly smaller or
larger. Typically, they
reach their adult size
within 18 months.
Although some House
Geckos may live up to 10
years, a lifespan half
that length is not
unusual. Captive bred
House Geckos will have a
longer lifespan.
Nocturnal animals, House
Geckos are not active
during the day. Like the
Day Gecko, this lizard
can walk up smooth
vertical surfaces and
make a variety of
vocalizations. |
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Enclosure:
Vertical
Space With Lots Of
Plants
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House Geckos like to
climb, so provide them
with an enclosure that
offers ample up-and-down
space, and plenty of
climbing branches. It's
also a good idea to
attach cork bark to an
inside wall to provide a
climbing area. House
Geckos are ideal pets
for elaborately planted
terrariums, planted with
nontoxic plants like
Pothos. Shy animals,
they do best when secure
hiding places are
provided in their
enclosures. House Geckos
are rarely territorial
or aggressive, so they
can be housed in pairs
or small groups.
However, do not place
more than one male in
the same enclosure since
they will fight. A 20-gallon aquarium or
larger, with a secure
screen top, should be
used for a pair of House
Geckos. Larger tanks
should be used for
larger groups. |
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Substrate:
Maintain
Thick Bedding: |
A House Gecko's enclosure
should have 2-3 inches
of
reptile bark, coconut
fiber or mulch bedding.
This will help maintain
humidity levels and
support live plants.
This bedding should be
cleaned daily, and
replaced monthly. If a
House Gecko shows a
tendency to eat bedding,
the substrate should be
switched to something
edible, paper or
indoor/outdoor carpet.
Sand, aquarium gravel
and any bedding prone to
mold should be avoided. |
Lighting:
UVB Lighting
Plus A Night Light:
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Since House Geckos are
nocturnal, some lizard
keepers claim that they
do not require the
exposure to UVB lighting
that Day Geckos and most
other reptiles need. We
disagree, and believe
that providing UVB
lighting in the
enclosure will enhance
the well-being of the
gecko. There are a
variety of full spectrum
lights available at PSP
that emit UVB light.
Fluorescent lamps
producing UVB rays
should be replaced every
six months. Glass blocks
out UVB light, so
overhead light sources
should be kept behind a
wire mesh cover, not a
glass or acrylic tank
top. A timer
should be used with the
light source to vary the
level of exposure
according to the season,
providing 10 hours of
light in the winter, and
14 hours in the summer.
Since House
Geckos are nocturnal,
their keepers should
consider installing a
reptile "moon light" in
the enclosure. This will
make it easy to observe
House Geckos at night,
without disturbing them.
Important - see the
Note About Day/Night
Light Cycles and Heating
below. |
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Temperature:
Moderate
Temperatures:
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House Geckos must be
provided with a thermal
gradient, ranging from
75º to 88º
Fahrenheit during the
day. This will allow
them to regulate their
body temperatures by
moving in the enclosure.
Nighttime temperatures
should be lowered to 70º. Temperatures in
the enclosure should
never be allowed to drop
below 65º. The
House Gecko keeper can
maintain proper
temperatures using an
under tank heater and a
lamp. A thermometer
should be positioned in
the warmer and cooler
areas to monitor
temperatures.
Important - see the
Note About Day/Night
Light Cycles and Heating
below. |
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Note About Day/Night
Light Cycles and Heating: |
All
reptiles, including this pet, must have
distinct day and night periods in their
enclosure to maintain their biological
rhythms. (See the lighting entry above
for the specific length of this animal’s
day/night cycle.) The day period
must be light; and night must be dark.
A timer should be used to set day/night
periods. If a heat source is required to
maintain correct nighttime temperatures,
use heat mats or strips mounted below or
on the side of the tank, infrared heat
lamps, ceramic heat emitters, or a
combination of these products. This will
allow the enclosure to be heated while
remaining dark. Follow directions
carefully with all products. If ceramic
heat emitters are used always choose
fixtures with porcelain or ceramic
sockets and to protect against fires do
not place them by dry wood or flammable
fabrics. Ceramic heat emitters must be
kept out of the reach of children and
all pets, including dogs and cats.
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Humidity:
Relatively
High: |
It's important to
maintain relatively high
humidity levels in a
House Gecko's enclosure.
The humidity level
should be kept at 65-75%. This can be
accomplished by misting
the enclosure once or
twice a day with
chlorine-free water, and
using live plants like Pothos. A hygrometer
should be used to
measure humidity levels.
However, care should be
taken not to create an
enclosure environment
that is too humid, since
this will promote fungal
infections and
jeopardize the health of
the gecko. Signs that an
enclosure is too humid
include: substrate that
appears soaked or
saturated rather than
just damp, and moisture
build up on the sides of
the tank. |
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A
NOTE ABOUT WATER: |
All water given to this
pet for drinking, as
well as water used for
misting, soaking or
bathing must be 100%
free of chlorine and
heavy metals. (Not all
home water filtration
systems remove 100% of
the chlorine and heavy
metals from tap water,
so check your system's
specifications before
using it to filter water
for your pet.) We
recommend that you use
unflavored bottled
drinking water or
bottled natural spring
water and never
untreated tap water. If
tap water is used, you
should treat it with a
dechlorinating treatment
or allow it to stand for
at least 24 hours before
being introduced to the
pet's enclosure to allow
the chlorine to escape.
Do not use distilled
water, which can cause
severe medical problems,
since it lacks minerals
that are essential to
important body functions. |
Diet:
Insects, Insects
And More Insects:
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The House Gecko should
be fed small
commercially available
insects that are gut
loaded (fed 24 hours
before being offered to
the lizard.) and dusted
with a supplement. Small
(½" or less) crickets
should be the mainstay
of their diet. Other
insects include waxworms,
butterworms and
silkworms. Mealworms
should also be offered
for variety, but they
are less nutritious than
crickets. (Juveniles
should be given pinhead
crickets.) Feed adults
every other day (3-6
crickets per feeding)
and juveniles once a day
(also 3-6 appropriately
sized crickets per
feeding). Always offer
one insect at a time,
and remove uneaten
insects, since they can
harm the House Gecko.
Place feeder insects in
a shallow feeding dish.
Chlorine-free water
should also be offered
in a shallow dish,
though most House Geckos
will only drink droplets
from leaves or surfaces.
This is one reason why
it's important to mist
the enclosure with
chlorine-free water. |
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Supplements: |
Dust
insects with calcium supplement
and vitamin supplement.
As a rule, a growing
juvenile's food should
be dusted more often
than an adult's. Consult
product labels and
outside literature for
specific instructions on
supplementing.
The following is a
possible supplementing
schedule for this
reptile.
Feeder insects
should be dusted with a
supplement every other
or feeding or a little
less often. However, this
is only a general
suggestion -- the best
specific schedule may
vary depending on the
supplement products used
and other factors.
Please consult product
package directions,
outside literature and a
veterinarian to
determine the optimal
supplementing program.
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How to Handle A House Gecko
Small and fragile, House
Geckos are meant to be watched,
and not handled. House
Geckos are extremely fast, and
will not hesitate to jump out of
a person's hand, and race
off never to be seen again.
However, there will be times
when it's necessary to handle a
House Gecko, such as when the
enclosure is cleaned, or the
animal is taken to a
veterinarian. The House Gecko
keeper should have a small
fishing net for this purpose.
Carefully coax the gecko into
the net and place your hand
around its back and head,
gripping very gently to keep it
from jumping out. Transfer the
House Gecko into a
temporary holding enclosure as
soon as possible. |
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Look Out For This:
House Geckos will not readily
accept water from a bowl. Many
will
only drink by taking droplets
off leaves and rocks, so their
enclosures
must be misted every day with
chlorine-free water.
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Recommended
House Gecko Supplies:
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A top-opening glass tank
or other enclosure that
offers height, with a
secure top
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UVB and UVA emitting light
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Heating element to
maintain enclosure
temperatures
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Two thermometers, so
temperature can be
monitored at both ends
of the enclosure
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Substrate
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Shallow water dish
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Live plants and climbing
branches
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Hiding areas
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Hygrometer to measure
humidity levels
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Thermostat and rheostat
to regulate heat
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Nighttime light for
observing House Geckos
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