Table Of Content
Welcome to the ReptiFiles Mediterranean House Gecko Care Sheet! You can find a list of these sources at the bottom of this page. By offering your gecko a varied diet, meeting their nutritional requirements, and maintaining an appropriate feeding schedule, you’ll ensure they remain healthy and happy in your care. Make sure to remove any uneaten insects from the enclosure after each feeding to avoid excess waste, as this can lead to unsanitary conditions and potential health issues for your gecko.
Behavior and Diet
The primary interest is in mapping the rapidly increasing range of the Mediterranean House Gecko, Hemidactylus turcius. Native to the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii, this species has also been introduced to other regions. It is known for its ability to thrive in diverse habitats, including urban areas, where it helps control insect populations.
Feeding Schedule
Mediterranean house geckos thrive in temperatures between 65° to 90°F (18°-32°C). To achieve this gradient, use a heat mat or ceramic heat emitter on one side of the enclosure. Always use a thermometer to monitor the temperature throughout the habitat, ensuring a suitable gradient.
Heat
The common house gecko is ectothermic ("cold-blooded") and displays a variety of means of thermoregulating through behaviour. Its physiology has ramifications for its distribution and nature of interaction with native species, as well as reproductive success as an introduced species. Common house geckos, Hemidactylus frenatus, reach 3-6 inches in length. They have an elongated snout and have an elongated tail that tapers toward the end. The color ranges from pinkish to grayish and may be marbled with darker patches of color. Mediterranean house geckos can become infected with a pentastomic crustaceans, Raillietiella frenatus and Raillietella teagueselfi.
UV Lighting
Common house geckos tend to grow to a maximum size of around 5 inches, as is seen with Mediterranean house geckos and Asian geckos. They grow to this size within a year of being born, which is quite a rapid growth rate (roughly 0.1 inches per month) and should be monitored carefully when considering how small they start. A healthy Common House Gecko typically displays vibrant skin, clear eyes, and an active demeanor. Regular, consistent eating patterns and a well-maintained body weight are also indicative of good health.
These hiding spots mimic natural crevices and provide a sense of safety for your gecko. There are various options you can incorporate into their enclosure to create the perfect hiding spots. Choosing the right substrate for your gecko’s enclosure is important for their overall well-being.
By ensuring a comfortable habitat, proper diet, and attentive care, you can foster a thriving environment for your gecko, allowing them to flourish and bring joy to your life. Common House Geckos, as their name suggests, have a remarkable ability to adapt to human habitats. Originally native to the lush and warm tropical regions, these geckos have seamlessly integrated into human dwellings, showcasing their incredible adaptability. Their presence is commonly graced in houses and buildings, where they navigate the spaces with their unique climbing abilities. This close association with human habitats has made them a familiar and enchanting presence, allowing enthusiasts to observe their natural behaviors in a home setting.
You will receive a confirmation email that also includes a link to the iNaturalist submission. We have every expectation that GeckoWatch will produce new distributional records including new records for states and counties. These latter two records also are the first records of this species in the state. Join our community of reptile enthusiasts and stay in the loop with the latest news, care tips, and fascinating facts about these amazing creatures. While Mediterranean House Geckos are generally hardy and resilient creatures, they can still be susceptible to certain health issues.
By offering suitable insect prey and practicing gut loading and supplementation, you can ensure that your gecko receives the necessary nutrients to thrive in captivity. In addition to gut loading, it may also be necessary to supplement your gecko’s diet with additional vitamins and minerals. This is particularly important if you are feeding primarily captive-bred insects, as they may have a lower nutritional content compared to wild-caught prey. Some gecko owners prefer to use natural substrates such as coconut fiber or cypress mulch. These substrates can help maintain humidity levels and create a more naturalistic environment.
House geckos don’t require exposure to UVB light for their survival, but it is highly likely to be beneficial to their long-term health and wellbeing. We recommend the 26w Zoo Med ReptiSun 5.0 Compact Fluorescent UVB bulb for house geckos housed in a 12” x 12” x 18” terrarium. Using a larger enclosure will require a larger bulb to provide adequate coverage. They were likely brought into the United States as pets before humans let them go into the wild.
By keeping the enclosure clean, you can help prevent the risk of bacterial or fungal infections. The ReptiFiles Mediterranean House Gecko Care Sheet is a simplified care summary, not a full ReptiFiles care guide. I strongly encourage readers to do their own research from high-quality, reputable sources outside of just this care sheet as part of preparing for your new pet reptile. The key to providing a healthy, balanced diet for your pet is VARIETY. Provide as varied of a diet as you possibly can, and you will be rewarded with a healthier pet that always looks forward to mealtime.
However, they may require more frequent cleaning and monitoring to prevent mold or bacterial growth. One side of the enclosure should be warmer, with a basking spot reaching temperatures between 85-90°F (29-32°C). This can be achieved by using a heat lamp or ceramic heat emitter.
Hopefully, you’ll choose to live with it and let it take care of pest control. Female Mediterranean house geckos have a breeding season from April to August of every year. Females can take up to two months to lay their clutches of eggs.
These nocturnal creatures are commonly seen near porch lights at night where they wait for insects to eat such as moths, cockroaches and other insects. These geckos may emit a high-pitched call or squeak when alarmed. They often take shelter around structures in crack and crevices. Once you get past the creepy skin, the common house gecko actually makes for a good pet. Because of their insectivorous nature, many people have opted to accommodate them. As good as the common house gecko sounds on paper, when you decide to live with it, there are some things you’ll have to put up with.
We hope you found this guide useful and consider getting this species as a pet. If you have any questions that we didn’t address above, send them our way and we’ll be happy to help. Start handling them early in life, limiting sessions to only a few minutes at a time. Eventually, these lizards will get used to you and have no problem hanging out in your hand. They can get territorial, making squeaking sounds to ward off potential invaders.
No comments:
Post a Comment