Gecko help.....

[Shelteez2]

I just received a phone call from a very unhappy mother.
Seems she got home and there is a gecko in the house. My sister was having her birthday party today and one of her friends got her a gecko.
My mom is not too pleased. She was asking me about proper care for gecko's so I told her I would get some. Right now it is in a plastic container of some sort with a fake plant in it. I'm not sure what is on the ground.
What are the bare minimums a gecko needs to survive? Do you think a pet store would take the gecko back Under the circumstances? My sister's friend needs a talking to for sure about giving pets as presents... as do her parents for they would have had to have brought her to the store to get it.

Any info I can get will be appreciated. I'm going home tomorrow so I will see it and better be able to describe what it's living in, etc.

[wehee=)]

she needs a nice terrarium with space to walk...the size depends on gecko:) and some hiding places and something to heat the terrarium up... I have a carpet that is under the terrarium. My friend took her gecko back to the shop and they took it.... I dont know did she get back something else then:)

[Pet_Luber]

Most lizards need at least a 40gallon terrarium (Preferably... mine as babies all had smaller ones, and now I have 80 gallons) they need a drip system for fresh water, bedding, plants (alive or fake to crawl on) lighting, usually a UVB 2.0 or higher youcan get good ones called ZOOmed, they need food, and plenty of room to roam... slowly but surely your mother will come to love it, they are the best pets.

[kittycats_delight]

My brother is a reptile specialist. I can get a care sheet done for you. We had a gecko for 4 years and she was in a 20gallon tank which was plenty big for her. What type of gecko is it? Knowing the type could definately help in knowing what size of habitat she will require. Depending on type with also determine what type of substrate and food she can or cannot have. Lighting is also important and heat. A large heat rock is good as it gives a dry heat. And best lighting would be dayglo bulbs for daytime and nightglo for night. Just let me know the type of gecko or even if you can get a pic that would be fine and I will get all the info you need. :)

[tikeyas_mom]

ok it depends on what kind of gecko it is. if it is a leopard gecko, or a fat tailed gecko, it can be placed in a ten gallon tank with a screen lid and a heating pad for herps under the tank. substrate should be reptile carpet or barkmulch for herps. it will eat crickets and mealworms. Calcium dust, a dark place to hide (a cave for herps). A moss hut is also important for leo's and fattails, it help to aid with shedding.

http://www.reptilia.org/images/Lizards/Leopard.jpg

If it is a tokay gecko their care is basic. Here are a list of supplies that you will need for a tokay gecko.

the terratium must be (20 gal (tall) or larger, with a screen top.
Heat Lamp (domed reflector style is recommended).
Nighttime Basking bulb (25watt-50watt).
2 small food bowls, one for water, and one for food.
Dripper and misting bottle to spray tank with.
Live plants like aleovera and soft cati, fake plants are also fine.
Digital thermometer with outdoor probe.
Humidity gage to hang on the inside of the tank.
Calcium Powder with Vit.D3 (for omnivores or carnivores not herbivores)
Calcium Powder without Vit.D3 (for omnivores or carnivores not herbivores)
Herp Vitamin Powder without vitamin A but with Beta Carotene.
paper towel or bark mulch as substrate.tokays eat Mealworms and Crickets.\

http://webs.ono.com/usr025/1mas/reptiles/fotos/GECKO%20TOKAY%202.jpg

[Shelteez2]

Here are some pics...

http://pic13.picturetrail.com/VOL472/2949836/6086191/93398624.jpg

http://pic13.picturetrail.com/VOL472/2949836/6086191/93398623.jpg

http://pic13.picturetrail.com/VOL472/2949836/6086191/93398620.jpg

http://pic13.picturetrail.com/VOL472/2949836/6086191/93398614.jpg

[tikeyas_mom]

that looks like it could be a tokay gecko.

[kittycats_delight]

That is absolutely not a tokay. Tokay's bark and bite. They are nasty little ones and are a beautiful blue/green with orange spots and eyes. They are also quite large. That is a golden gecko. We had one for years. They are absolutely fine in a 10 - 20 gallon tank. You will need a screen top and some daygloe and nightglo bulbs. A heat rock will be perfectly fine. Also you will need a hiding place and some plant. They like to climb. Never feed them mealworms as they do not have enough protein and vitamins and cause bones to become soft and easily broken. Crickets are their staple diet and they should be feed 3-5 crickets every 2-3 days. Also every second or third feeding the crickets need to be dusted with a calcium supplement called "reptical". Friut is ok for a treat for them now and then our just loved peach and pears. But only as a treat because if they really like them they may stop eating the crickets and they NEED them. A small shallow dish of water is good to have in their tank at all times. And a good substrate (bedding) is corn cob bedding. It's natural and non-toxic and it doesn't prevent them from climbing like a sand would do. I hope this helps.

[CathyBogart]

Originally posted by tikeyas_mom
that is a tokay gecko :).. they come in alot of different colors :)..

NOT a tokay. I promise.

[CathyBogart]

I don't know the species offhand. I would recommend posting those pictures at the gecko forum at www.kingsnake.com.

[Shelteez2]

Ok I'm so confused. I keep getting different advice. Like one site I went to said not to use a heat rock, and another said corn cob substrate is bad as it is not digestable if the gecko accidentally eats it.....
And then here those things are recommended...and then no one knows what kind of gecko it is......
I think it's best for it to go back to the store....unfortunately though it will probably just be sold to someone else that knows nothing about them...

[Kfamr]

I searched "Golden Gecko" on google and the pictures I came up with really look like this guy. Whatever he is and wherever he ends up, hope he finally gets the care he needs! :)

[Pet_Luber]

Heat rocks are supposed to very bad for reptiles, and lizards asort. The heat can sometimes burn the gecko, dragon, ect ect because they are cold blooded they dont actually know when warm is HOT. As for the corn cob it shouldnt be to bad, most of the time I use a mulch for the bottom of my terrarium, its not harmful, but that is totally up to you. I know my friend uses a walnut shell sand stuff for his terrarium, another of my friend actually planted grass in his, I use mulch. Good luck. Also most pet stores if you take the gecko in they will know which one it is and they usually have care sheets and can answer most questions. If you still need answers call your local reptile vet. I know here in Edmonton there are very few reptile vets so if you live in a small town chances are you will be calling the city for a vet. Hope that helps alittle. Good luck.

[Orca]

Sorry to add to the confusion, but I don't think that's a golden gecko, this is what I picture when I think of a golden
http://mypeoplepc.com/members/gpowersjr/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/golden2.jpg

As for the heat rock idea, I've heard mixed; some reptiles know when its hot and some don't. I think your best bet is either a heat lamp or undertank heater.

[kittycats_delight]

Actually our gecko used to go from the greyish sandy kinda color in the pics first posted to a golden color of the last pic posted. It just depended on how cool or warm he was. Also when he wasn't getting enough light he would get darker too.

[CathyBogart]

Looks like you got some good info at kingsnake. I would recommend bringing it back: It will probably cost about $90 to get a good setup and it sounds like your mother isn't going to like that, or going back to the store for crickets every week.

[Orca]

Originally posted by kittycats_delight
Actually our gecko used to go from the greyish sandy kinda color in the pics first posted to a golden color of the last pic posted. It just depended on how cool or warm he was. Also when he wasn't getting enough light he would get darker too.
It wasn't just the color I was questioning. The goldens have a smooth body outline and the one in question seems to have 'rough edges'...
But yeah, bring the little guy back if he/she can't get the proper care. And we can hope that he gets a home that knows how to care for him.

[tikeyas_mom]

eeep :o

sorry about the miss-hap.

It does look alot like a golden gecko.


Dont use corncob.. it gets moldy when wet, it is dusty, and if digested it can cause serious impaction and even death..



I would recommend going to the library and looking up some books... or get your sister to..


cheers.