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| By Rob Conrad Distribution: Day gecko's fall under the genus phelsuma, these little reptiles are found in Madagascar and surrounding Islands such as Comoros, Seychelles, and now introduced in the Hawaiian islands. The drab-day gecko, phelsuma dubia has a distribution range from Africa to Madagascar and Comoros. Most species under the phelsuma genus have quite similar habitat's and climate's. Thus making them all relatively similar to keep in captivity. Housing: I have kept many phelsuma many different ways, I will describe what works best for me. You can easily house a pair of smaller species of day gecko in 5 ½ gal tanks with a secure lid. However, I have noticed that phelsuma are too clever and too fast for this set up to work for long period's of time. Thus a secure screen lid on top for u.v.penetration and airflow works well. With cage / door access being from the front of the enclosure. Day gecko's when startled prefer to run up, rather than sideways . Thus when tank cleaning or egg checking is performed , the gecko stay's in the tank ! Not escaping vertically through the lid. The tanks we use do not have removable lids. All husbandry care can be done through the front of the enclosure. Dimension's for small phelsuma tanks : p.lineata, laticauda, quadriocellata & klemmeri are 8.5 inch wide by 15 inch long by 20 inch high. For larger species such as p.m. grandis, kochi, boahmi & standingi. I recommend 24 inch wide by 12 inch long by 24-30 inch high. Notice: height is the most important part of these tanks. Lighting: All diaurnal animals need some sort of photo period and sun / heat / u.v exposure. I will not get into brand or product naming here. However 2- fluorescent tubes work best with day geckos. The one we put in the fixture is a reptile bulb, the other can be a standard grow or cool white bulb. In my experience, phelsuma love light. They need it. And when light is increased, have even mated instantly. For basking, a 50w spot lamp is placed on each cage for 2-3 hours per day. Cage furniture: This part I keep very simple. Paper towel, mulch, news paper, or a mix of potting soil and peat work well as a base or substrate. I use mulch. Then I take sansivaria or snake plant, and pot them in one corner of the cage. Snake plant's are hardy, and provide egg laying spots for phelsuma, misting the plants daily will take care of them and provide drinking water for day gecko's. Remember not to allow the soil to dry out too long as the plant will then dehydrate. Snake plant's can be purchased in large pots that can be then divided up into many smaller groups of plants for four or more terraria. If you choose other plants, be sure that you provide extra branches and perches for them to hide and bask on. An alternative egg laying site can be pvc pipe or large bamboo bottom's. Feeding: Domestic crickets are the main food source for day gecko's. I also provide a small amount of starch free fruit based baby food, in a dish. You can try real fruit as well. Bananas being a favorite among day gecko's. Calcium is given to phelsuma every day on the crickets. Do not use too much vitamin d3 when adequate lighting and diet is provided. Too much can become harmful and stored in your lizard. Breeding: When set-up properly, with good lighting and diet as discussed, all phelsuma pairs, in good condition, should breed in captivity. Our phelsuma breed from September until May / June, then lighting and temperature are slightly reduced for 2-months. You can reduce lighting by removing one of your two fluorescent tubes. Males are easily sexed by there pronounced femoral bulges, and have a longer body and tail , than the females. When incubating eggs , remember to place eggs in a small dish or pop-bottle lid. Although the air humidity should be 80-90 % , the eggs themselves do not touch the substrate. Incubate the eggs around 82 degrees for 50-80 days… Good Luck !! |