Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 5-6 fy tall , 5 ft wide and 1 1/2 ft deep enclosure that was built for me that i would like to house geckos in. it has coconut bark in the bottom a few trees of sorts. a few pothos plants, some cork bark and some logs and drift wood. and soem hanging grape vines. Also has a ten gallon tank with balloon mollies and guppies in the bottom. Is there any geckos that would do good in there ? I do have other reptiles, suhc as a beardie and a water dragon, a veiled chameleon and a pac man frog, some bullfrogs and some cuban frogs. i was wanting to get into geckos and was looking to see if any would be ok in this tank. Thanks in advance

There are tons of climbing geckos out there...all the Rhac species climb, leaf tailed geckos, Day geckos, tokays and so many more species I certainly can't name them all.

The cage you have is huge...and most geckos are not very big...I beleive the largest gecko is about 15-17 inches long and you could easily house a trio or more in a cage that size.

I suggest doing a search on gecko species, and look for those that interest you. Then search those specific spieces on their care requirements till you find some that appeal to you the most and will do well in a large cage like that. You probably could house several different kinds of compatable geckos, but to do this, deffinitely do alot of research on each species and their requirements (ie temperatures, active at night/day, humidity needs, aggression, adult size, prey etc).
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PHLdyPayne

i have looked into crested geckos and really like the looks of them. i would like to have a breeding group but everything i have read say that they are very agressive( males anyways) is thsi true? would i only be able to put one male in there>? what about gargolye geckos? are they less agressive? Thank you for your help i have a few options to look into now

Most geckos are fairly territorial, but in an enclosure of that size you may be able to have two groups of geckos, a male and maybe three females, and they will have enough room so as not to interfere with one another. That might be interesting, especially if you can come up with two different kinds that can live in the same conditions.

Quig

Crested geckos are not that aggressive and in a cage that size, you may be able to house two males and 5-6 females easily. However, keeping track of eggs may be a problem, if the bottom is filled with coconut husk (bed a beast eco something or other). Eggs lain in cocunum husk will spoil within 36 hours so you will have to check daily for any eggs. Removing this and providing several nesting boxes will make it easier, as you can check the boxes faster.

I beleive day geckos can co-exist with crested geckos, but double check on day gecko requirements to make sure you can maintain temperatures and humidity suitable for both. With the cage so high, you can have warmer areas near the top and the crested geckos will ju st avoid those areas. As day geckos are active during the day and crested geckos mostly at night, there won't be much conflict between the two. Again read up on any species you plan to put together, especially their environmental needs and ability to tolerate others and overall aggressiveness, including towards other species of similar or smaller sizes.

Viviarium type setups are more for advanced herp keepers though, so may be better to pick one species and enjoy them first before adding something new to the mix.

You could also divide up that large cage and put separate kinds of animals that way.

Gargoyle geckos are more aggressive and tend to drop tails alot easier than crested geckos (but unlike crested geckos, they can grow their tails back). Crested geckos can also drop their tails if startled or frightened, but their tails won't grow back. The loss of tail isn't detrimental to the crested gecko at all, most adult crested geckos in the wild are tailless.
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PHLdyPayne

What if i was to add a few nesting boxes? would that help also what about humdity hides? would they be necessary? So far it is looking like cresteds may take the prize but i am going to look into day geckos too. see which one i like better. What is a good way to set up/make nesting boxes. You guys have been a geat help

nesting boxes are easy to set up. Basically damp (so it clumps when squeezed but no water drips out) untreated soil (ie no fertiziers etc in the soil) can be u sed to fill the nesting box, or moss, or coconut husk (though you will have to check for eggs every day, as they will go bad in this stuff within 36 hours), vermiculate could also be used mixed with the soil. A deli dish or similiar that is a few inches deep and 4-5 inches wide and long is sufficient. A slightly smaller one or large one can be used as well.

Moist hides can be used too, as it will give your geckos a place to go to if shedding or finding the rest of the cage drier than they like. Daily mistings usually work fine to keep the humidity but in an all screen cage, it's not as easy to keep humidity up, especially if the room outside the cage is very dry.
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PHLdyPayne