Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello,

this is my first time posting here. I've very recently come into possession of a tiny little reptile whom I don't know how to take care of. he (she?) kind of got adopted out to me. a couple of guys in the store where I work brought her to me this evening saying they'd found her hiding in one of the plants in the Floral department. ??? no clue how he got there or even what he is.

she's under two inches long nose to tail (TINY little thing, probably just a baby), kind of dark tan, big head (which makes me think he's some kind of gecko), five-toed, got little dark brown rings along her tail, and is a quick little bugger! I've got him in a little 1 gallon plastic pet carrier sitting next to my lightbulb right now.

tomorrow I'm going to take her to another pet place and hopefully get a clue as to how to take care of her, what to put in there, what to feed her, etc. right now all I've got in there is a little ceramic water dish. he seems to be ignoring everything and is lounging just splayed against the tank.

any help, advice, etc. would be appreciated. (or at least reassure me that I don't have some exotic dangerous poisonous death-lizard who's going to grow big enough to eat me & my other pets!)

~~The Reverend
Her Sacred Temple

It's most likely a house gecko species. Not dangerous
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2.9.9 Leopard Geckos
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Hello! welcome to the board! it sounds like you've probably got a Mediterranean gecko - Hemidactylus turcicus. They stay small, around 8cm and im sure they're easy to care for. And yes, they're quick!!

You will need to put something in the tank for it to hide or it'll soon stress out. They are nocturnal and will hide during the day. Place some small logs and branches in there as well as some greenery! The water dish is fine, though they'll never use it! But keeping it in there helps with humidity. You will need to mist the tank everyday with a water bottle and the gecko will lick the droplets. For food, you'll need to get hold off some hatchling/pinhead crickets. Flightless fruitflies are also good. I think some species MAY take fruit babyfood. But only as a treat!

Hope this helps get you started!

Claire
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I currently keep:
1.2 leopard geckos
1.1 gold dust day geckos
6 dwarf ground geckos
0.1 chinese cave gecko
0.1 tokay gecko

Other species: crested gecko, giant day gecko

thank you! that does help. what about heating? will she be okay at room temperature? how often & how much do I feed her?

I've got an empty TP tube in there at the moment for him to hide in. I'm planning to take a trip to the pet store this afternoon and get some goodies.

thanks again!

~~The Reverend
Her Sacred Temple

Hello!

Room temp should be fine at night providing it doesn't get too cold (below 75 degrees), but during the day a heat lamp will be needed. An ordinary lightbulb is fine and must be placed at one end of the tank. You need to have one end warmer then the other so the gecko can choose how warm it wants to be. Hiding spots should be in both ends.

With feeding, every other night should be enough. Judging how many hatchling crickets to feed is kinda hard cos they all fall out of the tub at once!! Just feed a couple and see how many it eats, then feed a few more... and so on. If any is left running round the tank in the morning then you may have fed too many.

Claire
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I currently keep:
1.2 leopard geckos
1.1 gold dust day geckos
6 dwarf ground geckos
0.1 chinese cave gecko
0.1 tokay gecko

Other species: crested gecko, giant day gecko

Also, dont go to the petstore looking for advice....the employees often dont crap of what theyre talking about. If they say you need UV lighting (unless diurnal), calci-sand,, a heat rock, etc, dont listen to them. Just come here, and ask, or search the net.

Also, dont go to the petstore looking for advice....the employees often dont know crap of what theyre talking about. If they say you need UV lighting (unless diurnal), calci-sand,, a heat rock, etc, dont listen to them. Just come here, and ask, or search the net.

>>I've got an empty TP tube in there at the moment for him to hide in. I'm planning to take a trip to the pet store this afternoon and get some goodies.

I wouldn't go nuts with the "goodies" unless you want to spend money on aesthetics. The TP tube should work fine; just get another like someone else mentioned for the other end of your temperature gradient. Also, you could go as simple as using credit card receipts for hides (as my TX banded geckos have now)--it feels a little more "cozy" for the lizards to have something brushing up against their backs (I also have a TP tube in with them and they ignore it, preferring the receipts).
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet