Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have been researching day geckos for awhile and would like to get a pair. I have narrowed it down to the gold dust day gecko and the madagascar giant day gecko.

I have a couple of questions about the two species. What are the main differences in the species? I read that phelsuma species may vary in habitat and care requirements. Is thier a difference between the two?

Also, if anyone has pics of setups or thier geckos, can I see?
Thanks alot in advance.
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Starkey
Mystic Eye

These two species share the same habitat and can even be found on the same tree in Madagascar (but not a good idea to try this at home, since the grandis will eat the laticauda).
Main difference is size. Giant day geckos are more than twice as long and five fold as heavy as gold dusts. For gold dusts, a 35 g may already be fine, for giant day geckos (which I do breed since 1984) you should consider 60g and up. Minimum height for gold dusts should be 3, for giants 4 ft.
Many people do keep them in smaller enclosures, but not only are both species agile climbers, which need space and vertical height to run, but also they can become quite fat, immobile and agressive in too small cages.
Especially giant day geckos often severely hurt or even kill their mate. sometimes after years of seemingly peaceful coexistence, if they are forced to live in a small tank. So do not compromise with tank size.
Both species prefere smooth surfaces to climb, like Babmboo sticks, barkless branches etc and need a semi humid setup with a bright basking spot. Metal halides are again the best choice.

Hope that helps

Ingo

The gold dust day gecko (P. laticauda or sometimes P. laticauda angularis) is a smaller day gecko between 3.5" to 4.5" in length, needs a tropical type enclosure and behavior-wise can be shy and not seen if it feels insecure. The P.m.grandis is larger, about 10" to 11", has a high-tropical enclosure need, can be aggressive toward its keepers but generally can usually be seen throughout the day which cannot be said of all day gecko species. Both are considered easy to care for day geckos, although I believe that the grandis' delicate skin makes for problems if the humidity is not maintained at 65% to 70%.

Due to their size, Gold Dust are more than comfortable in a ten gallon enclosure as long as it is vertically orientated. A well planted enclosure furnished with bamboo and bark perches will keep the geckos entertained and happy. If the enclosure is too big there is difficulty in keeping it well lit which is truly the secret to keeping day geckos. The grandis pair can do well in a twenty gallon but going thirty with vertical orientation would be better. Again, good planting and furnishings will keep the gecko active and happy. Too big an enclosure and you run the risk of light and temperature problems which generally most keepers can't solve easily.

If you can navigate a German website, there are great examples of enclosures here: www.ig-phelsuma.de Or here, in English: http://forums.phelsumaweb.com/

Leann Christenson
Leaping Lizards Day Geckos
Day Geckos In Captivity
www.daygecko.com

These two species have similar care, but they require different cage sizes. I would not keep a pair of giant day geckos in anything smaller than a standard 29 gallon aquarium. A better choice would be a 37 gallon aquarium. Larger terraria will be need for a trio.

The smaller gold-dusts do better in twenty gallon tanks, standards are fine, but a twenty high is the best choice (although hexagonal ten-gallon aquariums are fine for a pair of gold dusts).

In terms of care, both need full-spectrum lighting and bright basking lights with a temperature gradient inside the terrarium of 80-82 °F in the cool end to 89-95 ° F in the warm end. Night temps can be in the mid-to-low seventies to upper sixities. Humidity around 75% is best, but does not have to be exact. I highly recommend a light timer to control the animal's' photoperiod. Substrates of fine-small grade orchid bark or Reptibark work, as will a layer of topsoil/organic potting soil free from perlite, foam rubber over a layer of pea gravel. Live plants such as snake plants are great choices for day geckos, as are other tropical plants. I highly recommend you take a trip to Micheal's and get some bamboo as well: it is helpful when trying to breed these lizards.

Diet: Crickets, waxworms, fruit (fruit babyfood works well), fruit flies and other small insects are readily taken. I used to feed my Phelsumas "meadow plankton" but you must be careful where you collect it. Another trick for collecting food for small lizards: place a porkchop, chicken leg or other meat item on a table in the sun, then get a butterfly net to collect the flys that gather around it a few hours later.

Water and humidty can be provided via spray bottles.

20 gallon? 30 gallon? I agree with ingo with the 65g minimum (unless a hatchling). Those tanks hardly give enough height and space for such a large arboreal gecko to roam. I kept my grandis (alone) in a 3x3x5' enclosure, and he used up every space in the tank.

It all depends on your tank sizes. If planning to keep grandis, i would build a terrarium rather than buy one.

Ive kept both species. The gold dust are alot faster and skittish, but both are equal in terms of hardiness.

Good luck with whatever you decide,
M.N

I really like the grandis, I prefer thier coloration over the gold dust. Question though, which is the correct tank size?

Also, If I turned a 55 gallon aqaurium on its side, so it is 4 ft high rather than long, could this work for a pair of grandis?

Just curious, and is it best to keep day geckos in pairs or alone?

I have also been doing some research on uroplatus too... I am having a tough time decided which is a better gecko. Ha ha, They appeal to both my personalities... I have diurnal rat snakes that are vividly colored and then I have really aggressize amazon tree boas... A big difference.
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Starkey
Mystic Eye

Hey,

A 55 gallon would work IF you provide lots of cover. I used bromeliads, ferns, pothos plants, and sansevieria. I also glued a lot of bamboo stalks going from each side of the terrarium so they can perch on and bask.

What uro are you interested in? Some only get a couple of inches, and some as large as garndis. Ther also more expensive and require cooler temps to thrive.

M.N

Well, honestly I am interested in the satanics... but I am hearing much about how hard they can be to keep.

I live in northern california too... it gets hot in the summer. I have a snake room and the temps are about 75-78 room temp. in the summer it can get up to 85. I am not too sure how I would keep a uroplatus cool. Thanks for the info.
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Starkey
Mystic Eye

Yeah I'm in cali and it hits like 100 in my room sometimes. This isnt much of a problem for my tokays especially since I line the top of their cage with ice cubes, but the uros would likely suffer. Satanics are even more tempermental from what I hear so I wouldnt risk it.