Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello - sure wish I had a digital camera because that would help! My son has a Mediteraenian (spelling) that he has had for about 3 months - doing very well and is fat and hopefully happy. Friend has given him what he says is also a med. gecko but it is much larger - 6 or 7" long, and pretty uniform and lighter colored. Has 'fringe' or spikes along it's relatively flat tail and looks like it has flaps of skin on it's hind legs, almost a little like a bat might have for wings! His other geckos is about 4 1/4 inches loing, roound tapered tail and mottled dark brown in color. Both lizards have small black eyes. Saw a picture of a house gecko but this one's tail looks different. We are taking care of it as we do the Med., but want to do the right thing. Any help is appreciated.

Do a search online for "ptychozoon" and see if you can find pics which look like your new gecko.
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

Thanks for the suggestion Chris, but the ptychozoon is not it; however, my son just said that if he could have named it, he would call it a falt tailed gecko. Sure enough - Cosymbotus platyurus is it. The photos we found look dead-on accurate to our little guy. Big problem now is that he shouldn't be kept with our other gecko, right? Gotta get another tank!

Acutally, your two geckos will be fine together if the tank is 10 gallons or larger.It needs to have more than one hiding area and basking spot.Good Luck!

Hi,
I believe from what you said, that it is Gehyra mutilata. There is a chance it is Cosymbotus platyurus, even though that is a little large for them (however they have a distinct pattern, so I doubt it is). Try to find as many pictures of these as you can, mainly G. mutilata (don't let variance of color or pattern throw you off). The feet are somewhat webbed, with fat round digits. Here is a pic. of one of mine. This one lived in my bathroom for over a year before I decided to catch it again It ate escapee crickets; yes I had to clean its feces but, thank fully geckos usually do their thing in the same spot. G. mutilata are often imported from Vietnam with shipments of house geckos. Hope this helps. By the way excuse my camera...
Ashton

Gekko Terra

Sorry, I forgot to ad some notes on care. IF it is G. mutilata here are a few things to know. They really do not like it as humid as Mediterranean geckos (Hemidactylus turcicus), so do not mist the cage as often; three or four times a week is good. Some will eat fruit babyfood, unlike turcicus, so try to offer it maybe once a week. Otherwise most of the care is the same. I found that G. mutilata is much more aggressive and hyper active than turcicus, so make sure the competition for food is not dominated by the mutilata (sorry, I don't know a common name for them). Just monitor their behavior together and then decide what you should do about housing them together. I guess this combination could work, as they cross ranges in the wild (in introduced areas). Just provide some live plants and other hiding spaces. Good Luck, post to let me know if that is the species.
Ashton
Gekko Terra