Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello!

I've got much experience w/Leos, Beardies, Anoles, etc..

But my new donation is a Banded Gecko. It was given to me as a "California Banded Gecko". Does this type of Banded exist?

What are the heating requirements? I've heard they need slightly lower temps than Leopard geckos (ie, 88 deg. on the warm side)

I currently have him in a 10 gallon w/a blue/black reptile light in a ceramic clamp and a mini heat pad, both on the right. He has 2 hides.

Does a banded need a humid hide?

How big will he get?

Any help is much appreciated. I just got him in today!
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

Hi,

I like to think of bandeds as miniature leos, with regards to their care. Their requirements are essentially identical. 88 degrees is good, I drop it down to about 70 at night and mist very lightly each night, I also provide a very shallow water dish. A humid hide on the warm side is essential. The only thing you should watch for is the substrate. Since they stay so small (adults are about 3" SVL) I stay away from sand to avoid impaction. Reptile carpet has worked very well for me, but you could go with paper towels also. Also, finding the right size bugs is sometimes a chore.

I've always liked bandeds the most of all my gex, because they are so curious and adventurous. I had one who used to climb his cage furnishings and make it to the screen top, I would often find him clinging upside down to the screen like some sort of demented anole.

As far as "California Banded Geckos" go, both C. v. variegatus and C. v. abbotti are found in California, hard to say which one you might have.
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Chris

2.0.0 Coleonyx variegatus
1.0.0 Gekko vittatus
0.0.1 Tarentola mauritanica
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus

Terrestrial? Who you calling terrestrial?!!

Thanks for the help!

He has 2 hides but I'll put a humid hide in there ASAP.

He's a character though -- he's got 2 leo tanks on either side of his tank and he's been running around looking like he's trying to get in with them! My baby leos are very skittish & hide during the day -- I don't handle them too much till they get a bit older. This Banded, on the other hand, will bite if you come down on top of him like a predator but once I pick him up he's "mr. mellow". He just chills on my fingers and looks around w/curiosity.

Also, its 1:30PM and he's wandering around on top of his hides, on the cool side of the tank. And he doesn't try to hide when I approach the tank or refill the H2O. Last night I had to take him out for a bit cause he was running like heck up and down the side of the tank, looking like he was trying to get out. Made me wonder if he was lonely?

Is this normal Banded Gecko behavior? My leos are far more flighty.

He's got mealies but I'm gonna get him some little crickets today...
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

He's got huge jet black eyes...
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

I would say his behavior is "normal", that is, it seems to match the behavior of the C. variegatus I've kept. Mine have all become accustomed to handling very quickly, eventually even climbing onto my hand on their own if I put it in the enclosure. They are very curious once out of their cage, not really prone to darting away but always on the move, so you can't really put one on your shoulder and forget it like you can with leos. They do seem to mellow out a bit as they get older. Currently my juvi will leave his hide as soon as I enter the room, I suppose he's expecting me to feed him. My adult doesn't come out until it's dark, but if he sees me he'll generally watch what I'm doing.

If yours is a Coleonyx mitratus then it's definitely not from California, but from Central America. I've never kept mitratus, but I've had people say they aren't very active as adults. Anyone out there have info to back this up or refute?
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Chris

2.0.0 Coleonyx variegatus
1.0.0 Gekko vittatus
0.0.1 Tarentola mauritanica
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus

Terrestrial? Who you calling terrestrial?!!

Affirmative. In the words of Lawrence from Office Space "he dont do [bleep]". Funny little guy though, mashes wax worms like a savage

I have a care sheet posted at http://reptiles.thepsionguild.net/bandedgeckocaresheet.html

Their care really is virtually identical to leopard geckos...they can get a bit colder at night than is recommended for leos. That's about the only real difference, care-wise. I've used silica sand made for saltwater aquariums for bandeds...while this very fine sand has been said to irritate ears or eyes of larger lizards, it's ideal for these little guys, and harmless if they accidently swallow some...the very small particle size makes impaction extremely unlikely.
I personally prefer to use a loose substrate, as in my experience both bandeds and leos like to dig (hollowing out areas under their hides, for example). But, that's a vast and ongoing controversy.

The best part, IMO, about coleonyx is their habit (seen only in baby leos) of twitching their tail like a cat before their strike their prey.

Aww... he's unbelievably cute to watch!

He doesn't seem to like how his vitamin dusted crickets taste though. I'm hoping he'll eat some little mealies too.

He crawled up my arm when I was changing the water and JUMPED to the carpet. I try not to let this happen w/my lil Leopards too but he caught me off guard. He seems fine & I've had many leos do this and be ok. Think I need to worry? He's so little...
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

Chances are that a 4 or 5 foot drop to the carpet won't injure him, but why take the chance? He could potentially break a toe, fracture his tail and drop it, sustain internal injuries that aren't obvious and die a slow painful death, etc, etc. As with any lizard, it's a good idea when you're holding him to keep him low to the ground at first until he's accustomed to you and won't try the daredevil leap to the ground.

My bandeds have all enjoyed their mealworms. Are you using those tiny 3/8" long ones? In the past I've put a dish full of them in there, the gex gorge themselves on the worms, then puke them out a while later. Not cool. Now I put no more than 8 for my adult, 5 for my juvi, with no hurling problems.

With regards to the silica sand mentioned by another poster above, while it's true that the particles are indeed very small, they are also indeed very jagged, and there's a lot of potential there for injury from abrasion, rather than impaction. I'm not trying to open the whole sand-or-no-sand debate again, just putting in my two cents.

>>Aww... he's unbelievably cute to watch!
>>
>>He doesn't seem to like how his vitamin dusted crickets taste though. I'm hoping he'll eat some little mealies too.
>>
>>He crawled up my arm when I was changing the water and JUMPED to the carpet. I try not to let this happen w/my lil Leopards too but he caught me off guard. He seems fine & I've had many leos do this and be ok. Think I need to worry? He's so little...
>>-----
>>Too many Leos
>>1.0 feline "Spot"
>>0.1 canine "Tika"

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Chris

2.0.0 Coleonyx variegatus
1.0.0 Gekko vittatus
0.0.1 Tarentola mauritanica
0.0.2 Rhacodactylus ciliatus

Terrestrial? Who you calling terrestrial?!!

Thanks -- appreciate the help!

He's usually really awesome about being handled -- I think he actually likes it. Unlike my baby leos, he's not freaked out by "The Giant Hand" when I'm messing with stuff in his tank and actually comes over to me. I was trying to move him and something startled him.

I definitely agree on the sand thing and I put some moist sphagnum moss in there and he seems to like burrowing. I read that its instinctive Banded behavior but I wouldn't know...I guess if he'll use it, hey why not.
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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

I never had any problems with the silica sand, which is why I recommended it--I've kept bandeds and desert night lizards on it, and banded hatchlings as well (years before the sand impaction hysteria, this was over 10 years ago)--no irritation of the eyes, no shedding problems, etc.
If the particles are more jagged, it doesn't appear they are jagged enough to cause abrasions. I'd have to deem it safe, based on experience.
At the very least, it's as safe as play-sand, possibly safer for the very small lizards.
Bandies seem to have more common sense than the inbred domesticated leopard gecko lines, and aren't prone to eating substrates, if that helps any. If they get sand in their mouth...they spit it out. <G>
All moot, if you're going with a carpet or paper towel substrate rather than a loose substrate, of course.

This is "Yoshi"...I believe him to be a Coleonyx Mitratus (Central American Banded Gecko)

See Link:
Link

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Too many Leos
1.0 feline "Spot"
0.1 canine "Tika"

Definitely a Coleonyx Mitratus. I had 3 of them, but they were bought sick and even the most rigourous vet treatments could not save them Eventually I want to get some more, but only captive bred, as parasites and liver failure brought mine to their demise. It was extremely sad too, because nothing could help them.