Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi. I run a small rescue/shelter for exotics in SE Texas. I mostly took in birds and mammals until a few years ago when I started rehabbing lizards. I have had really good success with desert and semi desert species.

I kept a leo for awhile, and because he was such a great boy about being handled, I gave him to a friend who works in an educational facility. He was healthy. I kept a strip uv light on his cage, and provided a basking light, log, hides, bowl of calcium, moss filled shedding box, and of course prey.

A lady just surrendered a 3 year old golden gecko today with only three feet. The gecko had a mishap as a baby and lost just the foot on one front leg. Other than that, he seems healthy. So, how are these geckos different from the leos? Do they need more moisture, different temps, less or more light or UV?

First off, I am by no means an expert on goldens, but my brother does have one. My admittedly incomplete understanding of their needs is that their diet is similar to crested geckos (omnivorous), meaning that crested gecko diet crickets would probably work ok for feeding it. They are arboreal like cresteds, so you'll want to provide a tall enclosure rather than a wide one, and they like higher temps than cresteds (upper end of the thermal gradient in the enclosure should be in the mid to high 80s fahrenheit - about equivalent to leos, but with higher humidity.) I don't really know much more than that. Hopefully that helps, and hopefully I haven't said anything grossly wrong; like I said, I'm not an expert with them, so if anyone else knows more and/or better than me, please chime in and help.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

Thanks! I will get a light on him, but I assume the upper 80s to 90 degree temps is daytime? What is the best way to accomplish the high end temps? I can either go with UTHs or lights or both.

The setup he came with is a ten gal with an under tank heater. He rarely had an overhead heat source. He is on bark that I will toss ASAP because it smells like urine. He has been fed only crix, and I understand that they need some veg/fruit matter?

So, what is the best substrate? Do they need any UV? What are the best day AND night temp gradients?

I will likely put him up for adoption as soon as I make sure he is healthy and is eating a proper diet. But I need to set him up properly to do that. Thanks so much for any advice!

>>Thanks! I will get a light on him, but I assume the upper 80s to 90 degree temps is daytime? What is the best way to accomplish the high end temps? I can either go with UTHs or lights or both.
>>
>>The setup he came with is a ten gal with an under tank heater. He rarely had an overhead heat source. He is on bark that I will toss ASAP because it smells like urine. He has been fed only crix, and I understand that they need some veg/fruit matter?
>>
>>So, what is the best substrate? Do they need any UV? What are the best day AND night temp gradients?
>>
>>I will likely put him up for adoption as soon as I make sure he is healthy and is eating a proper diet. But I need to set him up properly to do that. Thanks so much for any advice!

My brother has a light on his tank, and that seems to work ok for him. As for substrate, I'm not 100% on what's optimal. My brother uses some moss I believe, and of course paper towels are always going to be safe, so I'd probably go with those at least to start. I'll send him an email and see if I can either get some more detail from him on what's good for them or just get him to post here. Like I said, I just know what I've observed when I've been over to his place; I've never really had a detailed conversation with him on their requirements.
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0.1 Albino Leopard Gecko - Tigger
0.1 Crested Gecko - Pooh-Bear

Thanks so much! I did put a light over the tank and he has an UTH. The hottest spot is 94, and he is just to the side of it, so I assume he likes it very warm. The cool side is 78.

Could you ask your brother if the crested packaged diet works or do you use this? Does the plant/fruit matter have to be pureed or is diced okay?

Hi,

I have a good amount of experience with this species, and they are significantly different than leopard geckos. They are used to living in much more humid environments, which you can produce by misting the cage often (at least 1x daily) - this is also how they get water, don't just use a water dish. You can also increase humidity in the cage by soaking a substrate such as eco-earth or sphagnum moss. The temperature should be approximately the same as leopards - use a basking bulb recessed from the cage lid with this one, as they are known to sit upside down on the cage lid. A heat pad on the bottom of the cage will do approximately nothing for this animal, as they rarely go to the ground. They also need a tall cage, as they climb very well (even with three feet). As far as food goes, you can feed them crickets/insects occasionally, but the majority of an adult's diet should be in the form of fruit (no veggie/meat) baby food fortified with calcium/vitamin powder. I hope this info helps, they're a fun animal, very lively and beautiful if kept correctly.

Hope this helps

WOW! Okay, so I do need to provide the puree, and that is the mainstay of their adult diet? Do you recommend that crested gecko food?

He has not climbed up at all. He stays on the ground, but do you think that is because he never had a heat lamp before? Of course I don't know what he does at night.

Do I turn the lights off at night and let temps fall as I do with my other lizards or does he need constant temps?

Hi Trent,
When the lady contacted me, I thought that she was surrendering a crested, so I read up on them, and found this site in the process. This is a gecko formula for omnivorous geckos. Do you think it would work for goldens?
www.pangeareptile.com/products.htm

Thanks,
dc

I didn't think leos needed UV light because they were nocturnal.
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two oregon newts
one male eastern box turtle
ten gallon tropical fish tank

There are mixed feelings about uv and geckos, but some vets and some keepers do suggest low amounts of uv for geckos. My leo did come out and get exposure during the day, and I must admit that he was huge and in super good health.