Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone tried keeping any day geckos with mantellas?
I've got a 2 ft tall x 3 ft long x 1 ft deep tank that I'm considering making into a Madagascar enclosure, probably with a 1.2 trio of day geckos, right now I'm leaning towards Peacock Days (Phelsuma quadriocellata) and a 1.2 trio of painted mantellas (Mantella madagascarensis) along with a lot of moss and plants and a small shallow pool.
The temperature and humidity requirements work, with the exception of the basking spot for the Phelsumas. The day geckos are of course mainly arboreal and i've read that mantellas tend to stay near the ground, so I think there shouldn't be too much problem in that regard. Any ideas/comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated though.

I love them peacock geckos You're also correct in choosing a smaller phelsuma species. You don't want them agrivating the frogs by pecking at them thinking they are food.

You'll do fine as long as you're keeping the husbandry issues of both species in check. I think a trio of day geckos might be a bit much for your size of enclosure, especially when you're keeping another species in as well. A pair might be better suited, and you'll probably find more natural behavior in a less cramped environment.

The basking light for the phelsuma doesn't have to be so hot that it heats up the frogs, a 60W will do up in the corner as long as your reptile room isn't overly cold. You will have to arrange your plants so they aren't near the lamp; they then tend to dry up and wilt if too close.

The last main problem once the setup is designed to make everyone secure, is feeding. You'll have to come up with a system that doesn't find the phelsuma diving down on the insects before the frogs can get to them (they'll likely hide when they see the lizards coming down.)

Ian