How to care for Common House Gecko

Common Name: Common House Gecko, Pacific gecko, Asian House Gecko

Latin name: Hemidactylus frenatus

Native to: House geckos are originally from southern Asia and northern Africa, but they have been introduced all over the world.

Size: Adult house geckos can reach three to five inches.

Life span: If taken care properly, house geckos can live 5 - 10 years.

General appearance: House geckos are a yellow-tan color with white granular blotches. They tend to look more pale at night. They are also known for their "chikchak" call that you can often hear at night. House geckos have toe pads and can climb glass. These lizards are very fast and do not make very good pets if you want to handle them on a regular basis. If you need to handle house geckos, please use caution around their tail as it will easily break off.

Housing requirements:

Enclosure: There are many different options available. The most popular is a glass or acrylic aquarium. A 10-gallon (20 in x 10 in) aquarium will suffice for one house gecko, however a larger enclosure should be used for more than one gecko. These geckos love to climb and should have branches or other cage furniture to use. You may also want to have plants in the tank as well.

Temperature: Ambient daytime temperatures for house geckos should be 75° - 85° F with a basking site temperature of 88° F. During the night, temperatures can drop to 70° F. You can record accurate readings of temperature by use of a thermometer or infrared temperature gun.

Heat/Light: A basking bulb, infrared bulb, under the tank heater, radiant panel or ceramic emitter can all be used to achieve proper ambient and basking temperatures. House geckos are nocturnal, so UVB light is not required. A 12-hour light cycle however is recommended to achieve a day/night cycle.

Substrate: Coconut fiber (Bed a Beast or Eco Earth), mulch bark, sterilized potting soil without perilite, newspaper, or green astro-urf can all be used as substrates. You may find it easier to maintain humidity levels with coconut fiber, mulch bark, or sterilized soil than with newspaper or astro-turf.

Environment: A higher humidity level of 60% to 70% is a required for house geckos. Higher humidity levels can be maintained by regular mistings of dechlorinated water, appropriate substrate, and a partially cover the cage top. If water droplets begin to form on the glass, the humidity is probably too high.

Diet: Appropriately size crickets, mealworms, wax worms, and butter worms are all good choices for house geckos. It is import to dust the prey items every third feeding with a calcium/vitamin powder supplement. Care should be taken when feeding multiple geckos because they have been known to eat smaller lizards.

Maintenance: Fresh water should be offered daily. If using newsprint or astro-turf then clean as needed. Other substrates should be spot cleaned as needed. Periodically, the enclosure should be disinfected. A 5% bleach solution makes an excellent disinfectant. Be sure to rinse the enclosure thoroughly after disinfecting. As always, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after handling your house gecko or any cage accessories.