[Quadrapolis]

Ok, finally got an account confirmed so I can post.
I've come across a Gold Dusy Day gecko egg that was broken clean away from the membrane when it tumbled out of (of all places) my printer. I'm trying to keep it moist, but I have no knowledge of how much salinity I should provide, how to do so, or whether it can even survive inside an unpunctured membrane without the protection of the hard shell. It looks to be at least midway through its gestation, if not late through it. It moved on its own a little when I touched it, but I don't think it's ready to survive on its own. Think you might be able to help?

I hope the little guy isn't doomed. *sigh*

Thanks,
Andrew,
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

[Quadrapolis]

He was.

[kruler]

Sorry it didn't make it. Was the egg laid in your printer?

[VICtort]

Dear Quadropolis, sorry to hear of the eggs demise...sometimes it just isn't meant to be. Eggs in general may be surprisingly resilient. If confronted with a similar situation, consider making a covering with saran plastic wrap, or 2nd skin/first aid stuff, to prevent drying out of embryo. Cracked eggs may often be saved with tape or even spackle...usually you have nothing to lose by trying. The point is, try to eliminate the likelihood of drying out and foreign material contaminating the egg by replacing the missing/damaged natural barrier with a reasonale subsitute. How did a gecko lay eggs in your printer? Do you live where the naturalized gold dust day geckos occur or did one of yours escape? A curious situation for sure...

Vic H. Imperial Valley, CA.

[Quadrapolis]

Thanks Vic, that's a brilliant solution, and thanks for sharing it.

I live in Hawaii. The little guys are all over the place here and seem to like to hang out in my house. I've gotten good at getting them to run onto my hand, then I carry them outside and let them jump onto my porch banister. I see little ones running around here often too. The eggs got in my printer because the geckos think my printer is just the neatest place to hide and nest. Who knows what leads them to make this determination.

I still feel bad about having killed the two baby geckos inside those two eggs. *sigh*

[OffshoreMetal]

Sorry for the eggs... But still your are lucky having thoses around and in your house I would love to have some reptiles that lives naturally where i live , But it is impossible because of the cold winters... Really cold ( Went to -45C last year ) We have a few snakes here . The most common is the Thamnophis sauritus ( Couleuvre mince - Wikipédia ) Link is in french.
I rarely saw other species and none of them are poisonous ( luckily )

[Quadrapolis]

Ah, one of the garter snake family. I'm well familiar with those from growing up in Florida. (No snakes in Hawaii, and there's a diligent effort in place to keep it that way, as introduced snake species would wreak havoc on the local bird populations.) Interesting to know that at least one species of snake manages to eke out an existence in Québec. The benefit of having local geckos running all around my house is that I get to see behavior that might be missed otherwise. For example, the Gold Dust Day gecko male shows aggression readily toward other males. Frequently when two males of roughly equal size encounter each other, one will turn his triple red markings toward the other male, stand mostly on two side feet, and flare his back toward the other gecko. (This is the gecko's way of flipping the other gecko the middle finger, so to speak.) The two will do this at each other until one of them is sufficiently angry, at which point one of them will charge. Very fun to watch.

I'm also amazed at the acrobatics that they're capable of. In addition to numerous astonishing mid-air flips, they'll jump from heights that would be equivalent to a 40 storey building to a human, land, and run off without hesitation.